Trim problem: Only going in one direction

[WaterEnthusiast]

Hi,

I recently purchased a 2008 Sea-Doo Wake 215 and noticed that the trim isn't working properly. When it is in the up position, I can press the VTS buttom to bring it down, but the up button won't bring it back up.

When opening the VTS housing, it was clear that some water had gotten in the VTS housing since there was some rust on the exterior of the motor. However, we replaced the trim boot that sits outside so no water should get in anymore. The motor, although rusted a bit, is working properly.

If we manually turn the worm to a certain position, it seems that the sensor will "catch" that it is down and then the VTS up will work. Basically, the motor works in both directions, so I do not want to change it at this point.

I do not have a good grasp of how the mechanism and the sensor and the circuit board (??) work, but the seller basically explained to me that there was an easy fix with relays that would bypass the electronic system while still showing the trim position on the dashboard.

Unfortunately, this forum doesn't allow short keywords so I can't search for VTS so I feel I am probably missing out on the good posts that would help me.

As a side note: My budget is limited so if I can avoid it, I prefer not to replace parts that could still work.

Any advice on what could be the problem, and how to fix it?

Thank you very much.

 

[Greg Moore]

The shop manual for that boat is free to download. Page 303 is where VTS starts and will give you ohms for the position sensor etc as well as the wiring diagram.

 

[WaterEnthusiast]

Thanks for your reply Greg. I had found the user manual but not the shop manual, but now that you mention it, I also found that one. I'll read up but this is my first foray in the world of mechanics so I have a steep learning curve ahead.

This being said, do you have an idea of what could be causing the trim to only go one direction? Or that fix that involves relays?

Thanks

 

[Greg Moore]

I haven't actually dealt with a VTS module and it sounds like that's your issue. The motor is a 2 wire, feed it -/+ and it turns one way and feed it +/- and it turns the other. I don't know if it's a stepper, if so, giving it raw 12v is a bad thing. IE the motor in IBR servos is a stepper motor and requires a digital controller to move it. If the VTS is a common motor then a pair of relays like below would do it. Not my drawing and not even for this application but 2 SPDT relays (single pole double throw) will do it. Each relay has a normally open contact (open at rest contact) and normally closed )closed at rest) contact. Have the normally open wired to batt +12 and the normally closed to negative and the common to the motor as shown. Up switch closes relay 1 only. Down switch closes relay 2 only. Result is with no relay tripped, nothing is going to motor, with relay 1 tripped motor turns CW, with relay 2 tripped motor turns CCW, if by mistake both switches are hit at same time, nothing happens.

 

[WaterEnthusiast]

Thanks for this; I have an understanding of how this circuit could indeed make the trim work in both directions. This is an old unit (2008) so I'm pretty sure it is an old analog motor.

This being said, with this solution, I wonder if:
1- The motor will stop when it reaches the end or it will continuously try to move the trim
2- The dashboard will properly indicate trim position.

If anybody else has experiences this problem specifically and know a work around, it would be much appreciated. I get the feeling that VTS problems are fairly common so I'm hopping someone has a fix that could still leave me with the dash properly displaying the trim position.

 

[WaterEnthusiast]

Ok, so I've spent a little more time analyzing my trim situation. I also read the shop manual (in the document I found the VTS started at page 385).

1- I tested the VTS switch's resistance and found it to be working properly

2- I know the motor works in one direction, but I have not been able to see it work in the other direction recently. One solution would be to inverse the wires, but I can't seem to "disconnect" the 2 wires inside the housing where the motor is. Are they just within a plastic sheath or could they have been heat-shrink for waterproofing? Or should I simply pry them apart and I am having a hard time because of corrosion over time? In any case, let's assume the motor is working fine

3- There is a VTS Control Module test to do, and it asks to measure resistance between the brown/black and brown/whit wires, but I am not sure WHERE are located those 2 wires...? Furthermore, that measurement is to be done after the trim has moved all the way up or all the way down, but it doesn't go up.

I'd like to better understand a few things for the VTS:
1- How does the dashboard measures the trim position (I don't see it moving at the moment)?
2- What signals the motor to stop moving once it has reached the final position (up or down)? Is it the computer+sensor that knows it is at the end and stops the motor, or is there a mechanical switch/stopper that stops the motor once it is at either ends of its course?


Also, I am considering installing thetrimfix module but am wondering 2 things:
1- How can I confirm that my dashboard is working properly with regards to the trim (correctly showing the position)?
2- Can someone share the instruction manual for thetrimfix? It is not on their website and I want to get a better understanding of what exactly entails their "30 minutes install" and it I feel I have the skills to go that direction.
3- Does this product now stops at the end without the need to file the worm down (as I have read in older threads)?

Thanks

Thanks again for your help.

 

[WaterEnthusiast]

Soo... I managed to disconnect the 2 wires of the VTS motor - it was only a matter of prying hard.

I wanted to test the motor in the other direction, but I blew the 7.5A fuse. I realized that while I wanted to "clean" the rust from the motor casing, some of the "CLR" have gotten inside the motor, and when I tried to test it, the fuse blew. This time I managed to open the motor's round cover (didn't try to open the screwed rectangular part) and indeed there was a small odor of the rust removing-product that came out.

Does this mean that I fried my motor? Or could it simply be a matter of letting everything dry out..?

To answer my other previous questions, it seems that the way the on-board computer knows the position of the trim using reed switches and a magnet, all this is encompassed within the VTS housing using and it non serviceable.

I'm still interested in getting instruction for installing the trim fix if someone purchased it. It seems the newer version includes sensor replacement for the gauge position.

Please let me know if there is a chance I can still use my motor that was working just a day ago, or if it means I killed it.

Also, I see many trim motors listed on Ebay and Kijiji for 1994-2005 Seadoos. Did this motor change post 2005 which would make those unsuitable for my 2008 Sea-Doo Wake?

Lastly, sometimes in the shop manual they will give separate instructions for the GTI, GTX and the RXP/RXT models, without a mention of the Wake. IS the wake a GTX or a RXP or RXT? What is the difference between those 3 models?

Thanks