Old style PT&T Troubleshooting + Quicksilver control questions

[dctucker]

1981 80 hp, 4 cyl, dual piston PT&T w/ external pump. Fresh water only, stored indoors for several years. All appears to be in good condition, and supposedly worked fine before being stored. I've searched the forum and haven't found anything relating to the following questions:<br /><br />1. Seloc manual recommends testing the tilt motor leads directly to the battery to rule out wiring or switch problems... no joy, just sparks at the battery, no life in the motor. Guess I need a new motor ~$230 from Mastertech. Or, searching Mercury parts online, I come up with a ~$500 part that APPEARS in the photo to be the entire unit: motor, resevoir, solenoids, valve body, hoses, etc. Could that be right? Or just a tremendous markup?? "P/N 92975A32 PUMP KIT-TRIM $503.55" <br /><br />2. I should be able to release the reverse lock valve and tilt the motor by hand, right? If I'm not able to tilt it by hand, are the PT&T pistons likely seized? What else should I be looking at or doing? Am I overlooking something simple (I hope!)<br /><br />3. Quicksilver control question: The neutral lock-out doesn't lock. Is there supposed to be a spring to push the pin back in to lock the shifter in neutral, or is the spring in the neutral lock-out release supposed to do that?<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Dan

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Old style PT&T Troubleshooting + Quicksilver control questions

hello<br /> on the trim motor. odds are it has an oxide coating on the aruature/brushes. dissasemble it claen it with some strips of 120 sand paper Not carbide paper and see if it will work. may also have stuck shaft bushings.<br />on the control issue I am not sure I understand your question? what does the box look like and is there a model type on it ?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Old style PT&T Troubleshooting + Quicksilver control questions

dctucker, Since directly connecting the motor to the battery didn't produce any motor movement, you need to disassemble the motor if you can. My 1977 PT&T unit has two 3/16" bolts on top of the motor "can". When these are removed, the motor, brushes and field windings will come off. First use a screwdriver that matched the end of the motor's armature and try to turn the pump. If it turns easily, it is OK. Next check the field and armature for continunity (shorts) to the case or shaft. If there is no continuity to the metal case or shaft, and the field and armature have continuity through the windings, perhaps the motor is OK. Check the bimetal overload (circuit) breaker to see that it makes good contact. Lastly check the brushes and springs for proper operation. The motor may be rebuildable by a local starter repair shop.<br /><br />As for the manual tilting. The motor is heavy and the hydraulics add drag when you try to do this by hand, If it really won't move, loosen one of the small pressure lines at the pump. The motor should spill some oil, but it should tilt. If it tilts, the trouble may be in the control valve where the hoses connect. If it still won't tilt, the trouble may be in the cylinders.

 

[dctucker]

Re: Old style PT&T Troubleshooting + Quicksilver control questions

Thanks for the replies.<br /><br />I'll disassemble the trim motor on Thursday and see what I find. There is a rebuilder nearby.<br /><br />I'm not sure there's even any oil in the system at the moment. Would that affect the ability to manually tilt? <br /><br />The control is the previous generation Quicksilver control, with the high idle release as a button in the pivot of the handle, not a seperate high idle lever like the newer style has. I'm not near it, so I can't check for a model #.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Old style PT&T Troubleshooting + Quicksilver control questions

dctucker, I have the same control unit and the same problem with the neutral lockout. The fingertip trigger lever in the handgrip breaks internally and can no longer actuate the lockout pin via a metal linkage. The replacement part was $7.00 and took about 1/2hr to replace. Ordered my part thru a local Merc dealer. When you disassemble the throttle lever watch out for a small spring that wants to jump out and fall into any small crevice that might exist.

 

[dctucker]

Re: Old style PT&T Troubleshooting + Quicksilver control questions

Thanks for the reply on the control unit. I disassembled it and didn't see any broken pieces on the trigger lever, but if it's been that way for a while, it wouldn't look any different. I'll order a new trigger lever.<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Dan

 

[dctucker]

Re: Old style PT&T Troubleshooting + Quicksilver control questions

Rodbolt & Chris,<br /><br />I found some time tonight to tear down the trim motor. I have 0 skills or knowlege of electrical testing. (Why I even own a meter is almost beyond me!) I'm pretty darned sure that the problem with the motor itself is/was an internal short. There's a LOT of oxidation on the internals. See additional pictures here. I'll go at it with the sandpaper tomorrow to see if cleaning it up will solve the problem, though the brushes are pretty well worn too. It's worth investing at least an hour to save $$ of replacing the motor. Which is the circuit breaker, btw, and how would I test it?<br /><br />

<br /><br />

<br /><br />The pump turns easily. Once I disconnected all the hydraulic lines from the pump, I was able to easily (!) manually tilt the o/b through its entire range of motion. Anything I can do to further test the valve body? Or just ship it off for a rebuild (assuming that's possible)?<br /><br />Thanks!

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Old style PT&T Troubleshooting + Quicksilver control questions

DC, I'm not sure of the test for the valve body. Why not fix the motor first and then see if the valve body functions properly. I do not know if the valve bodies can be rebuilt, and ther were more than $100 to buy.<br /><br />Don't worry about the looks of the motor, as long as it works. Clean the copper commutator with fine (200 grit) sandpaper, and test for continuity between all the copper pieces and the steel shaft. If there is no continuity, that's good. Now check for continuity between all the copper pieces of the commutator. There should be continuity with no resistance. Run the same tests on the field coil. <br /><br />You should see the bi-metal overload connected to one of the brushes (looks like a pair of points, look at the right middle of picture 706). Clean the points on the overload with 200 grit paper.<br /><br />If the motor passed all the tests, you can reassemble and test it. Put a bit of grease on the top end of the armature shaft, so the motor will spin easier.