www.iFourWinns.com

Ok, got the boat out yesterday for a test run. We had unbelievable weather this weekend. Put in the water, no problems until we took it out of the water after an hour of boating. We had lost control of the trim power. We checked what we could check and found out that there was a reset on the side of the power trim inside the engine compartment. Reset it, and all was well. What would make this reset button trip? We have used the trim almost everyday in the last few weeks cleaning, changing grease, oil, etc. Any ideas? Just worried that once it was in the water it stopped working.

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1990 Horizon 200
5.7L OMC Cobra 260HP

The trip switch relates to load (amps vs resistance); if the oil viscosity is higher, the pump is working harder. So, if the oil is at lake/ sea temperature rather than at a warmer air temperature, the load may well be higher.

Graham

Thanks for the info.. That would make sense. I went to the local OMC dealer and he informed me that I needed a new trim pump because the circuit tripped. Im not sure I agree with this. My thought is.. Why would they make a pump that has a circuit breaker that can trip if by it tripping this means you need a new one? That may be hard to understand.. Im no english professor. I guess what I mean is, if what the dealer told me is true, what is the point of having the circuit trip?

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1990 Horizon 200
5.7L OMC Cobra 260HP

Those pumps aren't cheap. As long as it worked right after resetting it, I'd keep an eye on it and see if it happens again. I do understand your concern; I would be too. I wonder about the condition of the fluid and whether the previous owner might have put the wrong type in it. Probably not, but it's another possibility.

If you do end up having it replaced, I'd insist on a complete flush of the trim system and refill with the proper fresh fluid. A mechanic worth the title would do that anyway, but I wouldn't assume it.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Yep, changing the fluid this weekend.

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1990 Horizon 200
5.7L OMC Cobra 260HP

If the breaker opened then that's a sign that the pump was drawing too many amps...they do draw a lot of current...and what I'd do is check all the connections...starting with the batt cables...relays...connections to the relays...etc...I bet you have high resistance somewhere...I doubt that it has anything to do with the fluid unless it's low...when you check the fluid....you have to tilt the drive up first...then remove the fill plug in the trim pump...oil level should be at the bottom of the hole...

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Lou,

If there's a high resistance somewhere on the way to the pump, won't that decrease the current, basically as it would be dropping the voltage at the pump?

I suppose if the elecrric motor and pump were struggling ( e.g. rying to pump cold oil etc), they'd tend to heat up, which would cause the resistance of the pump motor windings to drop, then the current would increase.

Graham

this is not likely to be related to oil viscosity because the oil in the trim pump is similar to auto trans fluid which is not a heavy oil by any means...on a boat that age (not as old as mine...but close) corrosion of the battery cables (if they were original they are probably shot) ground cables and wiring/connections at the relays is a likely cause of intermittent trim problems. It's possible that the pump itself is drawing too much current but since these are expensive to replace I'd check all the wiring first.

funny story...to show how much current they draw...there was a break in one of the wires for my trim sytsem inside the throttle contro...sometimes when trimming...I'd get a heck of a shock when the current tried to jump to the ground through the handle or when I was holding the metal destroyer type wheel my boat has...so that system needs a LOT of current....

and finally like a bad starter...if all the wiring checks out....you may just have to replace it...this happened with my old starter...worked fine for about 4 seasons....then got slower...(even with new batts and cables) when I winterized it back in 05 smoke poured from the starter it was drawing so much current....so I put in a new one that spring....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Same thing happened to me last year. We were making our way up through a flight lock and I inadvertently leaned against my throttle while holding one of the lines in the lock - turns out I was also leaning on the trim button so the motor was working for about 5 minutes (I couldn't hear it with the noise in the lock...). Doors opened, and I couldn't drop the outdrive, so had to pull the boat out. It was 6:00 pm on a Saturday, locks were closing soon, and of course no marina's around, and everything was closing up. Tried everything I could - changed in-line fuses, even trying to short the drive motor's contacts with a screwdriver to drop the drive - no luck. Long story short, I finally got a snowmobile mechanic to come by next morning (only guy within 50 miles on a Sunday morning!), and after he tried everything, he noticed the reset button and figured he'd give it a try and, presto!

Lots of morals to this story (pay attention when in locks!), but the main one is always look for a reset button!

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2005 Sundowner
2008 Highlander V6

Agree 100% with your post Lou - assuming it has the proper oil in it. Being a used boat, it's just one more thing to be aware of.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I just wanted to mention that this post SAVED MY WEEKEND!!! Yesterday, it was 88 degrees in Michigan which is rare, so I wanted to take full advantage of it. I got out to the lake with a group of friends to do some wakeboarding. I was pulling the second rider when he fell into some shallow water. I trimmed the outdrive up to grab him and when I went to trim it back down, nothing. I checked everything (relays, fuses, etc.) and couldn't get it to work. After floating around for a little while, I decided to search this forum from my cell phone and found this discussion. From there, I pushed the red button on the engine and we were back in business! This website has saved me on a number of occasions.

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2001 Four Winns 180 Horizon
4.3L Volvo Penta

Thats good to hear, I love this forum as well. Youre luckier than I was, I had to get into 60 degree water (ice cold) and remove the bolts from the outdrive and strap it up in position so I could get it out of the water. I finally saw a wire exposed in my compartment that I believe had tripped the circuit. I read in the manual there is a way to release the trim motor to be able to manually move the drive up and down. I couldn't figure out what it was talking about though.

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1990 Horizon 200
5.7L OMC Cobra 260HP