No trailer trim switch, what if throttle trim up goes out?

Mobile Mike

Member
Aug 10, 2015
61
Mobile Alabama
Boat Info
205 Sport, 2012
Engines
5.0 Mercruiser
I have a 2012 205 sport, I do not have a trailer trim switch. What would you do if you go out on the water and your trim up limit switch goes out. You would not be able to lift the drive to put it on the trailer and pull it out of the water. I have read multiple threads where the limit switch goes out and the trailer switch was used to lift the drive. I am not having a problem with mine, but what if you did?
 
Don't think I've ever seen an Alpha or Bravo without a trailer (trim) switch.o_O
 
Is the switch on the shifter in tilt mode when the engine is off and trim when running? If so, does the tilt work separately from the trim if the trim limit goes out?
 
I don't recall feeling a detent on my shifter as well (2007 350 Mag Bravo III with DTS)

I can go to trailer mode with the engine running and in gear.

Always thought that was odd but figured "that's the way it is"
 
When you say go into trailer mode, is that from the same switch on the shifter, and how do you know you're in trailer mode
 
It seems risky or dangerous to be able to go into trailer mode while up and running. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of the trim limit switch does it not?
I guess I just don't understand how it's supposed to work, and my main concern is what if my trim limit switch goes out, will the Tilt still work
 
When you say go into trailer mode, is that from the same switch on the shifter, and how do you know you're in trailer mode
There is a trim limit sensor on the drive that only allows the drive to trim up to a certain point. Its intent is to protect the owner from trimming too high when the boat is in operation. The top of the thumb switch on your shifter has two purposes. Push the top of it in lightly and it will trim until the trim limit sensor tells it to stop. Push it even harder and it will "click" past that point and it will trim up past the sensor limit as long as you keep holding it down. It will stop at its highest point on its own if you never release it (trailer mode). If the trim limit sensor fails, then pushing lightly will do nothing. But pushing past the "click" will still work, so you can use that to trim up as high as you want. Just release it when the drive is trimmed where you want it.
 
There is a trim limit sensor on the drive that only allows the drive to trim up to a certain point. Its intent is to protect the owner from trimming too high when the boat is in operation. The top of the thumb switch on your shifter has two purposes. Push the top of it in lightly and it will trim until the trim limit sensor tells it to stop. Push it even harder and it will "click" past that point and it will trim up past the sensor limit as long as you keep holding it down. It will stop at its highest point on its own if you never release it (trailer mode). If the trim limit sensor fails, then pushing lightly will do nothing. But pushing past the "click" will still work, so you can use that to trim up as high as you want. Just release it when the drive is trimmed where you want it.

"The top of the thumb switch on your shifter has two purposes. Push the top of it in lightly and it will trim until the trim limit sensor tells it to stop. Push it even harder and it will "click" past that point and it will trim up past the sensor limit as long as you keep holding it down".

Looks like Bill explained it better than I did.
 
There you go, that's what I was looking for. Makes perfect sense. I had no idea but I feel better now knowing that I have an option to get my drive up should my limit switch quit working
 
Do you have a transom tilt switch, so that you can raise the motor from the back of the boat? They are around $65, and you can put one on in a half hour, and it gives one more way to bypass a faulty throttle tilt switch, depending on what the failure is. Plus, they are handy.
 
carry a wire jumper long enough to go from the + battery to the solenoids at the trim pump. touch the blue motor wire and it goes up, touch the green motor wire and it goes down
 
If you still can't get it up (see what I did there?) You can pull the pin and manually lift and secure your outlive with ratchet straps. But that would be due to some pretty chappy electrical problem or full pump failure
 

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