faulty trim tabs

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jekyl

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My trim tabs aren't working ( bennet) and I checked out the pump assembly under the starboard vberth ( why so far away) and can't figure out how to check the fluid level and how to refill.
I presume power will come off the fuseboard under the dash?
Surely Grady can do better than that!Has anybody modified their grady to making checking fuses more accessible.
Thanks in anticipation.
 
First thing I would do, is check the fuse. Trace the orange wire on the back of the trim tab switch.

This thread might help you;

http://www.greatgrady.com/forum/viewtop ... ght=#35182

And here's a trouble shooting link from Bennette's;

http://www.bennetttrimtabs.com/trouble.htm

The pump housing itself is semi-transparent, it has marks on it for low and full. You might need a flashlight to see the level. Check the level with the tabs fully retracted, (up).
To add oil, remove the plastic cover, (single screw in the top center). There's a small, round, black plastic plug, in the corner of the pump housing.
 
Check the fuse, mine went out. It is under the dash on the stbd side(right, mounted against a bulk head. If you look in the manual, it will tell you which slot # is for the trim tabs. I would carry spare fuses in different sizes regardless, make sure you buy the right size, these are a car style fuse. Bennet told me that if someone pushes one tab up and one down at the same time it will blow the fuse since there is only one pump and it cannot pump in both directions at the same time. If this does not work, contact Bennet direct, their customer service is excellent. I had a trim tab switch break and they replaced it under warranty and I had it 2 days later.
 
I asked Grady White customer service why they put the trim tab pump in the v-berth and they're reply was that it is better protected from water in that location. If you spray the rear seating area of my boat with the wash down, some water can indeed find it's way into the compartment underneath. Anyway, just letting you know what they told me.

As far as filling the pump is concerned, from what I recall, you have to take the cover off the pump and there are plugs that you remove to fill the pump. I installed a Bennett system from scratch on a boat I owned before my Grady White, but that was 4 years ago, so my memory might be a little hazy.

I'm not sure about the location for the fuse, but my boat did come with a complete wiring diagram. I guess that's something I ought to become aquainted with as well. Come to think of it, when I installed that Bennett system back in '03, I seem to recall Bennett supplying an in-line fuse holder.

Jump on over to THT for the Bennett vendor forum. Tom "The Tabman" is extremely helpful.
 
When you hit the switch, you should hear the pump run, if it does not it is the fuse. If it runs and nothing happens, your pump may be low, but you should still get a little movement out of it unless a line broke or you have a bad leak.
 
It can also be the solenoids (red and green wires). They have to open to bring the tab up or down. It's a really simple system, the hydraulic pump pumps or sucks the fluid and the solenoids dictate which actuator moves.

Never try to move the tabs in different directions, you will bow the fuse.
 
If you contact "Tabman" over on "Thehulltruth.com", he'll be more help than you could EVER imagine. He's even been known to send out replacement parts --- NO CHARGE.
Bennett has without ANY doubt, the BEST customer service I've ever encountered.
 
Second getting in contact with tabman on THT. They have a specific boar for benett trim tabs. Good service.

Our boat has an inline fuse for the trim tabs that is not with the rest of the fuses.
 
Thanks guys tried all those options ....still not working will contact Bennett and see if they can help an Aussie.
A friend who is a sparkie checked the lines and we have power to the pump and the earth is fine but nothin's happening.
 
If the level is low, it indicates a leak. Should never have to add fluid. Find the leak.
 
jekyl said:
Thanks guys tried all those options ....still not working will contact Bennett and see if they can help an Aussie.
A friend who is a sparkie checked the lines and we have power to the pump and the earth is fine but nothin's happening.
Click to expand...

You might be reading voltage at the pump, but if there's a poor connection, you won't get the necessary current to run it. I would try a well connected jumper wire, directly to the pump, as well as clean up the ground, to make sure the pump is NOT working. If the pump DOES work, you've got some bad connections.
 
Call Bennett's

I had trouble with my trim tabs from the start. I called Bennett's and they were great. They answered all of my questions promptly and when we came to the conclusion they were faulty the coordinated with Schock Boats and fixed the problem immediately. No hassles.
 
Down Under

jekyl said:
Thanks guys tried all those options ....still not working will contact Bennett and see if they can help an Aussie.
A friend who is a sparkie checked the lines and we have power to the pump and the earth is fine but nothin's happening.
Click to expand...

Jekyl, there's your problem...and Aussie. You guys flip your switches the opposite. way (JUST KIDDING).

I spent 14 years in Melbourne and both my kids were raised there.

Where are you located?
 
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