BF200 Tilt Motor problem

Hi everyone,

Tilt has gone bust on my port engine. Does not work either from throttle of engine mounted switch. I can hear the relay click, checked the fuse ok. Of course it could be the relay or wiring but I´m guessing that it is the tilt motor. By manually opening the relief valve and changing the engine tilt, I can get it to work intermittently for a short while. Now it´s inoperative at the tilted up/moored position, which is fine. Question is, is it a straight forward replacement? Four bolts, oring, drive adapter and connector? I will obviously secure the engine before removing but just want to check if it is a straight forward job.

Thank you.

I had to change the t/t motor on my 2007 BF 225 about 11 years ago while at Hatteras. My memory is a bit fuzzy on exactly how I did it. I know that I ended up taking off the port stern bracket to get to the t/t/ motor. However, when I was describing how I fixed the problem, Hondadude informed me that I really just needed to remove the tilt shaft to get to the t/t/ motor.

You will need to make sure that you keep the engine and lower unit really well secured in the up position. I did that by tilting it all the way up with the engine cover off and using a cabled come-a-long and auto tow strap wrapped around the lower unit, secured to a very large beam in my breezeway. You should also remove the port upper cowling to get to the plug for the t/t/ motor.

When we removed the original motor, we found that saltwater had gotten past the seal where the wiring goes into the motor itself.

As for the t/t motor. The OEM motor is darned pricey - well over $500 if I recall correctly - and was not easily available when I needed it, so we figured out that there is an API substitute, which cost about $150 and was ordered through the local NAPA store. The Honda 36120-ZY3-013 motor can be replaced with the API PT607 NM. However, you must reverse the wires at the plug. That API motor is still working like a champ, 11 years later.

Thanks Chawk,

I have ordered an aftermarket unit, your experience is noted with thanks, will let you know how it goes!

Hi,
I don't have any advice as to how to replace your trim motor....never done one on a "big boy" Hondas.

However, I've got plenty of experience with trims on the smaller twin Honda outboards and I can back up what chawk_man said about water getting past the seal where the wires enter the housing.

As a matter of fact I think that was what failed every one of the trim motors that I opened up except one.

My response was to apply a "sensor safe" gasket maker to the wires and seals on all the replacement motors as well as to the motors in our rental fleet that hadn't failed yet. I use a product called "Right Stuff" for doing this sort of thing as it doesn't harm electrical devices.

You do not want to use any silicone sealer that smells of vinegar on anything electrical as that will cause corrosion to take place.

Good luck with your repair.

Thank you jgmo, good to know, I will apply an applicable sealant on the new unit and on the starboard engine too. Thank you!

Hello,

Just to confirm that the Tilt Motor can be replaced with the boat in the water and without having to disconnect the engine from the tilt actuator or removing the left side of the bracket. You will need a paddle board or something similar to sit on the water and that fits between two engines if you have twins. The famous left hand forward bolt that sits right next to the bracket can be removed with a 1/4 inch wrench set with a cardan, different length extensions and a PH2 bit. Engine was secured with rope to the attachments just for safety. here are some pictures.

And yes, bottom is dirty and scheduled to take out of the water for cleaning and antifouling next week

Nice work!

Word of the day too!

"Cardan"

Thanks! I applied sealant where the cables input the motor as you suggested, Sikaflex 291i. I tore down the old motor expecting water ingress and rust or corrosion but the failure was due to one of the electrical contact bushes stuck in its housing with the spring compressed. Unfortunately the screws holding the motor together were in a bad condition and I tore into it damaging the old motor beyond repair. If not I could have kept it as a spare.

Well, you've had good fortune with this so far and not being able to salvage the old motor was a high possibility anyway. Goodonya fer tryin'!

Now, if things go the way they did for chawk_man, you'll get a DECADE out of your new motor! I hope so anyway ;>)

Great work and nice explanation. Thanks for that.

What was the aftermarket brand of motor that you used? Did you need to reverse the wires at the plug?

Hi Chawk, no need to reverse the wires, direction worked correctly upon installing and connecting. Motor is aftermarket but did not check the brand...

So Starboard Trim Motor broke down now, 7 months after the port one went. Was able to replace as the previous, boat in the water, no bracket removal, no actuator bolt removal, etc. This one died slowly, revs going down with time, fortunately had already bought another aftermarket anticipating this sooner or later. I did have to reverse the cables on this Tilt Motor. Tore the old motor down, same fault, bushings housing becomes deformed with heat and time and the bushing gets stuck, spring function lost and makes very poor or no contact. Aftermarket cost about 90USD. Both Tilt Motors which have died are Honda originals.

90 bucks vs. $500????

Pretty dang COOL!

Now to see how long the aftermarkets last...

I have this exact same job to do on my BF130. As I don't have an engine hoist to support the motor I've been looking for a way to do it without. Hopefully your way to remove the TT motor works for me too Blacktimes.

Luckily my boat is on a trailer outside my house so at least I wont have to worry about dropping any tools in the water.

Any further tips that could aid me in this job?

Don't know about the clearances on the BF130 but hopefully you can do it the same way. Just make sure to use the correct tip and to get them loose without damaging the head. Make sure to secure the engine, it should not drop but safety first. Make sure the oring is in good condition and if the tilt motor is aftermarket you may have to reverse the cables. If the connector is not installed and you only have the terminals, do a quick trial first before inserting the terminals into the plug. With a good cardan and different wrench lengths, hopefully it will go well. Good luck!