HELP!! Tilt and trim problem

[iknowyoulike]

Since the day was so beautiful today i thought it'd be a good chance for me to go out and get the boat ready for this season. everything is going good till i go to try and trim the motor up and down.

HISTORY ON BOAT:

I bought the boat about mid summer and i believe it's been sitting for a while before i got it. tilt/trim worked fine for most of the year in 08' till bout the end of the summer. i've been having to smack the motor with a rubber mallet every once in a while to get it to tilt and trim again but no where near as fast as it did when i first got the boat.

TODAY:

The problem is that nothing is happening when i press the tilt and trim button on the throttle. The relay is clicking when i press the tilt and trim button. is there something wrong with the motor itself? i tried smacking the motor like last year and nothing happens. what's wrong and is there a way to manually lift the motor up?

thanks!

[marine_man]

Not sure what brand motor you have, but I'd take a test light and verify the solenoids / relays are working correctly.

If those are, and based on your explanations, it sounds like the motor finally gave upu the ghost. Time for a rebuild / replacement.

To manually move the motor, on the lh side, on the lower part of the motor mounting bracket, outside the boat (on the transom) there should be a slot in the motor mount bracket and a flat head screw. Loosen the screw, raise the motor, tighten the screw and you should be good to go.

marine_man

[wakeguy]

It sounds like the motor since you can't hear the motor running when the relay clicks. What type of engine is it. On may tilt and trim systems the motor can be replaced but on some the entire assembly is one piece. Also some T&T assemblies have a flathead screw that can be loosened to allow for a manual lift and then retightened to hold the engine in the up position. This is a great emergency fix but hardly practical for everyday use. There are several places in the state that might have a used motor.

[Eskimoman]

check the brushes in the tilt motor. Its a pretty common problen that they will wear out. Happend on a couple of my motors over the years.

[iknowyoulike]

sorry forgot to list that it is a 89 johnson 88hp, and eskimoman how do i check the brushes is that hard to do? as you can see i'm a novice at this sorta repairs. if it is time for a replacement is that something that can be done rather easy or do i need to take it in to the shop?

[folke2000]

This happened to me 2 yrs ago. The brushes in the electric motor were bad. Like MarineMan said check the solenoid first, and if that checks out, get yourself a manual for the motor and dig in. Remove the electric motor and find a place that rebuilds 12v motors (I found a place that rebuilds starters for cars). They rebuilt the motor and I re-installed the motor to the trim/tilt pump. Still working 2 years later, which is quite an accomplishment for the me as I am somewhat mechanically challenged.

Good luck,

Folke

[propster]

I had same symptoms as above. Check the relays, but they are probably good. Most likely the brushes. I removed the motor, took it up to a place off 55, he did the brushes cheap, like $35, I put it back in and she works great.

[iknowyoulike]

thanks for all the replys:

quick update pulled the motor off and looks like it was bad the springs were broken and everything was rusty looking...just bad..anyone know of a cheap/reasonable place to get it fix or would it be best to buy a new/remanufacture one?

i called schelen gray in st.paul and they quoted me for $150 for a rebuilt, i really don't know if that is average or not but if propster paid 35 i feel i might end up overpaying. then again i dont know if my motor is in the shape his could of been in. any help would be appreciated. thanks!!

[iknowyoulike]

quick add-on did a search for a replacement on "flee-bay" and found an aftermarket one for about 75 shipped is that reasonable? any thoughts on aftermarket parts?

i just wanna go fishing!!

[boatfixer]

Sounds like propster had his repaired , not replaced for $35. Aftermarket prices run anywhere from 170-230 for a new one.

[propster]

That's right, and just the brushes. I was taking a chance that the brushes were the only problem, but as boatfixer says, when I looked at the price of a replacement, I really was hoping it was just the brushes and got lucky. I'll see if I can find the name of the place that did it for me. Otherwise $75 seems to be a great price, if it works.

[iknowyoulike]

thanks for everyone's input..i placed the order for the replacement hopefully it will be here soon. i will let everyone know how it went.

[iknowyoulike]

Well it did it! swapped in the new one and she trim's and tilt like new!! i gotta say at first doing this seems intimidaing but after diving right in it's not too bad...thanks again for everyones input!! I'll let ya'll know how this aftermarket one holds up.