1973 OMC Stringer. Replaced the tilt motor in May because of intermittent trouble with it last year. All was fine until three weeks ago. Stern drive got stuck half way up. Found a broken 8 AWG wire which is connected to the starter solenoid. Replaced the lug at the broken end. Problem resolved for a week, then same trouble. This time replace the wire, problem solved for another week. Replaced the motor, problem fixed. Disassemble the old motor and found a little water. Thought the motor was shorting so a took it completely apart. Found that the brushes were stuck due to water absorption by the insulating material that the brush holders are mounted to. Cleaned everything with distilled water and baked everything at 170 for two hours, reassembled and bench testing indicates the motor is now fine. The motor is not water proof and I believe water got in through the motor end which houses the brush assembly. To prevent this in the future I Silicon bonded the bottom of a plastic soda bottle which I trimmed to fit over the end cap and then put a freezer bag over the motor. Hope this info is helpful.
