MARINER 90hp OUTBOARD STUCK IN UP POSITION

[jack007]

Hey all, thanks for all the help on the Mariner oil alarm problem, with that fixed, I now find out the tilt motor going down on the outboard is totally dead. When the oil alarm was sounding for a long no wake area back to dock on Sunday 6-10 my brother kept the motor down switch pressed to squelch the alarm. With the oil alarm totally cool now and fixed, the motor will not lower. It goes up fine and normal, but dosen't do anything no hum, no clicking when the down switch is pressed. Any ideas? Any help appreciated. Is there any way to lower the outboard manually so operation possible? It's a fine running 1989 Mariner oil injected 90hp.

 

[saumon]

Re: MARINER 90hp OUTBOARD STUCK IN UP POSITION

If you were playing a bit with the oil sensor wire, chances are you disconnect one of the trim wire, located at the same place (been there, done that). First of all, check if the trim swith located on the side of the cowling is working both ways. If so, you just need to reconnect tightly the green/white wire that goes from the main harness to the control. There should be a bullet-style connector located somewhere under the oil tank or under the fuel pump. If it doesn't go down with the cowling swith, it's most likely a dead trim relay. Let us know what's happenig.

 

[jmburock]

Re: MARINER 90hp OUTBOARD STUCK IN UP POSITION

The other possibility is that the power trim down solenoid is burned out, check wires going to the solenoid. These can also be taken off and tested with a 9 volt battery and an ohm-meter to check for open/close and for 0 resistance.

 

[jack007]

Re: MARINER 90hp OUTBOARD STUCK IN UP POSITION

Thanks greatly to all the people on the net who helped me with this problem. Couldn't work on the boat for a couple days but did yesterday and everything is A-OK. Whew! You asked to be kept informed, so here's what I did (I'll post in some detail in case someone in the future has the same problem).
90 hp Mariner tilt motor would tilt the motor up but the down was dead. As I prior had a false low oil alarm I had disconnected 1 of the wires from the oil tank to the alarm module. I first checked if I disconnected anything else as well by accident. Everything looking ok, I then went on with the electrical system. With the engine hood off, on the starboard side of the motor at the rear I found another plastic cover, removing this, beneath I found the engines many electrical connections. Having learned that the down tilt motor is powered by a green wire and the up is powered by a blue wire, I searched for a green wire. Many wires were green and thin with stripes, some were thin and blue. Most of these seemed to invole the spark plugs in the stern of the motor, others seemed too thin to be a motor wire. In the forward part of this electricl area were 3 round metal fixtures in a vertical column. Each of them had 2 electrical poles, to 1 pole in each case was connected a thick red wire from the battery, to the other pole a single thick wire (to 1 a green, to 1 a blue, to 1 a black). I figured the green must be it. When I went to disconect this wire from it's pole with my wrench, (I was going to switch the working blue (up wire) to it, the wrench made contact also with the red battery pole. With the wrench acting as a bridge between the red battery wire (yep forgot to disconnect the battery) directly to the green wire, the down tilt came on, the motor went down as long as I kept the connection without any switch being thrown. So, I got the motor down, learned that the tilt motor itself works fine, and the problem is either in the red pole-green pole metal fixture (relay or solidnoid) not relaying the signal from the switch in the boat or that the switch in the boat is not working. I'm going to leave the motor down and work on it at my leisure, I really have to only put it up for tralering at summers end, or let my boat mechanic figure out to replace switch or solidnoid. Again, thanks all!

 

[jmburock]

Re: MARINER 90hp OUTBOARD STUCK IN UP POSITION

You need a new solenoid. Under 20 bucks and a 10 minute job to pull out and re-wire. You can take it to a mechanic and spend 200 bucks and be out a boat for a while or just pick up a new solenoid and put it in. I found one at a Merc boat dealer 1/2 mile from my house without even having to order over the net. One of the easiest (and cheapest) marine repairs you will ever have to do.

 

[jack007]

Re: MARINER 90hp OUTBOARD STUCK IN UP POSITION

Thanks Jmburock,
I came to the same conclusion, the solenoid (the metal fixture with a red battery wire pole and a green down tilt motor pole) is the most likely culprit, and it doesn't look that tough to replace so I can do it myself, and at my leisure (since the engine is now down and the whole family can use the boat). My only concern in doing it myself is that the motor is attached to a 25' pontoon. I don't own a trailer to trailer it in and out, and the water at this new marina (this year) is deep (I mean deep and with a muck/qiucksand bottom). To work on this area I need to go in the compartment under the sun deck, hang my....rear...off the stern and work on the stern of the motor. Anything dropped....wrench, nut, new solenoid is gone forever. But, no one said being a boat owner is easy (only boat guests think that), so I still may try it, especially with your encourgement, and since my boat mechanic still! has not called me back because he's too busy in mid June and all of July.

 

[jmburock]

Re: MARINER 90hp OUTBOARD STUCK IN UP POSITION

I didn't realize your situation with how difficult it would be to work on your motor, given that its in the water. It still is doable, but you may lose a bolt or two. The good news is that all the brass bolts that are on a solenoid can be found at your local Ace hardware. I have lost my share of bolts, sockets, adjustable wrenches, etc. to the great saltwater abyss. Even still, worth the effort considering it is mid-season and the dealers are swamped...