Installing new Trim Limit & Sender Without removing outdrive Mercruiser Alpha 1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- Amazon link for Limit & Sender switches: amzn.to/3bIRtdP
Step by step process I took for replacing damaged Trim sender and limit switches on a Mercruiser Alpha 1 (gen 2), Without needing to remove the lower unit/outdrive. This process will be similar for Alpha gen 1, and Mercruiser Bravo units as well.
Awesome video, huge help!
One thing I discovered is that if you use an 8in 1/4 extension with the outdrive turned all the way right, you can stick it through the gimbal housing gap on the side and get a straight shot to that screw. You will have to put the socket on after you stick the extension through the gap. Cheers!
Great discovery. Thank you.
Tried that, wouldn't work for us. But thanks for the suggestion
Great Video. I found a time saving improvement. Trying to get the retainer bolt back in is pretty fiddly. I disconnected the hydraulic rams at the back of the outdrive by removing the cap and one of the clips. I was then able to drive out the shaft connecting the rams to the drive. I put a short 2x4 under the skeg to prevent damaging it. This allowed the drive to drop and provide enough space to get a 1/4” extension through and an almost straight shot at the bolt. I still used a universal adapter. I needed to thread the extension through the opening and then connect the adapter and socket. I also sprayed some PB Blaster in the threaded hole and then blew it out with compressed air (wear a face shield or goggles).
After securing the bolt, I cleaned the the removed shaft and applied a little marine grease before reassembling
.Thanks for the video. It saved me time and $$$.
Thank you so much for posting this. We had the exact same problem where the up button on the trim didn't work. You talked about where the wires come through the boat, having 1 bolt. Ours had the 2 bolts. My husband was able to get one out, the other I was able to get my small hand up there, he cut me a special tiny wrench and we accomplished the task of getting the wires through with a lot of fanagling. Great camera work as well. 🙂
Thanks for making this video. I did it the way one of the commenters suggested, which was to jack up the boat and lower the outdrive all the way down. Allowed me to get to the bolt a little easier. For many years I was always told this could not be done without removing the whole outdrive. Nice job!!
Thank you! Glad you were able to get to the bolt that way, may try it if I ever have to do this again. Either way, definitely beats pulling the drive!
Great video, I just did this myself after watching. Someone else commented to jack the stern up so you can lower your out drive all the way down. I definitely suggest this also, and like another person mentioned, if you have someone who has small enough hands to at least get that bolt started then that’ll save you a ton of time. I had to do this on my own with no help, and yes getting the bolt started and back is by far the toughest part. This guy gets it in about 10 mins, but expect to be messing with it for a lot longer. Took me over an hour just on that one part because I couldn’t get the bolt started. Just be aware this takes some serious patience, but it is possible.
That's for your time doing the video you really helped me with the questions I had
Nice clear instructions. Will give it a go
Thank you so much for the video. Ot saved me countless hours of work and worked great. The one thing I did differently was I actually took the three bullet ends and cut them off for ease of pulling them through the hole in back of boat. I left enough to use butt connectors once I got them through and since one on each side had writing I knew I got them right. The other thing was I pulled 16 guage wire through the hole to begin with as I was pulling the old ones out and I used the same to pull the others back through first inserting it in the female bullet connector on the new sender and pulling just that one through then I wrapped the wires together with the other and pulled it through. I used an aftermarket set of trim sender and trim limit I bought on Amazon for.39.00 and they work just fine
Dealing with EXACTLY this issue... perfect video. Applaud the patience with that bolt. I've been staring at it wondering whether it was too insanely tight to deal with. It's either postpone and go without the down trim switch on the throttle until the next time I need to take the outdrive off for something, or do it myself now. Just had the damned Gimbal bearing fixed, so the fact the shop didn't notice the sender unit wires were cut and deal with it then burns me up, but oh well. This has me thinking I can give it a try. Thanks again.
Thank you! It did take some patience, but wasn't too bad. Just wanting to confirm you meant trim up* switch on the throttle, because the limit and sender switches shouldn't affect the trim down. If so, you should definitely go for it, it's really not very difficult at all. Let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks man. I just finished the installation with no instructions and used this video to help me through it. Well done.
I just completed the same project. This video really helped. I can add one thing. When you remove the bolt holding the wire plug to the hull, take a dremel tool and cut a slit in the top of the bolt. Then your can fish a screwdriver between the housing and the outdrive and screw the bolt in . This makes it a ton easier to start the bolt. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tip! In my case, I did not have too much trouble getting it started, but I may have been lucky to get it to grab as quickly as I did.
Thanks for this great video. Compled it this weekend. Fought with the bolt for 2 1/2 hours trying everything. Called my friend, got it done in 5 minutes.
Everything works now.
Hell yeah nice work.
You save a lot of money doing it yourself. Thanks for the video
Thank you for this video. I would not have had the guts to do it myself without it. One tip I have is I pulled out both old wires, then taped the ends of the new ones, then stuck a thick coat hanger wire into the tape at the end and thrusted it through the hole. After jacking up the stern and lowering the outdrive there is a gap that gives you a straight shot in. You have to stick the end of the hanger wire throught the gap in the gimbal housing, then into the tape at the end of the wire. Via Con Dios. Patience is the key on this job.
I changed mine after watching this video. Very informative so thank you. One thing I can advise to make this easier is my girlfriend who has pretty small hands was able to reach in and get the bolt started which saved soooo much time and aggravation!
You're welcome, glad I could help and thanks for the suggestion. I did consider asking the girlfriend for assistance, but got lucky enough to get it started relatively quickly.
Wanted to thank you. I ordered the oem trim senders and watched your video several times. Because of your video I fixed my trim up position. Thanks man. 🍺 appreciated
Thank you for this video. It really helped a lot. TIP- paint the little plate that the wires run through white. it makes it easier to see when you are trying to put the bolt back in.
No problem! and good idea to paint the plate white. It is hard to see up there.
Great video. I used a long 1/4 socket extension with the flex socket. I got lucky and had the bolt off in about 5 minutes, using your tips. There was clearance for me to go through the gimbal assembly almost directly to the bolt. Everything went to crap, though, when I snapped the head off one of the mounting bolts for the trim sender. It was so corroded I ended up having to bore it out and retap the hole. That added a couple hours to the job and a couple trips to the hardware store.
Ah damn well I’m glad it went smooth otherwise. Sure is nice having the gauge and trim working properly!
When your entire vocabulary of expletives comes forth instantly.... I dunno what we all did prior to You Tube....It's enabled me to tackle jobs like this with minimal fumbling around, trying this and that. Not only are the vids themselves invaluable, but the helpful comments are the frosting on the cake.
This is one of the most informative videos I have seen relating to the work I am doing on my '99 SeaRay Bowrider 210. Thank you so much. I have been living with no trim gauge since I bought cause I really didn't have any idea how it worked. Your video was so familiar because of a lot of the same parts. Now I have ideas to try. I think I may only need to adjust the sender now that I have seen you do it. Will be so happy if it's that easy.
I'm sure you can get it figured out! Glad I could help.
Great video! Just swapped mine with the help of this. I used a 1/4" drive socket with a wobble and was able to get in between the slot in the bowl shape at the top and the frame/housing so I could get at it almost straight on. I did have to put a few drops of super glue on the bolt head in the socket to keep it true to start the thread. Thanks again!
Awesome! Yeah I tried that with mine but it wouldn’t quite fit. I have heard of others grinding theirs down to get it to fit. That’s cool yours fit without doing that though. Thanks for watching, glad it was helpful.
@@Jacob190000 I think the trick is to jack up the trailer so the trim can go ALLLL the way down. I easily got my 1/4 drive in there.
Crazy! I just pull the drive out and took the hinge pins out with a special socket then thought while I was here I’d just go ahead do a complete boot job…
dude, great work my friend. awesome information and I thank you for the knowledge and amazing camera work... I dont know how anyone could thumbs down this video... truly a masterpiece for the d.i.y'er
Thanks man I really appreciate it. Was definitely extra work trying to show everything on camera so I’m glad it was helpful!
I've bought the kit cause I have the exact same issue. Going to grab some tools and go for it. Wish me luck and thank you for the step-by-step! So helpful to try and approach this without being a marine mechanic.
Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
Awesome video. Thanks so much. Do you have link to kit on Amazon
Very good job at explaining the process. Thank you for sharing this.
Nice video. I'm in the process of buying a 290 sundancer with 5.7 alphas and the trim sender/trim limit needs replaced. The only rtim sender I've ever replaced was on a volvo penta on my brand new Stingray 200LX back in 2006. That was REALLY challenging. These dont look too bad. Nice job. thanks for sharing.
Good video sir I really enjoyed the information because my trim doesn't work correctly on my boat and my up button doesn't work on the left side of the controls either but now I know how to fix it
Great JOB- Watch to see about adjustments and you explained then perfectly!
Glad to hear it was helpful! Was somewhat challenging to film that part, but glad I did it.
Outstanding man! I watched the other video where the guy disassembled and dropped the drive. I knew someone could do it this way.
Thank you! Yes, it was somewhat of a challenge, but much easier and quicker than dropping the lower unit!
Great video! I watched this last fall and decided that I was going to attempt it and I did so today and although it was a little tricky getting the bolt started back I was able to do it so great job on making an excellent video for people to follow. It worked and now I have a working limit and trim switch!
Awesome! Glad I could help.
If you have a small child laying around the house (on their cell phone), you might be able to put them work and have them thread the screw.
Awesome - Great Illustration Simple to understand. Knowledge is Power.
Great video. Only suggestion I have is to fill EVERY electrical connection with dielectric grease and you should be good for a very long time.
I’m going to disassemble my sending units to see if filling them with dielectric grease would give them perpetual life as well. 😃 (At least longer than the rest of the drive 😉)
I would love to hear if anyone else has done this and what the performance of the trim sending units was.
I’m repowering my Se Ray Sundancer 300 with a pair of new 5.7L Vortex engines. Love to hear from others!
Be safe!!!
Great video! Thank you for recording this, very thorough and slow paced for great understanding... going to clean my sending switch first as the grease comment I think is my problem, Cheers!
No problem! Hopefully cleaning them out real good fixes your problem. If not, you know how to replace them ;)
great job!! your camera work dedication is greatly appreciated..!! i never knew it could be done and ive had boats for many years.....Im going to tackle mine this weekend...
No problem, let me know how it goes! I would say the hardest part was actually getting the new cables back through. Just make sure to tape them good to whatever you're using for pull string.
Excellent you save my husband life and money we loved your video is very easy and very good explanation 👍
Glad I could help!!
Thank you for posting this video. It will definitely help with my decision making, while looking for my first (used) boat.
Thanks for sharing! Great video. Learned a lot. I'm hoping my swap goes just as smooth.
Putting new sensors on a 1990 Bravo 1. Luckily for me though, I have the outdrive removed for other repairs. My limiter sensor also had shredded wiring like yours. I don’t think that the wiring had adequate protective shielding from the factory. I plan on giving it some wrap and zip tying it out of the way this time.
Great video. Thanks for posting.
Definitely not! It seems the shielding is too thin just disintegrates.
Hello there my friend. Thank you very much on this video. I have a bravo 3 but all steps where the same. I was able to do mines and fixed the gage and the up button just like yours. Great video.
Good to know and glad I could help! I will likely have a bravo 3 on my next sea ray (Sundeck).
Great video thanks. I'm going to tackle my broken trim sender.
Good luck! It’s not too bad at all, let me know how it goes.
Thank you for this video. Will do this project soon.
Hello thank you your video helped just did 2004 sea ray save alot by doing my self
thanks for your time, I hope that its the trim sensors on my 89 thundercraft, same issue will not lift on switch
Thank you for the great how-to! My trim up just went out this last weekend and I'm having to use the trailer button currently. I may have it a bit harder as I have the Alpha one gen one. Thank you for sharing!
Let me know how it goes! Honestly, the 1 extra bolt shouldn't make too much of a difference. Maybe an extra 20-30 minutes or so of fiddling with the bolts.
Sometimes the limit switch just needs gunk cleaned out of it. The limit switch is a copper contact that stops the up button from working once the contact rotates enough. I have had mine get coated with the grease so much that the up button just stops working.
Definitely true. But, after 20+ years I’d say replacing these switches and cabling is worth the time and investment. Even if you can temporarily fix by cleaning them, the cables get brittle and will need replaced. But good point that they can often just be cleaned, especially on a boat that’s 2000’s or newer.
You do it yet??? How was it?
Thanks for the great explaination.... Thumbs up
Very useful info buddy, thanks for the extra (above and beyond) effort to show us, its very appreciated. Stu
No problem, I appreciate the comment. It was a little more work but glad it's been of help to many!
Good stuff mate. Thanks for the heads up.
No problem!
thanks for the video - really helpful!
No problem! Glad it was helpful!
Good job I am not sure if you said the size of the socket used. but that would be helpful, half the battle of a job like that is rounding up all the correct tools..I am glad I don't need to do this job but it was interesting watching.
Yep I did mention but it was subtle! 7/16 is the bolt size.
you made it look easy
Thank you. Very informative.
Thank you so much for this video
Thanks for watching! Glad I was able to help a fellow boater.
Awesome video, cant imagine why anybody would give a thumb down.
Thank you! I can’t either 😏. My guess is it’s because the quality isn’t the best or something. I really appreciate you saying that though.
Nice video bro. Nice work.
Dude you killed it good job
Awesome video works perfect for me. I changed the wires but I still have tilt down fast tilt up slow. I guess I’ll have to check the solenoids
You make it look too easy. it was a bitch, and I'm a fairly good mechanic. My 3.0 is in a 28 foot pontoon. This adds to problems because the engine is so low and need to hang over seats.
First removing the retaining bolt and dropped it, lost forever. Had my socket full of putty to hold bolt but the swivel hung up and dropped bolt. Trusty magnate didn't work because it's stainless, also didn't work holding the clamp because that's aluminum. Bought a 3 pack of bolts from dealer for 5 bucks. 7/16 1/4 20 5/8 length stainless.
Everything came out ok after that. Wires went thru transom no problems and connected to electrical no problems. I super glued the 2 white halves and taped them together. Learned I needed to tape the holding plate tight to the white plug to keep it in a semi good position to start the holding bolt. I did secure the bolt thru the holding plate with a tiny E clip and pulled it all up, connecting socket when things lined up close. I just couldn't chance dropping another bolt. I used heavy duty fish string, wrapped around the E clip to pull the e clip off once bolt grabbed a few threads. This actually went great. Used a 8 inch 1/4 wobble extension thru the tight area in the plate, added socket. Wasn't too bad securing the bolt this way. Oh, I did paint the retaining plate white like someone suggested. It helped to see up there. Got it done the hard way!
At first I was going to just run the wires up the transom and drill thru, since this is an old pontoon it would have made this easier. Also considered drilling a small gap and feeding the extension thru in line with the bolt making a direct shot to tightening. Anyways great video and lots of great comments that encouraged me to take the hard way.
Great video!
Great video very helpful you have inspired me to do mine!
Good Luck! It really isn't bad at all, and definitely worth doing. Let me know if you run into any issues.
very helpful, thank you...
excelente video para reparar mi boat ,
great video! I may tackle this as I have the outdrive off already anyway to do the bellows. My trim is working decently but the wires are frayed like crazy on the starboard side and my guage is never really fluid when adjusting. It jumps all over and very erratic.
Yeah when those wires fray and sensors get all corroded they start to get erratic. Would definitely be worth while to put new ones in, especially with the outdrive off, should be a breeze.
Cars & Computers thanks for the video. I went and bought new sensors today. I’m just doing everything I can touch while it’s off just to sleep better at night.
The boat I bought has a hole drilled through the transom for the wires to route. Not quite the way to do the job, but it sure makes it easy to change them out.
Yes I have seen that mentioned before. Asside from the extra hole, my main worry would be somehow pinching the wires while tilt/trimming the outdrive. If it works it works!
great video, Thanks!
I'd like to just say that with the time to take that bolt out and reinstall it along with the new wires from that position it is actually likely easier to just remove the outdrive which is incredibly easy on the Alpha series outdrives.
Yes in some cases it may make more sense to just remove the drive. For many of us, the extra time it takes to not have to remove the drive is worth it. Especially if drive oil was recently changed, etc.
@@Jacob190000 Well drive oil is not an issue with the mercruiser outdrive removal, and it does not save time, it is soooo much easier just to remove the drive unit instead of fiddling in such tight spaces. it's merely 6 bolts and maybe a new gasket but it's doing the job right and quicker and it also gives you a chance to inspect your bellows and lube the joints on the drive axel.
Great Video Thank you 😊
Fantastic video.....Thank you.
after replacing the trim sensor it is possible to work as a gynecologist
I have the same boat and mine are not working either. I am wondering if you could have soldered the wires on the outside and encapsulated the connections with shrink wrap and liquid rubber. Electrician by trade, just a thought
I have a swim deck so I just drilled a hole above the bell housing and ran my wires in that way, sealed it with silicone, done in 10 minutes, Swim deck hides everything
Nice, yes I have seen people do it this way. As I mentioned in another comment, my main concern would be to make sure the trim wires won't get pinched while raising or lowering the drive. Otherwise, it is no worse than drilling a whole for your depth finder, etc.
Nice work!
Thank you. Same problem with mine
No problem, give it a shot and let me know how it goes!
We have a bolt like that in the car world that we call a "b*tch bolt"...lol
Thanks for the video! I will be rewatching it. I have the same problem with the up button not working. I have the switch on mine, so I'm wondering if I could just take it apart and clean it?
No problem! Yes, I would definitely start with removing your limit switch and cleaning it real good. Could easily be the metal connectors are heavily corroded and no longer making a connection. You will then have to re-calibrate it as I did in the video, super easy. If that doesn't work, I would make sure there are no breaks in the wiring between the limit switch and the trim pump. Very likely it is one of those two things. Good luck and let me know how it works out!
Great Video! Unfortunately i am not handy. Will have to pay $$$ for this job
Thank you. I do believe anyone can do this if you have the time. But, if you don't feel up to it, having it done by a professional is usually a safer bet.
Great job on the video. Thx. 👍
No problem, thanks for watching!
Great job
You are so awesome . Thank you
No problem, glad it was helpful!
New subscriber this may be my issue only makes sound for up but will not go up
Great video, but to those watching, make sure you actually need to change this sender. The copper contacts on the sender often get contaminated with grease from the nearby grease zerk. Remove the sender cover and check that the contacts are clear before doing this repair. I had the same problem and cleaning the contacts fixed the problem. Great video here. th-cam.com/video/pUEQQq5p0Q4/w-d-xo.html
I believe I did mention this in the video, but definitely a good thing to check before doing this job. That is if your wires are still in good condition.
@nathanmcolton , thanks for posting this link! You may have saved me!
Desde España, gracias!
If the wiring is still in good condition couldn't you just cut and splice the new wires from the new sending unit using some water tight connectors?
Yes, if the rest of your wires are in good condition you can do that. In my case they were in very bad condition with the shielding coming off all the way behind the gimbal.
Merci beaucoup ❤❤❤❤❤
Why not pull the outdrive and check the gimbal bearing and bellows while your at it?
There are many reasons you may not want to drop the lower unit to complete this repair. In my case, my lower unit had been serviced not too long ago. I agree if there is a need to drop the lower unit anyhow, you might as well do it to make the process of fishing the wires through easier. But, it is still helpful to know how to do it without doing so.
thank you
Cracking footage got it all in front o me too do
Let me know how it goes!
Good job Sir... Thank you!
No problem, thank you for watching!
Your like to make it hard for your self .just pull the drive and remove the hinge pins than it would have be easy .
That’s ok if you want to remove the bellows which can be a pain
Thank you!
No problem, let me know if you run into any issues that I didn't mention.
Great Work!
Thank you! Was well worth it!
thank you very helpfull
The way I look at it is if you have a good bilge pump, bellows aren’t really that important.
good video, after installing the new wires the bracket that holds the two half plugs won't seat flat to the surface..maybe because the half plugs are new?
I would say the plugs may need to go farther into the hole. Maybe try giving it a firm tug from the inside of the engine bay to see if they will go in more and allow the bracket to sit flush.
This has been a problem for our truck on and off for maybe three years now … goes away and comes back . My husband fixed the wires the last time this happened but I’m pretty sure he did not take off the inside of the door and disconnect everything this video shows … he just spliced the wires and replaced them … I’m guessing this is why it is happening again ?
Yes if the issue keeps occuring I would definitely completely replace the senders with the wires instead of splicing them. Splicing them may work temporarily but has a much higher chance of failing again.
Great job !
Thank you! Probably about 15 or so outings this summer and still no issues since the replacement.
Great video
Thanks! More comin’ up here soon
Awesome! Thanks for the Video
Alot easier to use bulkhead mounts above the water line.
Can you not leave the existing wires an just change the sensor?
Yes you can if the wires are in good enough shape. In my case, the wire and insulation was deteriorated badly from the sensor all the way back to behind the gimbal housing. Trying to patch that up would have been a challenge and I wouldn't have trusted it to last.
Not bad, i hope i don't have to do this , I have ALPHA 1 gen 1 (2 bolt system )
Yeah it really isn’t too bad and definitely worth doing on your own. But, hopefully you don’t have to. If you do, you know where to look 😁
thats my problem on exact same boat! mines a 98' 190
Perfect! Get those senders ordered and get to fixing, it’s well worth it. Also let me know if you have any additional questions.
Luckily the bushing didn't fall out of your outdrive behind where the missing trim sending hit is, that happened to me
Interesting yeah from what I remember mine seemed to be pretty secure in there, glad I didn't have that issue.
If you move the sensor the drive should move too, so beware when adjusting with the power on.
Sensors do not actually control the drive at all. One sensor simply sends the trim level to the gauge up front, the other is essentially a continuity kill switch which disables the trim up button when the trim is too high(continuity breaks). This is between the sensor and the trim pump.
Nice job
Thank you!
Wow great job. Just bought a Sea Ray 200 Subdeck 2005 where the Trim Sensor still works but is broken and want to replace it and this video helps a lot. Can you pls share the Amazon link about purchase of the trim sensors? Thanks
Thanks! Here's the link for the OEM sensors I used: amzn.to/3bIRtdP