Mercruiser trim senders

[hdsadey]

Just wondering how many of you are still running trim senders on your Mercruiser stuff. Had opinions where I live that they just don't hold up in the salt water. Thinking of leaving them off. Never ran them with outboards, but of course all you have to do is turn around and look, always listened for the change in engine tone.

[gcarter]

You can remove the four little screws from the back and repair them/repack w/grease, etc.

[DonziJon]

As George said, the senders are pretty bullet proof. The problem was ..at least in the case of my Minx..Donzi used "Household Lamp Cord" from the senders to the harness inside the boat. The lamp cord Core rots out..electrolisis. Rewiring the senders through the drive is a PITA.

[Planetwarmer]

As George said, the senders are pretty bullet proof. The problem was ..at least in the case of my Minx..Donzi used "Household Lamp Cord" from the senders to the harness inside the boat. The lamp cord Core rots out..electrolisis. Rewiring the senders through the drive is a PITA.

When I have to rewire something like that, I clip the old wire (leaving a much as possible), take the new wire and put it end-to-end with the old wire. I then run 1 wrap of duct tape around the 2 wire ends, making 1 long wire. Then I go to each side of the duct tape and put 1 more wrap on the old wire and repeat on the new wire insuring to overlap the 1st piece of duct tape. I usually only wrap a wire 1 (maybe 2 times) to keep the outside diameter as close to the original wire as possible. Then I simply pull the new wire through by using the old wire as a guide.

50% of the time, this works every time.

[Planetwarmer]

Just wondering how many of you are still running trim senders on your Mercruiser stuff. Had opinions where I live that they just don't hold up in the salt water. Thinking of leaving them off. Never ran them with outboards, but of course all you have to do is turn around and look, always listened for the change in engine tone.

I never use the trim gauge either. I listen to engine tone and feel the boat. The gauge wont help much if you always change # of occupants and fuel loads anyway.

I don't like having a gauge that doesn't work, however.

I took my sender apart, and there is a little long skinny piece of cardboard with copper wire wrapped around it from one end to the other. The cardboard was wet, and fell apart in my hand. Now I need a new sender.

When you trim the drive, there is a little metal bar (that moves with the drive angle) that makes contact with a certain point on the copper-wrapped cardboard. That is how it knows the position of the drive.

[DonziJon]

NOTE: When your old rotted lamp cord wiring craps out..you wont be ABLE to LIFT the drive with the TRIM button.... but it may lift with the trailer button..BUT the trailer button will NOT help you with TRIM underway.

It's not so much knowing the drive angle when you are running. As stated above you "Gage" the angle by the "Sound" of the engine..AND the slippage of the prop......as you trim the drive UP by the sound..........and ARE you going faster..?

The Caveat: After altering the circuitry ...It knows what the angle of the drive is but it doesn't know where the LIMIT STOP is..ie: You won't know when the drive is fully up...So now you have to Visually watch the drive LIFT so it won't JAM itself into the bell housing every time you lift the drive for docking or trailering.

I made some alterations inside the boat to the wireing harness to Make It Work....in spite of the rotted wireing..which is still there.....but inoperative.

Bottom Line; It probably ain't the Hockey Pucks....it's the rottten wireing. You NEED a Manual with a wireing diagram to fix this. Just sayin.

[hdsadey]

Ok what if I break the pucks apart and solder new and better grade wiring then heat shrink the leads all the way into the transom? I have bulk heat shrink in a 100 ft roll that I can use. They look like a pita to change in the boat. The complete drive I am rebuilding anyway so now is the time. Just hate spendin money on something that has a limited life span.

[Planetwarmer]

Ok what if I break the pucks apart and solder new and better grade wiring then heat shrink the leads all the way into the transom? I have bulk heat shrink in a 100 ft roll that I can use. They look like a pita to change in the boat. The complete drive I am rebuilding anyway so now is the time. Just hate spendin money on something that has a limited life span.

Truthfully, the pucks would probably outlast your drive. notice how you are dealing with both issues at the same time?

[gcarter]

New senders are $75.00 ish. W/the bell housing out, or just unbolted, the connection through the gimbal housing is pretty easy to change.

[DonziJon]

Ok what if I break the pucks apart and solder new and better grade wiring then heat shrink the leads all the way into the transom? I have bulk heat shrink in a 100 ft roll that I can use. They look like a pita to change in the boat. The complete drive I am rebuilding anyway so now is the time. Just hate spendin money on something that has a limited life span.

I don't think I would use solder under water because solder contains lead and TIN. This justs gets into more electrolisis problems. I would use krimp connectors and seal them with "sticky back" shrink tubing if there is room for it...otherwise seal the ends of the connecters carefully with silicone seal.

[hdsadey]

Ha I was able to rewire both pucks. The trim position sender has ring ends on the wire and the trim limit sender has two brass contacts inside that if you weasel them out of their slots, the wire is held in place by a set screw on the bottom with a 1/16 allen head. They ohmed out just fine. Easy way to save 80 bucks or better!