Power trim n' tilt on a 1981 115

[OldMercsRule]

Hy folks, I read all the stuff on tilts that the search engine found and could not find an explanation of the problem I have. Please help me. The engine is a 1981 115 with the two cylinder trim with the pump in the boat and it has one solenoid on it. I may have hooked it up wrong as the motor was taken off the donor boat two years ago and installed on the receiver boat this season.

#1 The trim did work (as it should) the up button on the factory handle is up and the down button is down, only two not three buttons, in the back yard prior to the first test on the lake last weekend.

#2 It stoped working after a while at the lake and I brought the rig home to sort out the issues.

#3 The 30 amp fuse was blown, so we changed that n' filled up the oil, (which was also low).

At first that solved the problem(s), but we decided to go up and down five times to make sure it worked this time, (hopefully not a major mistake).

The trim went up and down and I may have run it too far down one time as it now just spins the electric motor but does not move the engine up.

We tried to do everything I could think of, but could not get it to work last night so I gave up.

When we lifted the motor manually (after turning the valve on the pump to allow a manual lift) it forced milky looking oil out of the vent opening, (with the screw in it). We refilled the resovor with fresh oil and it will lower the engine but only spins when I try to lift it. It forces more milky oil out when it is lifted by hand, (which my other inlines with power trim do not do).

Hopefully Chris1956 or one of the ace mechanics here can tell me what is likely wrong. Is the pump shot because of the water, (my guess)?

Thanks JR

 

[jmburock]

Re: Power trim n' tilt on a 1981 115

Sounds like the exact same problem that happened to my Mariner 75 1989 power tilt/ trim. I put it up too high one day and then the motor just kept spinning but would not lower the unit. I finally manually lowered it but the plastic vent screw broke apart and I had to drill it. Oil and water were mixing as well as it slowly leaked over the course of the summer. Now running with no power trim which is a real pain in the ace with a 75hp motor. Any ideas why a motor would just spin and not lower the unit (filled oil/ solenoids ok)?

 

[Laddies]

Re: Power trim n' tilt on a 1981 115

OMR, that pump must be filled in the up position, so if you filled down it just ran out of oil

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Power trim n' tilt on a 1981 115

OMR, that pump must be filled in the up position, so if you filled down it just ran out of oil

Hey Bob I already knew that, and the initial, (and subsequent) fill(s) were all with the motor unright, (with the two cylinders extended).

When we got it home we lowered it, (engine upright) and filled it again, (there was no signs of oil under the pump motor, so the low oil was a real mistery and the cylinders or lines do not leak at all).

It did work after the initial fill, (n' fuse change), and then stopped, (the up action stopped, it still goes down when ya push the down button), on the third up and down, (and I ran the down action until the change in sound indicating it bottomed out prior to the stop in the up action).

My other inline6 trim motors will forgive bottoming them out but this one stopped working after that. Maybe I have an air bubble in there somewhere. Why would it push the milky oil out when we manually raise the motor? I never have had that problem before on my other trim units, (the same OLD style trim units as this set up).

I am tempted to get some oil and disconnect one of the lines and run all that milky stuff out before I go to the next step n' swap my 1978 trim motor to it, (which I hate to do, as I want to get that 1978 out on the road, (lake) next, and I prefer to have PT if at all possible as it came with the PT on the 1978). JR

 

[Plainsman]

Re: Power trim n' tilt on a 1981 115

" When we got it home we lowered it, (engine upright) and filled it again,"

Like Laddies said, engine needs to be raised all the way up, not lowered.

The only time my just spins is when it's low on oil (had leaky hoses)

There is also a tilt limit switch ( if this is like your older towers and mine) on these.

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Power trim n' tilt on a 1981 115

Wow, I hope it is that simple, n' I bet it is!! Can't wait to try filling it tilted up now!! I would have thought the upright (motor in the water with the cylinders extended) would be the way to do it. That's the problem with the limitations of a single brain cell, sometimes: it gets stuck on stupid!! N' Lord knows I'm also stubborn: (stupid n' stubborn: not a good combination)! I'm sure that explains the initial problems I had too!!Thanks Bob and Eric, you two may have saved me from tearing anything apart, (second time Bob has save me from my own foolishness on this motor)!!! JR ps Eric: check yer PM, if ya want me to look me old black block parts motors over fer ya fer a harness: I will!! (I would actully prefer a new one fer $120-150 if it was me), 'cause me parts motors are the same vintage as yers, and yer a long way from salt water where I'm not. BTW the Mercury part # fer the harness THAT WILL FIT YER MOTOR IS: 84-69236A1, (n' even though I screwed up on this new fangled 1981 I'm VERY sure about that part number) JR

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Power trim n' tilt on a 1981 115

You also should bleed the PTT system, ad the trim cylinders are not self-bleeding. There are two SS phillips head bleed screws on each cylinder. One is on top of the cylinder, next to the grease fitting. This is the down bleed screw. Remove one screw and run pump in the down diection until you get clean oil and no bubbles. Repeat for the other side. Now remove the trim cylinders from the motor and face the cylinders up, hoses facing up. Remove the other bleed screw and run the motor in the up direction until you get clean oil and no bubbles. Repeat for the other side. Refill the pump and reinstall the cylinders. No run 'em up a bit and thne down a bit to bleed the pump......

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Power trim n' tilt on a 1981 115

Thanks Chris, well do. JR