Tilt/trim won't work 1990 Evinrude 150HP

jdlloyd_iboat

Seaman
Joined
Jan 15, 2006
Messages
52
I have not used my bass boat all season for reasons I will not reveal. :>( I occasionally check the tilt/trim to see if it is still working. No problem until this week-end! Batteries are on a maintenance charger and are fully charged. The relays both work (click) and voltage is getting to the harness in both up and down modes on switch. Tilt motor makes no sound and I was unable to fully investigate. Some background: Boat has been submerged in fresh water for a day or two in each of the last two years. I rebuilt the starter last year when it finally gave up the ghost but essentially the motor was recovered and worked fine after both submergences (transom was overtopped and the bilge pump was overhelmed at dock in a Nor'easter both times!). Anyway, the motor is now in a vertical attitude on the trailer. I left my repair manual at the lake. What might be the problem? Do I need to remove the tilt motor to test it? Can it be disassembled? Can it be rebuilt? Would dunking in the water be a possible cause for this condition after two annual dousings and sitting idle for almost a year? What else might I be on the lookout for? By the way, the trim/tilt sensor or gauge failed after the first dunking and I chose not to fix it. Thanks for the advice. Jim
 

jonesg

Admiral
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
7,198
Re: Tilt/trim won't work 1990 Evinrude 150HP

Best to get the manual and follow the troubleshooting steps for tilt.
Basically you will put 12v to the tilt motor and see if it responds, if not take a look on ebay, I see them there often.
I think you need to pull the engine off the transom for access to the rear screws on the tilt motor if changing it out.

And install a second bilge pump on auto switch.:)
 

jdlloyd_iboat

Seaman
Joined
Jan 15, 2006
Messages
52
Re: Tilt/trim won't work 1990 Evinrude 150HP

Thanks for the advice, jonesg. I really did not want to hear about removing the engine to get at the motor but it is what it is! I will consult my manual for the troubleshooting approach and hope it leads me to an easier diagnosis and solution. I think you are suggesting placing 12V directly to the wire for the motor to see if either the wire has lost connectivity or whether the motor has internal problems like fouled up brushes or armature. I suspect the latter since both up and down are affected the same. That is what was wrong with the starter and I fixed it by replacing the brushes with a new commutator pack. I need to do some work on the steering cable so pulling the engine might eventually be the approach I will take as it requires the motor to be removed also.
Thanks,
Jim
 

gazza2007au

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
429
Re: Tilt/trim won't work 1990 Evinrude 150HP

on my last boat i have a evinrude 140hp 1990 model it could possabily be the same motor as yours? i donno.... on the left side of the motor u will see two thick wires u need to have a close look there will be a plug on my motor the plug was slightly melted with loose wires if this is the problem replace the plug if not this is where u need to hook up 12 volts of power to test the tilt/trim motor

good luck
 
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