Need Help Please Skipjack Outboard Drive won't go down

[mgoodwin9]

Update:
I have been thru the entire path, from switch to drive motor, electrically. I have pulled the drive motor off and it runs both directions when I use an external power supply. The switch (inside the box on top of the drive in the center of the picture below) is working and I have power to both the relays. What I can't get is 12V out of the relays. It seems kind of strange that both relays would go bad within a few hours. But that is how it looks. I am assuming that one relay is for up and one relay is for down. Is that right? One of the relays is shown in the other picture.

[JUST-IN-TIME]

check the grounds

each relay grounds through the other

if you got 12v, it has to go somewhere

[Luhr'd Away]

If it is an OMC, there is a large inline fuse that may have blown, 50 I believe. We had this happen to us in a seaswirl at Castaic. Jumped the solenoid with a screw driver to fish the rest of the day. Got back to the house and bingo. It will be located inline in a large black boot.

[cvjarrod]

Been probably seven years when I fixed the exact same problem in my 280, so forgive me if my memory is a little off.

If I recall correctly, those white things with the leads are resistors that are designed to step down the voltage to the trim motor. I sold the manual with the boat and don't recall the actual voltage, but you could run down to any West Marine and look that up in the VP 280 manual.

Relays are usually the problem when you can only go one direction. Swap those two relays with each other and if you only can move the drive in the other direction, you know it's a relay. Won't cost you a dime to troubleshoot this.

BTW, that's just what the Haynes VP 280 manual said to do and it worked for me. The VP 280 on my last boat was the easiest thing on the boat to work on. Buy the manual and enjoy.

People that say I/O's are hard to work on must own a Merc like me!

[cvjarrod]

Originally Posted by JUST-IN-TIME

could be a bad ground also

you need to test things before buying parts, unless your a guy that like to change parts

A good mechanic would know that in a late model VP280 you can swap those two relays with each other and not spend a dime troubleshooting whether or not it's the relay.

If the relays ground through each other, if one connection isn't working, you won't be able to move the drive in either direction. Once again, a good mechanic would also know this.

A good mechanic would also know on a late model VP280, if it doesn't work in only one direction, 90% of the time it IS the relay. In fact I would bet on it. Name your price junior!

[hugothefishguy]

realy the moment the get some kind of moister they die

[cvjarrod]

Here's a parts listing for that assembly:

Mechanical Lift Device Aq Drive Unit 280 Early Type: 839415 - Volvo Penta

Here's a pdf manual for that drive. It probably won't have as much troubleshooting info as the one's you buy:

4shared.com - document sharing - download 280 to DP-C Drive manual.pdf

The wiring diagram for the tilt is on p. 165.

You're doing it the right way and learning your boat inside and out. Best of all, you won't have to deal with the 80% of marine mechanics that are complete douchebags.

[Spicy Tuna]

Anchor latch. It's defenately the anchor latch.