Boating How-To’s - Volvo DPE 290 Tilt/Trim

It's been since last September that I had the Conch27 out and the tilt/trim is not working on the DPE 290 drive. Boat sits on a trailer in my back yard and I need to raise the drive to test drive the new trailer brakes. Tilt/trim had been working. All I get are clicking relays for up and down. Tried switch them, nothing. Tried tapping on them with a screwdriver handle, nothing.

While doing my testing on the relays, the oil alarm came on at the dash panel and the KAD 44 engine isn't even running, just ignition on. Turn ignition off and back on and after the dash lights cycle off, the oil alarm and light comes back on in a few seconds. I unplug both oil pressure senders and it goes off. Plug them back on and when I plug in the lower sender, the alarm goes off.

I used to be pretty good trouble shooting this stuff, but the regular livelihood work has me brain dead.

Sure sounds like a bad battery.

All 3 batteries test out at 13.3 volts. Everything else is working fine and engine fires right up.

Update: Went and ran a test on the DP 290 trim pump on my Blackman 20. Connected leads directly to the trim pump plug (blue and green wires) and then directly to the battery. 12v to the blue and ground to green and the drive rises. Switch the leads at the battery and the drive lowers.

Perform the same test on the trim pump for the Conch27 and the pump does not operate and the leads at the battery spark and get hot. So, I conclude that the trim pump is frozen. It looks in very good condition compared to the rusty POS on the Blackman, but it clearly is not working.

Update: Found a new replacement pump motor on ebay for $74.18 shipping included. Confirmed it works for my Volvo P/N 3856596.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271007082929?item=271007082929&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:L:OC:US:3160&vxp=mtr

After thinking about it overnight, I pulled the trim pump and went about separating the motor from the pump housing. I figured with a new motor on the way, I'd have to do this anyway. I was concerned that after the PO had changed out leaking rams that the pump itself might be frozen due to water in the fluid. When I got the pump motor separated from the pump, the drive shaft was basically frozen (shaft sticking out of the the black motor on the right in the picture). I used a 12" crescent wrench to break it free, but it was very stiff. Could not rotate it with just your fingers, needed the wrench. I kept working at it, then I hooked it up to a battery and voila!, it really broke free and spun nicely. Ran it in both directions, no problem. Now I could freely rotate the pump drive shaft with my fingers. The only downer was that I farcked the filter screens on the pump (two bronze screens on top of pump in the left of picture) while trying to remove the fluid reservoir. I thought the reservoir spun off, but it's held in place by a single bolt coming up through the bottom of the reservoir (bolt with O-ring on it in center of pump on left). Found new filter screens on the internet for $13.99. So I'm almost there, and I'll have a spare pump motor. I'll be into this repair for a little over $100, which is far better than if I had to take it in. Just the tow fuel alone to the shop would be $30 back and forth.

http://i293.photobucket.com/albums/mm50/BigThres/1342390246.jpg

Glorified snow plow pump.Gotta free them up every season.

Glorified snow plow pump.Gotta free them up every season.

I guess I kinda talked/thought myself through this. I pulled it apart thinking the pump itself might be frozen because the PO had just changed leaky ram and undoubtedly had water in the fluid. Not the pump, but the motor. Anyhow, learned a lot doing this and undoubtedly saved a lot.

I also fixed everything on the Volvo panel from ignition to hour meter. Also got the fuel gauge to read both fuel tanks correctly. So I'm just about done with this and almost ready to take the boat out.