84 omc tilt and trim

[rock69]

I have an 84 four winns that I just got and forgot to check my tilt and trim. I undone the bungees off the lower unit and found I could lift my outdrive up and down with ease. I tried my tilt on the throttle but still nothing. My tilt motor humms but nothing moves. I pulled the clutch cover off and tried my tilt but nothing was spinning in there as well. Im ignorant to this. please help.

 

[cr2k]

Re: 84 omc tilt and trim

OK to which are you referring the tilt (motor just behind the transom on port side) or the trim separate pump the powers the rams on the front engine mounts?

They are 2 separate systems on the stringer drive.

If it's the system the raises and lowers the outdrive from trailer to operating there are a lot of things in that system. if the clutch pack is worn out or the snap ring is busted it would be loose as you describe. Also could be the worm drive or the gear around the clutch pack is bad or worn. If you can move it up and down real easy by hand I would not look past the clutch housing and clutch pack as it is driven by a worm gear and you just cant spin one of them from the clutch.

 

[superbenk]

Re: 84 omc tilt and trim

If you can't move the outdrive by hand, but you hear the tilt motor buzzing when you flick the switch, you might also want to check the worm gear shaft & hammer-blow coupler. The end of the shaft towards the motor has a small slot that slides into a spring-loaded coupler (called a hammer-blow coupler). I had a similar problem and found the shaft snapped around the slot which caused the motor & hammer-blow coupler to just spin. Hammer-blow coupler could also be busted.

As said earlier, if you can move the drive up and down by hand it's probably your clutch pack. Mine was worn and wouldn't hold the drive once the oil saturated it. I ended up putting a pin through my clutch pack, but I *definitely* don't recommend this as it's a safety mechanism for if you ever hit anything under water. I intend on replacing my clutch pack at some point in the not-so-distant future, but they aren't cheap

 

[rock69]

Re: 84 omc tilt and trim

I did find out after driving outboards that the inboards have two different swithches that are separate for tilt and trim. So anyway, when I turn the tilt swithch on the motor just clicks but there is no constant hum and yes I can lift the outside unit up a down. I noticed that when I took off the clutch cover that when I move the lower unit there was some give in that clutch like if you had a bad bearing. So does this mean the electric motor and clutch need replaced and can you change that motor without having to pull the engine.

 

[superbenk]

Re: 84 omc tilt and trim

I did find out after driving outboards that the inboards have two different swithches that are separate for tilt and trim. So anyway, when I turn the tilt swithch on the motor just clicks but there is no constant hum and yes I can lift the outside unit up a down. I noticed that when I took off the clutch cover that when I move the lower unit there was some give in that clutch like if you had a bad bearing. So does this mean the electric motor and clutch need replaced and can you change that motor without having to pull the engine.

There will be some movement just due to slop in the gears and clutch teeth (it's not super tightly meshed). I can probably move the outdrive about 1/4-1/2" at the very end (ie, by the prop).

If all you get is a click/small clunk sound out of the tilt motor, it could be a couple of things.

First, I'd check that your battery is *fully* charged & in good condition. The tilt mechanism draws *a lot* of power so it is very susceptible to not working if your battery isn't providing all the necessary juice.

Next I'd consider the solenoids. I had to replace all 4 of mine (2 for tilt, 2 for trim - 1 up & 1 down for each). Over time they can get small amounts of corrosion either on the contacts or inside that cause them not to transmit full power to the motor.

I'd check the connections to the tilt motor as well and make sure they're clean - again, corrosion can impede power delivery and cause it to just click/clunk.

It's possible the motor itself is weak/dying and not able to deliver the power needed to tilt the drive. You can pull it out without pulling the motor, though it's a tight spot (prepare to get grumpy at your boat!). It's attached to the intermediate housing by 2 bolts from the engine compartment (inside the boat). One on top, one on the bottom. I've seen posts on here about people who've taken the motor out, cleaned it & replaced bushings to get it back to working order.

Finally, I'd check the worm gear shaft & hammer-blow. If it's bent or broken, it could be binding.

 

[cr2k]

Re: 84 omc tilt and trim

Be aware there are two configurations of motor. One has a flange and 2 bolts, the other uses the long bolts that hold the motor together they go out the drive end and hold it on the housing.