Hey guys.... new to this board. Hope I'm posting this in the correct section....seemed more appropriate here than in the non-engine forum. If it's in the wrong place then I apologize. 
<br /><br />Sorry if this gets a little long. Hoping someone can throw me a bone here because I'm really not sure what's going on.<br /><br />We just bought an 18 foot '91 Celebrity, 4.3, Merc outdrive(Alpha1 Gen II). This is the first I/O we have ever owned so I'm a total newbie on these things. <br /><br />We've had it out 4 or 5 times now and every time we've gone out the tilt/trim stops working. The first time it happened I thought it was a fuse(even though the fuse looked ok) so I replaced it and it started working again. Then it did it again but the fuse was ok. There is another 3 wire plug down there and I unplugged/plugged/wiggled that and it started working again. So I just figured it was a bad or corroded connection. I smeared some "bulb grease" on the connectors and put it all back together and all seemed fine.<br /><br />So yesterday we go out and it does the exact same thing. I fiddle around with it and just can't get it to work at all this time. Finally I'm thinking maybe it's the relays so I whack them once with my hand and it works.....for about 3 seconds.....then it quits again. So I beat on it some more but can't get it to work. Finally I have this piece of plastic pipe in the boat so I whack it a couple of times with that....it starts working again, and worked fine the rest of the day. <br /><br />If it were a relay it seems to me that only UP or DOWN would stop working, but not both at the same time??? Seems like every time this has happened, I'm in rough water and am trimming up/down a LOT. Is something in there maybe getting hot from using it so much?? Is there some kind of breaker or something in there near the relays that could be "popping" until it cools off? There is a little red block that I have no idea what it is. Has a good sized 12V wire running to it. Any idea what that thing is?<br /><br />Sure be grateful if anyone can shed some light on this for me. <br /><br />[EDIT] Just found this service bulletin...think this might be the culprit?? http://www.sterndrives.com/bulletins/mc/92/EN_002.PDF I think this is the "red block" I referred to above.
<br /><br />Sorry if this gets a little long. Hoping someone can throw me a bone here because I'm really not sure what's going on.<br /><br />We just bought an 18 foot '91 Celebrity, 4.3, Merc outdrive(Alpha1 Gen II). This is the first I/O we have ever owned so I'm a total newbie on these things. <br /><br />We've had it out 4 or 5 times now and every time we've gone out the tilt/trim stops working. The first time it happened I thought it was a fuse(even though the fuse looked ok) so I replaced it and it started working again. Then it did it again but the fuse was ok. There is another 3 wire plug down there and I unplugged/plugged/wiggled that and it started working again. So I just figured it was a bad or corroded connection. I smeared some "bulb grease" on the connectors and put it all back together and all seemed fine.<br /><br />So yesterday we go out and it does the exact same thing. I fiddle around with it and just can't get it to work at all this time. Finally I'm thinking maybe it's the relays so I whack them once with my hand and it works.....for about 3 seconds.....then it quits again. So I beat on it some more but can't get it to work. Finally I have this piece of plastic pipe in the boat so I whack it a couple of times with that....it starts working again, and worked fine the rest of the day. <br /><br />If it were a relay it seems to me that only UP or DOWN would stop working, but not both at the same time??? Seems like every time this has happened, I'm in rough water and am trimming up/down a LOT. Is something in there maybe getting hot from using it so much?? Is there some kind of breaker or something in there near the relays that could be "popping" until it cools off? There is a little red block that I have no idea what it is. Has a good sized 12V wire running to it. Any idea what that thing is?<br /><br />Sure be grateful if anyone can shed some light on this for me. <br /><br />[EDIT] Just found this service bulletin...think this might be the culprit?? http://www.sterndrives.com/bulletins/mc/92/EN_002.PDF I think this is the "red block" I referred to above.