just went thru same thing on my 96 xp a week ago,if run in salt water,first look at the little rubber boot at the back of the ski,it covers the shaft coming from the hull to the trim.If boot if rotted(probable)remove seat,remove black canister,unsnap VTS cover,3 clips.check the 2 wire terminals you see inside the case for good connection.If they look good,remove the VTS motor with the 5 10mm nuts,careful not to break the little white metal bolt tabs when prying the Vts motor off.while holding motor in your hand and still plugged in,try your trim button to see if cog on back of motor turns or not,you should here a click from the vts control box also.I thinkn i read theres a fuse for the vts in the actual VTS control box that houses the worm Gear.Don,t forget to replace the rubber boot on back of shaft if its Bad.(a typical Shift Boot Bellow) will work if you can,t get your hands on the actual part.
