Power trim problem

[Procraft Bob]

Heard a noise coming from the garage the other day, and find that one of my fishing tackle boxes is pushed up against my front power trim button, causing the trim to lower, and continue running. Before I discovered the cause of the problem (30 minutes at least), I disconnected the battery to get the trim to quit. After finding the problem and moving the tackle box, I was able to re-connect the battery and all seemed OK. Unfortunately, after trying to adjust the trim up to get the engine off of the garage floor, I heard the trim motor "whirr" but no engine movement. I re-charged the battery overnight, and tried the trim again the next a.m. I then got about 4" of trim-up, and then it all quit completely. Now all I get is solenoid clicking when attempting trim adjustment on any of the three switches (front, gearshift, motor). After visiting the forums and checking with you guys to find how to troubleshoot and repair, I find it's likely the trim motor and/or pump.

I removed the three wires (from the dual solenoids at the engine) going to the motor/pump and directly connected them (black-negative, and green-positive, then black/blue) to 12vdc battery and got no movement or noise. So now I'm attempting to get to the trim motor/pump, and I cannot get to the release screw because the trim is too far down. I then attempted to remove the bolts from the trim mounting and can't get one of them out of the way allowing me to manually lift the motor. UGH. I'm about to cut the bolt with a hacksaw but I thought I'd check with you "seasoned veterans" first to see if there is another way. I can't even get the motor up to take it to a repair shop at this point. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Chris1956]

What year and HP is the motor? Generally a 2 solenoid PTT system will have red to both primary sides of the solenoids, and blue for up to one secondary winding of the solenoid, and green for down, to the other solenoid primary winding.

 

[Procraft Bob]

Chris: The boat is a 1994, so I'm presuming the engine is also. It's a 115 hp, 4 cylinder, 2 stroke, with oil injection. Serial number on the engine is OG102231. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Chris1956]

Gee, I would think that PTT unit is a 2 wire motor and has relays, instead of solenoids. Jumper +12VDC to the blue wire and ground the green wire, and motor should tilt up. The relays provide ground to their wires, when not activated. When activated, they supply +12VDC to their wire. Note, only one relay is active when the motor is tilting up or down.

 

[Procraft Bob]

Chris: Ok, now I'm a hair confused. To recap, I have been able to cut and remove the bolt that was keeping me from getting the engine up out of the way so I can get to the power trim motor and lift mechanism, so that's where I'll start tomorrow when I tackle it. The solenoids are inside the engine compartment, and they do both have red (+) power to one side of each. I had presumed that of the three wires involved, that black would be negative/constant, since it's attached to ground of the starter motor. And as a result, the blue wire would be either up (or down) trim, and the green the other way. Now I'm getting the sense from your response that maybe the blue and green need the positive and negative to raise or lower the unit. And if that's the case, what would the black be for? The other direction? Or am I further confused?

I'm presuming that he motor is two wire. Since it's DC I presume that reversing the polarity of the power would change the turn of the motor. Does it run in one direction for up, and then the other direction for down trim?

You are correct, in that only one relay activates for each direction of the trim. Might there be a wiring diagram available somewhere without purchasing a manual? Or maybe it's time to purchase one, huh? Again, thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Chris1956]

Good news (no not really), your motor had both kinds of PTT motors, 2 wire with relays and 3 wire with solenoids. If the web site and your serial number are correct, you should have a 3 wire PTT motor with 2 solenoids.

So, black wire from the motor is grounded to the battery, and power is supplied to the blue wire for trim up, or to the green wire for trim down.

You may find a wiring diaghram on the maxrules web site. Try to get one newer than 1987 or so, but the wiring of the older motors is the same, but the PTT pump/reservoir is separate from the boat.

 

[Procraft Bob]

Chris 1956: Got to tear into the unit yesterday, and I'm happy to report "success" and I'm back in the water. I appreciate all of your help and assistance. Turns out I had a working, but temperamental unit that had some dead spots on the motor. I was able to open the top of the motor, and use spray cleaner on the armature and brushes, and clean the dead spots. I'm sure my motor is not likely to live for a long time into the future, but at least when it quits next, I'll be prepared with the fix and have it taken care of in short order. If looking for a replacement motor (for when the day comes) would you recommend any supplier in particular? I've seen motors from the $500-$295 range so far. Any suggestions would be appreciated, and again, thanks for the help and tips. Yup, 3 wire/two solenoid, just like you suggested.

 

[Chris1956]

ARCO made lots of aftermarket PTT motors. I have used 1 or 2. They seem ok. Not sure if there are other manufacturers, maybe Sierra.

You might revisit that PTT motor. If you use extremely fine sandpaper on the commutator, and then use an awl to clean out the spaces between the copper plates, she might last a while. Be careful of any solvent that dissolves varnish, as that is what insulates the motor coils on the armature.