1985 Galaxy 1800 Tilt/Trim Problems

[Wesley Hand]

Hello,
My first time on the forum, i was hoping to get some help regarding my 1985 Galaxy 1800 i just purchased.
I/O drive 3.8 liter v6

The trim and tilt have been giving me troubles, the down function works flawlessly, while the up requires quite some time and sometimes assistance to move. I can hear the solenoids clicking to indicate the change of state so im fairly certain the issue is not with them.
The boat has a system ive never seen, the left side of the throttle has a 2 position switch that turns on a pump, while the right has a switch similar to a hydraulic dump.
Engaged vs disengaged drops the voltage at the battery terminals a little under 1 volt.

I dont know if the system is hydraulic or simply an electric motor.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, stop making multiple threads on the same topic. I have flagged this not only to be merged with your other thread, however to also be moved to the OMC section.

you bought an obsolete stringer drive.... it was obsolete 35 years ago when it was new.

your boat has a stringer drive. there is a separate tilt function to get the drive up for trailer (drive must be down when motoring) and a trim function which adjusts the whole driveline. the trim is hydraulic front motor mounts and the tilt is electric gear box with a clutch pack

the electric motor for the tilt function most likely has dirty brushes (common) or water in it (common)

had you come here first, we would have steered you away from not only the stringer drive, however anything OMC

you need a factory manual. you can buy a factory manual from the publisher. https://outboardbooks.com/
do not take the clutch pack apart on the tilt mechanism
you will need to do all the service on the drive prior to using it.
when you are doing the raw water pump, you will need to inspect the splines of the 3-piece vertical drive shaft
do not damage the lower shift cable when you take the outdrive off. that shift cable alone probably cost more than you paid for the boat.

how are the ball gears?
how is the condition of the large boot?

did you inspect the hull for water and rot?

 

[southkogs]

You should have two switches. One of them is for the tilt - literally all the way up to trailer and all the way down to boat. Like Scott said, you don't run the Stringer with the drive tilted up (unless you're idling along in shallows).

The second switch should operate the trim. Trim on your drive happens on the front of the engine. It's a hydraulic system that raises and lowers the engine front to trim the driveline. And Scott's right ... you'll want a shop manual on that.

If raising the drive is giving you trouble, you can try a few things: 1) check the battery charge. I found on mine that a weak battery would start the boat, but struggle to lift that sterndrive. 2) lubricate the trunions that the drive pivots on. Sometimes (not often) they get a little tight. 3) check the lubrication in the clutch pack. Sometimes that can get gummed up. AND ... 4) pull the tilt motor and have it rebuilt.

That tilt motor is notorious for being a pill. You can still find replacements, but I just had mine rebuilt. Be careful pulling that motor. Aside from being a pain to get to, it's got some smaller pieces that want to jump out and fall down in your bilge ... and you need 'em.

 

[Wesley Hand]

first, stop making multiple threads on the same topic. I have flagged this not only to be merged with your other thread, however to also be moved to the OMC section.

Thank you for your patience, i received a notification for server error, tried to post again with the same error then saw your section regarding this error being normal. My apologies.

As for the boat, the hull is in great shape, i did have to re carpet the interior but nothing too crazy. i was expecting to have to pull the motor for the system, i was hoping there might be something i could check first.
Any reason you say not to pull the clutch pack apart?


southkogs at the moment i would be open to either replacing or rebuilding the motor, do you have any information on where i could get this motor rebuilt?

Thank you guys for your help!

 

[southkogs]

The clutch pack is typically not a problem, and it's kind of a pain to put back together. If you can see the lube inside is good, I would fill it and sit tight. And if you pull the tilt motor, it's pretty easy to put a screwdriver on the end of the worm gear ... if you can turn it, and the stern drive will raise and lower, then things are going pretty well there.

For the my motors, I used an auto parts store in Nashville that would rebuild electric motors. He's outstanding, and I wound up trusting his rebuilt stuff more than new. So, maybe talk with your local auto parts dudes. They can tell you who rebuilds 'em.

 

[Wesley Hand]

Awesome, i will pull the motor today and try the screwdriver idea.
In your opinion do you find the general quality of a rebuilt motor to be good?

 

[southkogs]

Dunno' about buying a rebuilt motor. Like I said, I had a shop that would do the work here in town. For that guys work - it was EXCELLENT. And it was about 1/4 the price of a replacement motor. If you can find someone who will rebuild it, and you get a good vibe and a good price I would try that. If you've got to buy one, I would find something that was coming from a reputable supplier. Rebuilt or new, I'd be looking for someone who I can contact if I have problems.

 

[Scott Danforth]

a new motor was about $75

to clean up the existing motor, you may only need to pull the motor apart and clean up the brush area of the armature with some 600 grit sand paper. I did that twice when I owned the last stringer. easiest way to change the motor is literally laying over the transom with your head resting on the floor. the blood will rush to your head and you will get a headache, however that was the easiest method I found.

the issue even with a new motor, moisture gets into the brushes and gunks them up. there are two seals and if I recall one o-ring attempting to keep water out of the boat as the tilt motor is below the water line.

spinning shafts below the water line tend to leak.

the tilt motor is the least of your worries. they are a known issue and you can remedy it quickly

that 3-piece driveshaft will fail on all OMC stringer drives. inspect the splines. you may get lucky and the splines are still square in shape indicating the shafts were recently replaced.... or you may find they are pointy (then replace them). when they strip, you will not have any power being transmitted to the prop

if your ball gears are worn more than 40%, they need to be replaced.

 

[Wesley Hand]

Thank you guys for all the information!
Today i replaced the fluid in the clutch pack and found it to be mostly water. i also greased the splines on drive so they wouldn't bind. i tried cleaning the contacts to the motor along with tapping it lightly with a hammer to potentially unstick it like a car starter with no luck. The wires to the motor are getting warm when i attempt to raise or lower the drive which leads me to belive the motor is stalling. I hear the solenoid clicking and the motor attempting to turn the worm gear.

All of this would lead me to replacing the motor, do you guys agree?

Again, thank you for all your help and information!

 

[Scott Danforth]

You have to physically pull the motor apart and pull the brush assembly off the end of the motor to slide the Armature out in order to clean it

 

[Wesley Hand]

southkogs
Scott Danforth

Ive just pulled the electric motor, and while still plugged in it does turn in both directions flawlessly without load on it.
I then tried to turn the worm manually with a flathead and had absolutely no luck. Is it possible the water i found in the gearbox could have frozen the worm to the spindle gear?

 

[Wesley Hand]

so ive opened the motor up and cleaned out out as well as i could, even using a high grit sandpaper to clean off the brushes. upon reassembly and installation it has the same problem.
the commutator bars showed quite a bit of use, i will try to attach an image.

 

[Wesley Hand]

[No message]

 

[Scott Danforth]

You need a new motor with that amount of wear

 

[Wesley Hand]

You need a new motor with that amount of wear

I assumed the same thing, i have ordered a new one.

Thank you guys for your help, i will update the thread if needed.

 

[BigBully]

I assumed the same thing, i have ordered a new one.

Thank you guys for your help, i will update the thread if needed.

Can I ask where you got the new motor from?