I have a 1973 Evinrude on which the tilt/trim is not working. It worked when we bought it, but one day it quit lifting by itself. The motor would run and you could lift the motor by hand when the switch was on. My brother said that the relay was bad and that it was not necessary to have; that it could be wired straight to a switch. We cut the relay out and ran it to a switch, but now when you connect it to the battery, the wires want to melt. Is this just a short somewhere or is this due to the lack of a relay? I assume that the relay is important seeing as it was there in the first place. To replace the relay, do I need a certain kind or would just a generic one do the job? Appreciate any info. Thanks.
