Gear Head Question

[Dan]

Does anyone know what those small square ??selonoids?? that are inside the cowel and sit side by side and control the trim of the motor are called? Are they selonoids?? I had one burn out and the motor started trimming up and I had to pull the lead off the battery to get the trim motor to stop running. You can switch them around to see which of the two is bad and replace the bad one and the trim works again.

[djkimmel]

Solenoids are one thing, but you are talking about the power trim relay.

[Durand Dan]

Make sure that is the problem. Trim switches go bad more often than the solenoid. Ussually  the one on the front of the boat

[Slipkey]

DD is right, and depending on your motor, solenoids can be expensive ($225 from the dealer on my old Yamaha V-Max). 

Disconnect the trim relays forward of the motor and, if the problem stops, work forward until you find the offending switch.   Sometimes there is a crack in the rubber boot that lets moisture in and fouls or jams the switch. 

I lieu of a replacement you may be able to fix the switch with a small wire brush, silicone spray (or T-9 Boesheild - my choice), and some electrical contact grease.

[djkimmel]

I got the impression he just needed a new power trim relay. Way in the past, the was my most common problem. A simple and cheap fix. I haven't had one go bad in years. I think they are $15 to $45 depending on brand and source.

[SethV]

If you switched the trim relays to isolate the problem - you answered your own question.  For Mercs, they are about $11 and I carry a spare.

[Dan]

Thanks guys. Hearing the info was all good and will surely be helpful, but it sounds like the trim relay switch is what it's called. I have had two go out. I thought it might be the switch, but both times it has been the trim relay.

Thanks again