Tilt trim switch

[JOFO17]

I have an 87 Johnson 140 and my throttle mounted TT switch went bad. I have not troubleshot it yet but I knew it was flakey from the way it felt and had to really lift on it to get motor to tilt up. Yesterday it finally gave up. As far as troubleshooting, can I just jump either the blue or green wire to the black to test it? If it turns out the switch is bad, who makes the best replacement? If I were to go to a dash mount switch what would the minimum amperage need to be? Thanks

 

[Chris1956]

It probably makes sense to disassemble the control arm and jumper from red to blue and red to green to see that the rest of the PTT system is working.

I would look into a new OEM switch,if you can find one. They should be easy to replace.

Try to find a Johnson accessories catalog from the year of your motor. That is probably where the switch is listed.

 

[JOFO17]

I have the control open and the switch is easily accessable. I just wasnt sure how to go about testing it. My thinking was black is ground and jump that to blue for up or green for down. I just didn't want to go randomly jumping wires and risk doing damage.

 

[JOFO17]

chris 1956. I double checked and you are correct. It is red/blue/green.....not black as I had said. I am just going to jump the wires as you suggested. Hopefully everything works as it should. Judging by how the switch felt I will be expecting it to be the switch.

 

[JOFO17]

I dug into troubleshooting the issue yesterday and it was not the switch. I removed the switch and connected the red and blue wires and got nothing. I worked my way back to the motor wiggling wires along the way hoping to get some movement but nothing. I even untaped the spot just before the motor where I had to splice the wire years back. That all took me about 5 minutes so when I got to the back I put my hand on the motor to see if it was hot. BINGO! As soon as I touched it it started working. Is the motor on its way out or just hung up a little from sitting?

 

[Chris1956]

Gee, only time will tell if the motor is bad. At this point the brushes could be worn or a winding could be open.

I would source a replacement, to see availability.

 

[JOFO17]

I found aftermarket motors in the $50 range and they have good reviews. I also have a spare at home. I am going to replace the switch too. Any idea what the amp rating on the switch needs to be?

 

[Chris1956]

The primary winding on the solenoid is probably about 3Amp. You probably want a 5A switch, however, the OEM switches on the control are so convenient, why not just replace it with original type?

 

[JOFO17]

Only because I have a dash mount switch from an old boat that is still new. But that was just a thought. First thing is replace that motor. So much easier doing it in my yard BEFORE something happens on the water. Thank you for all of your help Chris1956