Motor cuts out while trimming

[JAZII]

Did he do an AMP draw test on your trim motor?

JAZII

[Triton19x2]

Yes he did. He also compared those results with a known good motor and found them to be the same. I will know for sure tomorrow but somewhat expect the problem to still be there.

[EuropeanAM]

Fraser:

I had one last year that was doing the same thing.... poor guy had been in multiple times, to multiple dealers.

Load test at the battery was EXCELLENT. Load test at the ENGINE END of the cables showed 1.2 Volt DROP (as compared to the results when directly connected to the battery). All connections were good.

A new set of engine battery cables resolved that particular case. High resistance in one cable.

[Triton19x2]

Thanks for the tip Don!! I got to the lake this morning for my club TX and did not get to test the engine under load. When I fired it up, fuel started pouring out of the lower cowl. When the tech went through the VST, something did not get connected back up right. Taking it back tomorrow if I can and going to leave it for the week.
PS won the TX anyway....I was forced to fish instead of run....20 mph wind, thank goodness for good trolling motor batteries.

[EuropeanAM]

Sounds like the VST overflow (fitting located on STB/front side of adapter plate and dumps inside lower cowling if the VST floods).

He'll probably need to take the VST apart again (might have inadvertantly bent the float, etc).

[skeeter202]

I had a similar problem with a yamaha and it continually got worse to the point it would not crank unless you trimmed engine half way up ,put in shop hooked water to it and took heavy jumper cables and hooked from the neg on battery to ground on engine , problem found , bad ground wire , replaced cable with a monster cable and no more problems........

[JAZII]

Sounds like the VST overflow (fitting located on STB/front side of adapter plate and dumps inside lower cowling if the VST floods).

He'll probably need to take the VST apart again (might have inadvertantly bent the float, etc).

OR miss aligned the EXPENSIVE O-ring gasket.

JAZII

[Triton19x2]

Holding pin came out of float hinge setting the float free to "float". Tech fixed it while I waited and tightened the screw holding the pin in place well. Now back to original problem...I will try to run the boat this week to see if it still stumbles when I hit the trim. I will let you guys know

[senkoman1]

So if thats the problem that is the same thing I was Talking about(fuel pump?) that was replaced on mine. Your symptoms are exactlly what I was experiencing. Posted earlier in this thread. Hope they figured it out either way

[Triton19x2]

I will let you know once I run it

[Triton19x2]

Finally ran the boat today and problem is still there. Tech says it has to be in the alternator. He will order a new one tomorrow. Talked to a buddy on the way home and he asked if it happened with all trim switches...hmmmm...I have only been using the "blinker switch" one

[EuropeanAM]

Finally ran the boat today and problem is still there. Tech says it has to be in the alternator. He will order a new one tomorrow. Talked to a buddy on the way home and he asked if it happened with all trim switches...hmmmm...I have only been using the "blinker switch" one

Aha! Might want to check into that detail... use the one on the control handle, as see if the problem is still present.

Depending on how the blinker trim was tied in... it may actually be pulling power from the wrong circuit.....

[bloodman]

Finally ran the boat today and problem is still there. Tech says it has to be in the alternator. He will order a new one tomorrow. Talked to a buddy on the way home and he asked if it happened with all trim switches...hmmmm...I have only been using the "blinker switch" one

When mine was doing that it happened to all trim switches including the trim on my kicker. Thats what led me to suspect the battery which resolved the problem. Only thing now is I still get some reduced rpm on my 250xs when trimming at low speed. Wondering how to check the resistance on those cables. That could certainly be a problem that I never thought of.

[canadabullet]

Are you getting a warning buzzer beep when trimming... If not , then it is doubtful it is trim related other than the normal voltage draw might cause a compromised weak sparkplug to miss.. I would change all the sparkplugs ( good time as any ) because I suspect that one is fouling ... If you can , after changing the plugs start your motor at night with the cowl removed and look for obvious signs of spark arcing ... When I first got my 2004 250 xs on its maiden outing , I had similar symptoms and discovered that one plug wire was installed backwards and it was arcing through the plug cap onto the block intermittently...This was only visible at night with the cowl removed and was quite dramatic....A new wire and a fresh set of plugs and it has not missed a beat ...

[Mark Weare]

You can measure the resistance with a DVOM but it still may not catch it because as long as there are a few stands intact, the low voltgae emitted by a DVOM will still get through. The problem, if cable related, could be resistance caused by corrosion or a bad connection on the ends or more likely, broken/corroded strands within the battery cable. If there are say, 200 strands in that cable and 150 are broke, it will still pass lots of voltage but be unable to deliver the steady amps needed to run the trim motor. Best test is another set of battery cables, see if you dealer will let you test a used set.

If you tried new relays then you bypassed a potential burnt contact within.

If you are drawing power for the blinker from anywhere other than the red power wire in the trim circuit, it could cause an issue like Don said.

[Triton19x2]

Ok, got the altinator replaced Sat. and ran the boat today. The problem is still there.I did try both trim controls and the result is the same. When running WOT volts read 14.0 and when I hit the trim it drops to 12.6. When running the RPMs fluctuate 100. You can feel the boat "drag and then go" back and forth without hiting anything, trim included. No alarms on the Merc Monitor and no beeps. Getting frustrating. I have 3 days off this coming week but looks like I won't be fishing like I planned. I guess I will get caught up on honey do's......hmmmm, maybe my wife has been "working" on my boat without me noticing

[bloodman]

I am putting my money on the battery. Take it someplace else and have it tested. Mine did the same with the same battery.

Please. Take that battery out and try a different one. It wont hurt anything. I dont care what yours tested at, just try it.

[EuropeanAM]

Please. Take that battery out and try a different one. It wont hurt anything. I dont care what yours tested at, just try it.

Agreed.

In addition... you might want to disconnect and isolate ALL other connectors from the cranking battery (leaving ONLY the engine cables connected with Stainless Locknuts).

Your comments about the "cycling RPM's" make me seriously suspect there is another cause (not directly related to the trim) that is causing or contributing to BOTH complaints.

If the above does not provide some change.... you may find that a day trip is a more productive approach.

[Triton19x2]

Don, got batteries switched around but could not run the boat due to some much needed popup thunderstorms. I will see you in the morning and thanks for the conversation today!

[EuropeanAM]

Don, got batteries switched around but could not run the boat due to some much needed popup thunderstorms. I will see you in the morning and thanks for the conversation today!

See you in a few hours.