Help needed with Tilt and trim

t3rah · 25 March 2013, 12:53

Hi I have a 1990 50hp Mariner 3 cyl on my boat and well this is the first outboard i have owned.
When i first got it i could use the button on my throttle to raise and lower the engine although this did happen very slowly, now it has stopped working altogether and just makes a clicking noise when i press the buttons.
Does anyone have any ideas on what the problem is and what i could check to get it working again.

Thanks for reading and i appreciate any replies.

PeterM · 25 March 2013, 13:20

Flat battery by the sound of the symptoms....so either it's not charging, or the wires/connections are not getting enough power to the engine.

Does it start ok?...if yes..ignore what I just said...

t3rah · 25 March 2013, 13:50

hi thanks for replying, yes it starts ok i've put a freshly charged battery on it

PeterM · 25 March 2013, 13:58

Ah...in that case maybe dodgy wiring to the pump, or the pump motor is shot

matt h · 25 March 2013, 14:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterM

Ah...in that case maybe dodgy wiring to the pump, or the pump motor is shot

You just too bloody good Pete, YOU OUT THIS WEEKEND!?

PeterM · 25 March 2013, 14:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt h

You just too bloody good Pete, YOU OUT THIS WEEKEND!?

I try Matthew I try ! ..Maybe - if it warms up! ..curry Sat night as before maybe ?

matt h · 25 March 2013, 14:49

Yep and Yep. AJ can pay for having too many holidays this year

9D280 · 26 March 2013, 13:47

If you can't hear the motor whining, you will need to go through the system connetor by connector with a voltmeter and / or continuity tester.

I would guess if you are getting a clicking sound the relay is throwing, which means the conrol circuits to the remotes are OK, as is the relay coil so that limits it to one of four things:

1) relay contacts are burnt out.
2) Fuse supplying PT motor has gone
3) loose connection.
4) Motor is gubbed.

Based on your previous symptoms I would be swaying towards 1 or 3, with a possibility of 4, but read on....

Firstly, find the place the motor plugs into the rest of the wiring (follow the wire). Disconnect, and put a voltmeter across the terminals. (set to read at least 12V if it's not auto ranging)

If it's 2 wire either test lead in either pin any way round will do, if it's 3 wire you may need to take a couple of guesses as to which wire is earth, although you may be able to trace that back through the loom)

If it's 2 wire, pressing the up & down switches should throw the relay (you'll hear it click) and you should get either +12 or -12V on the meter. (should swap as you go up & down, 0V for neither)

If it's a 3 wire, the relay will power up one or t'other of the coloured wires (blue / green from memory) when the meter is across them & black (earth) so you may need to test a couple of combos of pins with the switch in either up or down position.

From memory the motor should stop actually spinning around 8-ish V, so if you get a positive volt reading , but nothing near 12, chances are either a loose contact further up the wiring loom or dodgy relay contacts. To test the contacts, follow the loom & chek at every connection you find

If you have a full 12V in both directions, your motor is gubbed. There is a high chance either your motor brushes are so worn that they aren't now touching the commutator, or as I had on mine, a broken brush spring so no contact whatsoever.

Let us know what happens with the voltage test, as dismantling the motor can get fiddly, so if you get 12V at the socket, I'll try & talk you in! (if that's what happens, post back with the serial number as that;s awfully close to the demise of the clamshell, and so I just want to make sure I;m talking about the right engine!
The plus side is that brush sets are a LOT cheper than a new motor if you don't mind taking it to bits!

t3rah · 27 March 2013, 19:46

Hi i will go through the checks when i have time for the mean time i have taken a photo of the things (fuses?) that are clicking.

spartacus · 27 March 2013, 21:24

Assuming the relay solonoids are fine, and you've already fitted a new battery so that rules out power issue, then my money is on worn motor carbon brushes. The fact it was trimming slow is a sure sign it was on its way out.

If you're not mechanically minded, then go for a replacement motor, otherwise you could look towards a rebuild. More details here. Depends what you find when you open the motor.
http://www.rib.net/forum/f36/twatsoo...p-38278-3.html

9D280 · 28 March 2013, 17:49

I just googled the part number - those are your relays. (and will be muchos cheaper to buy replacements from an auto factors if they are your problem)

No time to deep dive just yet, but if they are both clicking can you can chase the wiring as above and let us know if you are getting 12V at the motor connector?

In the meantime, I'll see if I can find a pin layout for the relay so you can check them, but probably easier to just look for 12V at the motor.