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Adding Power Trim and Tilt to 1983 Force 85 HP

Benz Mondi

New member
(some background first...)

OK this is my first post and my first boat- 1983 Bayliner Capri 160 Bowrider that was refurbished in 2004 (over $10k in receipts). I got it a few weeks ago and haven't been able to put it in the water yet. I wanted to put Guide-on's on the trailer first and found out that I because of the Escort trailer design, regular Guide-on's won't fit. I just finished fabricating some. Last week, I got it back from the local Bayliner dealer where they gave it a looking over and did an annual service. They thought the motor and the boat were in great condition. Since I was lucky enough to have bought the boat for less than 20% of what the prior owner paid to refurb her, I feel like it might make sense to do some upgrades.

As I write, I'm already upgrading the gauges, lighting, and venting. I already added a Tell-Tail. My next project is to add Power Tilt and Trim. I did some searching already. My questions are:

What year(s) OEM TNT units work with my motor?
Are the OEM units "plug and play" installs?
What about the electrics, wiring and controls for the TNT?
I know about the CNC after market units (I have a garage space issue and can't give up the additional 6" of room- I already installed a folding tongue.) Are there other (engine brand) TNT units that can easily be made to work with my motor?


Thanks for the support,

Al
Folsom, CA
 
The only ones that will fit without adding length or requiring a major rework is OEM.1980 through 1990 will fit.Be carefull what you buy.Any used in salt water should be overlooked as once it's in salt water it might be VERY hard to work with.RRitt answers on this site he seems to know a lot about them.Maybe he'll see this and answer.
Some good buys can be had.Wait for the winter.Prices are cheaper then.Make sure they guarantee the pump.
They sell for as little as $200 to 600.I just bought a replacement pump on e-bay for $125.So look around.
Since your a new boater,read my signature about Ethanol.J
 
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Thanks for the info Jerry.

The Bayliner dealer was supposed to take a good look at the fuel system as part of their annual and report any issues. I'm a DYI guy, but for the first service and as a baseline, I wanted to make sure that all was in order. I plan on doing as much of the service as I can going forward. I'll double check the fuel pump diaphram.

Would it be a good idea to install an additional in-line, clear glass (automotive type) gas filter?

Al
 
The best thing would be to buy gas from a place that sells recreational grade (no ethanol).

Anything made before 1992 will fit. About 2/3 of the stuff made from 1992-1995 will fit but it might be better just to stay away rather than risk getting one built for mercury style transom clamp. Generally speaking 2w is better than 3w. 3w has to generate both the frame and armature magnetic fields. 2w only has to create the armature since the frame has permanent magnets. Consequently, 2w deals with weak batteries and corroded connections better. Making matters worse, the 3w usually has much longer cable length which adds additional voltage loss. However, 3w is easier to wire since the motor just connects directly to the switch. 3w runs 12/3 SJOW cable from motor to swtich (about $1 per foot). 2w runs 18-22AWG from relays to switch and taps power from the starter solenoid. 2w needs relays and relay wiring sub-harness. Your switch remains unchanged. The subharness is the same for any force, mercury, or mariner outboard with 2w trim motor. The relays cost about $3 each, the harness can be gotten off ebay for about $20. You will save typically that much in wiring costs since 12/3 SJOW is an expensive cable type.

Stay away from saltwater and be very critical of systems still mounted on transom clamps. Saltwater isn't worth buying except for parts. If your time is worth more than $10 per hour then the cheapest way to take a saltwater system apart is to throw it away. Just under half the systems sold with transom clamps are because the seller couldn't get the clamps to come free. Same as saltwater. It isn't actually the salt or the water that causes problems. It is SS and aluminum being exposed to electrically conductive water. You can get same thing by parking under a pine or mango tree and letting the rainwater collect - or by just neglecting your anodes.

1989-1992 were probably the best units. USMarine made worthwhile upgrades whereas Mercury just cut corners.
 
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