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1994 Merc 50/60hp - Power Tilt/Trim not working

M

MnSkip

New member
Hey guys, new to the forum.

I own a '94 Merc 50/60hp (serial #D129xxx) and am having issues with my power tilt/trim. Figured I'd pick some brains on here before i start shelling out cash at the local marine shop. Normally i do all my own engine work but electrical and hydraulics and unfamiliar area....especially the hydraulics.

So here we go:

The last half of duck season last fall, i noticed my power Tilt/trim was acting up. When raising up, the pump noise was choppy and it would raise very slow. But if i quickly pressed tilt down and then back to tilt up the power tilt would fully kick in and raise up at normal speed with no choppiness. I figured it was just my old battery so i didn't take it in.

Fast forward to this weekend and getting the boat ready...
I purchased a brand new Interstate Gel Cell marine battery thinking that would remedy the issue. However i found the power tilt doesn't lift the motor at all now. When i press the switch, I can hear the relay click and very faintly the pump activating but it quickly shuts down to nothing. Of course the motor is stuck in the down position so i cant even access the tilt pump. I tried both the new and the old batteries, tried it with the motor running and not running with the same result.

Looking for any and all advice, possible diagnosis and how i can get that motor raised to gain access to the pump area...

Thanks in advance for any help!
 
Thanks for the input however....

Is there anyway to release the hydraulics? My motor is stuck in the down position so i will need to raise it in order to gain access to the pump area.
 
MnSkip said:
Thanks for the input however....

Is there anyway to release the hydraulics? My motor is stuck in the down position so i will need to raise it in order to gain access to the pump area.
Click to expand...

That was a spot on diagnosis man!! Thank you!! I pulled the motor and inspected the brushes....they weren't wore out but the wire lead for one of the brushes ended up getting hung up on the edge of the brush housing somehow. That basically kept the brush from making any contact.

I suppose its worth noting that before i tore the motor out, i added some hydraulic fluid because it was slightly low. When i engaged the power tilt the rectifier and the entire rear portion of the wiring harness went up in flames....

That's the reason for my delayed response, i was waiting for parts lol. When it rains, it pours don't it?
 
So now that my pump is fully functioning i have noticed another tilt issue that came up out on the water this past Friday.

When i tilt the motor up for traversing shallow water, if i give it any kind of throttle, the motor slowly tilts back down under force.

Any ideas there?
 
With that style of PTT I think you have to cycle the unit up and down a number of times [out of the water] to bleed the air out of the system , then check the fluid level. Does the owner,s manual say what type of fluid to use?
"When I engaged the power tilt the rectifier and the entire rear portion of the wiring harness went up in flames...." Geez how did that happen?
 
Quicksilver said:
With that style of PTT I think you have to cycle the unit up and down a number of times [out of the water] to bleed the air out of the system , then check the fluid level. Does the owner,s manual say what type of fluid to use?
"When I engaged the power tilt the rectifier and the entire rear portion of the wiring harness went up in flames...." Geez how did that happen?
Click to expand...

I do not have an owners manual to reference, and im not sure where to source one...as far as the fluid, i used Quicksilver Power Trim and Steering fluid.

To be honest, i have no idea....it must've just been time for the rectifier to go. All i do know its that thing popped as soon as i pressed the trim down switch. Everything not running through the 20 amp fuse super heated and went too. It looked bad but once the smoke cleared i saw it was too serious.....just a new rear harness and rectifier and we're back in business.
 
The rectifier and associated components usually only fail if the battery is connected backwards or the contacts are loose/dirty.
 
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