noob issue with tilt/trim J88 '87

Oddjob007

Recruit
Joined
Sep 24, 2009
Messages
1
Hi, I took possession of an old Bayliner with an '87 J88 outboard with electric trim/tilt. I cleaned up the boat, replaced the battery and then sheared off the wires going into the tilt motor with those little metal engine props.

I replaced the wiring into the top of the tilt motor, and when connected directly to the battery, it works just fine. It worked fine when I was putting the final connections together, through the dash switch and relay box. Once I made the final connection, all I got was clicking in the relay box.

The electric motor works fine. Using wires directly attached to the battery, I can make it go up or down. It worked the first time with temporary connections through the wiring harness too. Once I made the final connection though, it stopped. Once again, all I get now are clicks in the relay box.

Engine starts fine, runs great. Everything else is working fine, except I can't tilt the motor.

Next step will be to bypass the relay box entirely and wire the tilt/trim directly to the switch, as I'm losing patience and am not investing tons of money into this old boat.

Any suggestions? I've searched (fruitlessly) for wiring diagrams on the relay box. I was hoping that some insight there might shed some light on my problem. No luck so far, as I'm unable to find any info on the relays.

Thanks in any case!
 

emdsapmgr

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
11,551
Re: noob issue with tilt/trim J88 '87

Possible one or both of the trim relays is bad. They are in the trim relay box on the back of the exhaust cover. They are fairly inexpensive and should be replaced in pairs.
 

mikesea

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Oct 1, 2006
Messages
1,830
Re: noob issue with tilt/trim J88 '87

as said replace the relay(s)dont connect directly,the switch,wiring cant handle the amperage,you will burn it out and probably screw the tnt motor as well.Thats why they have the relays.Check all the connections for being loose or corroded,its possible the shorting fried a relay
 
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