2014 BF80 outboard wierd trim/tilt problem

Hi
First time Honda outboard owner, with a new-to-me 2014 BF80. Yesterday when returning to shore, the trim and tilt wouldn't work at all. Thankfully, we had the option to leave the boat at a jetty with enough water to not damage the motor. As the trim/tilt just plain stopped working, I suspected an electrical problem, e.g. blown fuse. This morning, I checked all the fuses (by the way, is there a fuse diagram somewhere? The owner's manual just has instructions on how to change them). None were blown. And when I then tried the trim, it worked just fine.
Although the problem is not active at the moment, a potential intermittent problem of this sort may lead to problems if getting to shore is prevented.
Does anyone have experience with this sort of intermittent failure of the trim/tilt, and what should I check to minimize future problems?

Thanks in advance!
Cas

Does your outboard have a trim switch on the control lever and a switch on the motor or the boat's stern? If so, did you try both switches?

The trim motor is relay actuated and the trim switch is what controls the relay or relays.

It can be very difficult to find a problem like this if it is intermittent. You can't troubleshoot a problem that isn't happening.

Yes, there are wire diagrams showing the fuses but they are typically included with the shop manual. I couldn't find a listing for a BF80 manual so I'm guessing your outboard is a European market Honda. Not sure what model that's sold in the U.S.A. is related to yours.

Hopefully someone else here has some good ideas about what to look for.

Good luck.

Most common cause of this nature is a damaged harness in the control box where the wire is constantly flexing with lever operation.

Thanks for your replies and help. It seems to be a compound problem. The relay ticks when the switch on the remote control is operated, in both directions. The switch on the engine only ticks in the down position, so probably a fault there. Unfortunately I can't verify if the relay actually gives 12V to the trim motor due to the position of the motor (nor enough access), so next course of action is to get the boat dry to get access to the relay and trim motor.

Thanks again!

Cas

Well, it sounds to me like you're narrowing it down and you have a good plan of action.

I have a lot of experience on the twin cylinder Hondas with remote controls and have found broken wires right at the trim relay connector plug several times. It's a result of Honda just not leaving enough slack in the harness to account for flexing.

I'm NOT saying that is your problem but just letting you know what I've seen in the past.

Please let us know what you find.

Good luck.

Quick update on the issue. Fortunately the seller of the boat agreed to fix the problem on warranty. Unfortunately everyone is very busy, and still waiting for the repair. They sent out a mechanic to verify the problem, and he deemed the electric motor as dead. (as it was intermittent, my guess is it's gunked up, as seen in e.g. dangar marine's video). A new motor was ordered, and now just waiting for a mech to come out to change it.
Unfortunately, it is under warranty, as if it hadn't been, I could have fixed it by now

Anyhow, will of course update when it is finally resolved.

Happy midsummer weekend!
Cas

Well, I hope the new motor solves your problem.
However, your statement that the switch on the motor only causes the relay to "tick in the down position" has me wondering if the motor is the only culprit.

As you've already said, this could be a compound problem.
If you had the wiring diagram, you could actually send power and ground to the motor by unplugging the relay and use fused jumper wires to do so.

One other thing I've seen with Honda trim motors is that water will work past the rubber grommet where the wires enter the housing. I recommend having some automotive "sensor safe" gasket maker/sealer on hand and applying it to the wires and grommet during installation of the new motor. A very cheap form of insurance against water intrusion.

Good luck.

Oh right, forgot about the switch. Apparently it was a bad connection or similar, the mech who checked the motor said it worked when he checked it over. If course, I'll require it works before accepting the repair. Perks of warranty

Cas

Finally an update on the resolution of this problem. Sorry about the delay, but when it was finally fixed, I enjoyed the summer holiday and tried to avoid laptops etc =)

After quite some back and forth with the dealership, they finally ordered in a genuine Honda trim-tilt motor from the importer (originally they had apparently ordered a 3rd party part from overseas, but that got stuck in customs. Which in hindsight was lucky, although it added 2 weeks delay). They changed the motor and we got a working outboard again. The downside is of course, that since they just replaced the motor with a new one, I never found out what was wrong in the first place. The cowling switch never acted up again after reconnecting everything.

Thanks to the community for the tips and feedback!

/Cas

That's good news! We love it when a Honda owner gets their outboard back in the "pink". ;>)

Thank you very much for getting back and updating the forum with your solution.

Happy boating!