dracokaos Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 So, I'm fishing a tourney on opening bass day. Work has been so busy I haven't had a chance to take the boat for a test drive to make sure everything is in working order (you can probably see where this is going) I park and start preparing to launch it. I try to raise the motor so I can get the outboard motor stabilizer off and nothing. Will not trim up at all. I'm hoping it is just a dead battery so I back it in the water enough to cover the intakes and motor turns over no problem at all. Crap! I yank it out of the water and start looking for loose wires or blown fuse, anything that may make it a quick easy fix. Motor trims down but not up. 2 solenoids I'm thinking. one for up and one for down. I start calling marinas for service. 2 week waiting list just to have it looked at. I find a place that will check it now but they are not Mercury warranty providers. I head home to grab my cover thinking I will drop it off at the non mercury warranty guys only because I have to get it fixed. I decide to check my warranty when i get home. Guess when it expired??????? YESTERDAY! I make another phone call to Lakeview Marine in Port Perry. He says to get it up there asap and he'll squeeze it in so I can fish the tourney. So i'm pissed that the warranty expired yesterday but he says he will see what he can do. I start thinking about when I first picked up my boat and it occurs to me that I signed for and picked up the boat on my birthday, it was my present to myself a few years ago. My birthday is in 3 weeks! The marina I bought from pre-registered my boat and my warranty started on that day. Hopefully this isn't going to be a issue, but with my luck I'm sure I have a fight on my hands. fingers crossed its a small problem and it gets covered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workwear Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 good luck bud......i just had my tilt and trim rebuilt last year.....1300.00 later!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 good luck bud......i just had my tilt and trim rebuilt last year.....1300.00 later!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garnet Posted June 10, 2014 Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 (edited) Ok follow the wires to the solenoids from your trim switch on your motor. You are right there are 2 square boxes . Switch the wire around. You didn't say make but now it will trim up and not down. These solenoids are available any where Napa, CTC, Ford, Dodge dealers. Most brands both wires need to be plugged in. Edited June 10, 2014 by Garnet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2014 Ok follow the wires to the solenoids from your trim switch on your motor. You are right there are 2 square boxes . Switch the wire around. You didn't say make but now it will trim up and not down. These solenoids are available any where Napa, CTC, Ford, Dodge dealers. Most brands both wires need to be plugged in. I did try to trace the wires but from the switch on the side of the motor it goes deep into the motor and I couldn't trace without removing all of the housing. The switch on the throttle is behind panelling and there i would also have to take the panelling off. I was hoping the solenoids were going to be somewhere obvious but I couldn't locate them. Thanks for the advice though, I always get awesome advice from this forum! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhickey Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 Calm down . If you miss one its no big deal... Get it fixed properly and carry on. If you don't know what is wrong. DON'T PANNIC......(It only leads to more problems) Chill out and fix the problem... Don. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garnet Posted June 11, 2014 Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 (edited) It should be easy. You are looking for two identical square boxes about 2 cm. With a my merc at the trim switch you are looking at a plastic cover. they are behind that. With a Johnston at the front of the motor up at the top. These solenoids are so common the Napa parts guy will just go get them. Your marina gets them form Napa and charges you double same with spark plugs. And you should post make and model. Edited June 11, 2014 by Garnet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2014 It should be easy. You are looking for two identical square boxes about 2 cm. With a my merc at the trim switch you are looking at a plastic cover. they are behind that. With a Johnston at the front of the motor up at the top. These solenoids are so common the Napa parts guy will just go get them. Your marina gets them form Napa and charges you double same with spark plugs. And you should post make and model. Oh ya, good point. 2011 Mercury Opti 115. I'm not gona panic, if I miss the tourney then so be it. I just feel bad for my buddy whos fishing with me. He loves it just like I do. I'm more fustrated that my warranty has expired one day. You always here about warranties expiring just as something breaks but this is the first time for me......lol Thanks guys! Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 well....the good news is Mercury warranty will cover the work...the bad news is it wasn't the solenoid...now they have to dive deeper into the motor to try and find the problem....still got my fingers crossed it will be done this week so I can fish the tourney I already paid for cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaf4 Posted June 13, 2014 Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 sweet deal, glad to hear they're honoring the warranty still how'd you manage that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2014 I did mention to the service guy that I got my boat at the end of June, not June 9th, I think he made a call to tell them that the motor was pre-registered and should have the warranty coverage until June 29th, not June 9th... I think....I got sidetracked when he said they still couldn't find the problem.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike rousseau Posted June 14, 2014 Report Share Posted June 14, 2014 Easy and cheap fix if it's just the switch... I did my honda a few years ago and it took a few minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 so I just heard from the mechanic. Looks like when my boat was winterized a wire was disconnected from the trim module. Whether it was intentional or by accident it was still careless. This shop really stepped up and solved this issue super fast, and this was the first time I've been there, but I can tell you they have earned me as a customer now. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 sweet deal, glad to hear they're honoring the warranty still how'd you manage that? It was one day out of warranty, you shouldn't be surprised it was covered.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaf4 Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 It was one day out of warranty, you shouldn't be surprised it was covered.. it was actually a couple weeks (June 9th June 29th) so I was really surprised because most businesses especially in situations with vehicles whether it be cars or watercraft one day out of warranty is one day out of warranty and you are SOL pay up CP (customer pay) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 At the end of the day the new shop, and my new shop now, got the problem fixed. Thats what is important to me. I was definitely upset when i got the boat out of storage and had an issue, for the second year in a row. All is good now and my boat will be home tomorrow or Tuesday. Cheers and hope everyone has a great Fathers Day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted June 15, 2014 Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Good to hear you got the problem solved, plus found a new shop that you can trust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2014 Good to hear you got the problem solved, plus found a new shop that you can trust. ya, your right. thats the silver lining! cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracokaos Posted June 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) So i have to laugh at myself a bit....I picked up my boat from the shop after they fixed my trim issue. I hooked it up and did my circle check. Started driving and things just didn't feel the same. I wasn't sure if its because I haven't towed it in a few months or if something else was wrong. I checked my mirrors and my my trailer tire looked a little low. i was 5 mins from home so I carried on. I was backing into the driveway, which is a slight incline, and my trucked seemed to be working a little harder then I thought it should be, but this is a brand new truck, Dodge Eccodiesel, so I was thinking it was just the new truck and different motor so that was the issue. I parked the boat, and jumped in to plug in the charger for the trolling motor battery. I thought it was a bit weird the floor was a bit wet. So I lifted up the in floor storage and discovered why the drive home felt a little different. The boat was full of water, I completely forgot we had a massive amount of rain yesterday and I didn't give the cover to the shop when I dropped it off. It took almost 30mins to drain it...LOL Not sure why I didn't pull the drain plug before I left the shop. I'm thinking its because I usually don't transport the boat with it in so I forgot it was there in the first place. Anyways, the boat is back at home and working. Cant wait for this weekend bass opener!!! Cheers! Edited June 18, 2014 by dracokaos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tb4me Posted June 22, 2014 Report Share Posted June 22, 2014 Ha ha I have done that twice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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