Help.....Suzuki DF250 trim and tilt

wellchilled · 26 June 2009, 20:21

Moved the rib out of the safety of its marina berth mid week, and left it on a swinging (but drying) mooring closer to home ready to go out this evening.

Weather glorious , sea flat calm, all set for a nice family evening out. Refreshments safely stowed away, kids lectured about using the boat as a bouncy castle, ready to rock and roll.

Then major disappointment, the engine won't tilt down in fact won't move at all. It makes the usual noise when I operate the tilt and trim control either on the throttle or on the side of the engine but nothing happens. I checked the tilt bracket used to support the engine hadn't been moved, it hadn't, then was stuck for anything else to check.

Have since looked at the manual and see there is a manual tilt operation that can be performed however that doesn't address the problem of what's gone wrong in the first place.

With calm seas and wall to wall sunshine forecast for the next few days I phoned an "emergency" marine engineer. Such is the economic downturn in the marine industry he said it would be 6 to 8 weeks before he could look at it! Then I remembered the collective knowledge on this forum - so have any of you guys experienced a similar problem and if so how did you fix it?

Why is it when the weather gods smile on you something else comes along and buggers it up!

Thanks, all and any help greatly received.

Regards

Charles

Trailer Bloke · 26 June 2009, 20:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by wellchilled

Moved the rib out of the safety of its marina berth mid week, and left it on a swinging (but drying) mooring closer to home ready to go out this evening.

Weather glorious , sea flat calm, all set for a nice family evening out. Refreshments safely stowed away, kids lectured about using the boat as a bouncy castle, ready to rock and roll.

Then major disappointment, the engine won't tilt down in fact won't move at all. It makes the usual noise when I operate the tilt and trim control either on the throttle or on the side of the engine but nothing happens. I checked the tilt bracket used to support the engine hadn't been moved, it hadn't, then was stuck for anything else to check.

Have since looked at the manual and see there is a manual tilt operation that can be performed however that doesn't address the problem of what's gone wrong in the first place.

With calm seas and wall to wall sunshine forecast for the next few days I phoned an "emergency" marine engineer. Such is the economic downturn in the marine industry he said it would be 6 to 8 weeks before he could look at it! Then I remembered the collective knowledge on this forum - so have any of you guys experienced a similar problem and if so how did you fix it?

Why is it when the weather gods smile on you something else comes along and buggers it up!

Thanks, all and any help greatly received.

Regards

Charles

Sounds like the ring that screws in around the ram has come loose and you have lost all your oil

This happened on my DF300

You will have to just tighten the ring up and refill and bleed

wellchilled · 26 June 2009, 20:39

Thanks Trailer Bloke, sounds easy....! - if you think about one of your least mechanically minded mates, would they mange it?

The Suzuki manual is somewaht brief, it might run to a couple of hundred pages but only a dozen or so are in English.

Do you think it happened 'cos of the boat bumping as it was taking to the ground on the last couple of tides?

Thanks

Charles

Avocet · 27 June 2009, 01:17

Hi Charles

.... and SNAP: there aren't too many of us 750 Sports out there!

You might (if you want to get depressed) like to read this:

http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?...ghlight=suzuki

But I'm not convinced that it's the same problem: like you, my technology is minimal at best, but it seems to me that if the trim/tilt motor is making a noise, you're getting power to it. It therefore seems right that it's a gearing problem rather than an electrical one.

Without knowing what I'm talking about, however, is there an additional electrical contact which makes the trim/tilt gearing work?

If so, there's nothing to be lost in trying the connecting/disconnecting fix outlined in the link.

If you get it to work, we'd love to see you in Alderney tomorrow when the Floptilla arrives (this, incidentally, being a half-hearted attemt to avoid relegation to the 'Engines' section!

wellchilled · 27 June 2009, 06:03

Hi David,

What a great day to be crossing the channel. Definitely a day for power, but alas I made the mistake of agreeing to help crew a mate's yacht in the annual Jersey - Guernsey yacht race. Looking at the forecast, I doubt we'll make the Guernsey Yacht Club bar before closing time. Fingers crossed for an early decision to retire and do something more sensible.

Thanks for the link, not sure my problem is the same, however will have a poke round and see if I can find any connection problems. Trailer Bloke's theory makes sense, so I'll check that out first and either way post the result - if I'm not still drifting round the Channel Islands!

Have a great trip over, its flat calm and glorious sunshine here at the moment and forecast to stay that way.

You're right, there don't seem to be that many 750 Sports around however Ribcraft seem to have confidence in the Sports range given they have added to it. I'm reserving judgement on the 850 Sport until I've seen one. Do you know if they just stretched the 750 mould or is it a different hull design? Anyway, still very pleased with the boat, and will be even happier when the engine is running again!

Have a great trip over.

Charles

Tony Hill · 27 June 2009, 11:58

Here's something to try - we have had similar experiences
There is a trim tilt limiting ring low down at the front of the engine mounting - same sort of level of the steering ram.
If this has been knocked you and you have the trailer/tilt lock down you cannot get the thing to work. As you say usual noises, no action
Rotate this ring (move one way and try to raise the engine- if it doesn't work rotate the ring the other way and try)
If the engines move up you can release the trailer lock and the engine trim will operate as normal.
All you need to do at the end is make sure you adjust the ring so the engine doesn't come up and hit anything inside the boat on full tilt up.

I think it is in the handbook as Trim Limiter cam

Just a thought

Tony

Lewy · 27 June 2009, 15:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trailer Bloke

Sounds like the ring that screws in around the ram has come loose and you have lost all your oil

This happened on my DF300

You will have to just tighten the ring up and refill and bleed

if you lost oil would the engine be stuck in the trimmed up position?

RJH · 27 June 2009, 17:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avocet

there aren't too many of us 750 Sports out there!

Maybe we should start up an owners club!

wellchilled · 27 June 2009, 20:14

Thanks Tony and Lewy,

I don't think its the tilt limiter cam however I'll check that out tomorrow. No idea what happens if its the oil that's gone but if that's the cause of the problem then no doubt I'll be finding out.

Resigned to going cycling not ribbing tomorrow, but at least I have managed to get an engineer organised to look at the engine on Tuesday so will post details of the ouitcome then.

Thanks

Charles