A Few Newbie Questions

[Ryanpm6774]

Good Afternoon,

I have a few newbie questions that I hope doesn't offend any of the salty vets.
1986 Bayliner Capri 1950
Volvo Penta 2.3L AQ131a 275 O/D

1. My tilt motor will only go down not up. Guessing it's a relay gone bad. I have the repair manual and it says to test using a pair of jumper wires. However, then they move on to other trouble shooting ideas. Do any of you have the trouble shooting full how to list? What to clip where. Or is it as easy as swaping the relays?

2. I have a leaking transom. The seal around the transom is cracked and a SMALL area of the wood sounds rotten (tap test). Is it at all possible to use a large piece of wood to spread the load on the bottom two transom bolts over a larger area and coat it with West 105 then use 3M 5200 to seal everything back together? Is this dangerous and stupid? I don't want to be dangerous but shelling out 3K for a new transom on such an old boat that only has a small rot spot seems excessive. I plan on selling it in a year or two. I have already replaced the floor and all interior. Stringers are solid etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ryanpm6774]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

Anyone? Even just to #1

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

Ryan, Here's a place to start on the lift issue: http://forums.iboats.com/volvo-pent...en-swith-pushed-lower-raise-drive-589267.html.

As for the soft wood on the transom, might want to head over to the restoration section for some opinions. Be aware that reality can be pretty rude when it come to rotting wood.

By the way, I lived on Maumee Bay, right next to the state park for 16 years. I can certainly understand how important it is to have your boat running when the walleye or perch are biting. Even more important for those trips to Put-In-Bay!

 

[Ryanpm6774]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

Indeed it is! Thanks for the link. This would explain why it didn't work when I switched the relays. The only thing I can think is that I pulled out the 30A fuse that runs the lift. I checked it and it was good. However, when I put the drive down, I didn't realize there was a small plastic bucket under it. Would this lend any insight to your thought process?

P.S. I'll be in Portland OR to visit my sister who moved out there 8 years ago. I've been getting crap for not heading out to see her. We are staying in a lake house on the coast. Maybe we'll get some water time in.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

However, when I put the drive down, I didn't realize there was a small plastic bucket under it. Would this lend any insight to your thought process? .

The bucket wouldn't have anything to do with it since you can put the drive part way down or up any time you like. However, if the lift works when the outdrive is partway up, that would indicate a problem with the latch mechanism. I'm not an expert on the electrical side of this but can offer a few suggestions. First is to clean ALL electrical connections including ground wires. That's probably the number on simple solution. Next check to see if the relays and switch click when actuated. You can also jumper the leads for the motor and make sure the motor is strong in both directions. They do wear out and brush kits are available.

 

[Ryanpm6774]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

OK, So I checked all electrical connections to ensure they were clean. They are. Then I checked the grounds and they look ok as well. So then I changed out the relays with new ones and it seemed to fix the issue. Now for the rub. I changed the relays back and it still worked. So clearly it must have been something else. With the boat on the trailer I put the drive all the way down and now I'm back to square one. only clicks. What the h*ll is going on? Any ideas?

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

Sounds like a loose or corroded connection somewhere in the system. When it's acting up, you'll need to go back through the system and see what's working. Do you get clicks when it's not working? That should tell you if the problem is in the outdrive electrical box or not. Did you disassemble the main wiring harness connector to clean those contacts? One of the frustrating things about electrical problems is chasing down the intermittent problems. You just have to methodically chase it down.

 

[Ryanpm6774]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

I'll recheck everything again and let you know.

 

[Ryanpm6774]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

I'm not sure what connection it was but I took everything apart wiggled it all and put it all back together. Boom! she works with the original relays. Strange. A new question arose however,

When I went to start the boat, all i heard was a whining sound coming from the starter. let off the key, hit it again, and it turned and started. So I tried this a few times and got similar results. Time to think about a new starter? Also, not sure if it matters but I have had my battery cut out a few times on start up which I think is the battery ground. I'm going to pull it and clean it to see if that is my problem.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

A whirring sound indicates a bad solenoid. The starter motor is running but the solenoid isn't actuating to push the gear into the flywheel teeth. Instead of a replacement, try to see what a local shop will charge to rebuild the existing starter. Make sure they are familiar with rebuilding marine starters.

Take a look and compare costs. A new hi torque, gear reduction starter may only be around $100. Just make sure that you use a marine starter because of the sealed, spark proof design. Use an automotive starter and you risk fire and explosion in the engine compartment. Not repairing the starter and cleaning all of your connections can result in a very long day with an expensive tow back home. Weather on Lake Erie can change rapidly and the wave action off the bottom can make things get real bad real quick!

 

[Ryanpm6774]

Re: A Few Newbie Questions

Roger that. Thanks for all your help. I'll get her out there soon. Now I just need to seal up the transom. I have a pretty good idea of how to fix it without having to pull the engine and OD. We shall see once I get in there though.

Thanks again.