Trim and Tilt. Goes up but not down

[jerk bait]

My 86 mariner motor will go up using my power trim and tilt but it wont go down. I was wondering if it is the fluid level or something else? Can anybody tell me how to check the fluid level and where to fill it at.

[LMITOUT]

I'd guess it's most likely the relay. There is one for up and one for down. I had my 'down' relay go bad on my '99 Merc but it was an easy fix.

I'm not familiar with your engine, but you could try taking the cover off and looking on the side of the engine for two relays. Mine were located beside the engine between the motor cover and the engine block on the starboard side. With two people you can have one person operate the trim button up or down and feel for a click when the other person pushes the trim button to locate the relays. If you believe that you found the right ones try swapping them. Now your problem should be reversed in that the engine will go down but not up. This will pretty much guarantee you have a bad relay. They are fairly cheap and it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to replace both.

[marine_man]

Look for two relays, one will have a red wire and a blue wire running to it and the other will have a green wire with a red wire running to it. Use a testlight and see if you're getting power on the green and blue sides of the relay when you push the up / down trim / tilt button - green is down and blue is up.

marine_man

[BlueLundFishrman]

Have a buddy who has the same problem. Guy at boat shop said to swap out the relays. If the up/down problem is reversed, you have found the problem. I think the relays are around $12. If they are bad, you may want to just replace both, and/or grab a spare or two for the glove box.