1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

[70Cougar]

I bought a 1984 Ranger 373V with a 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport last fall. After a nasty winter I was finally ready to take it out for the first time since the water-test with the PO before I bought it. I checked everything and ran it on the hose with muffs the night before, and then again that morning. My friend and I took it to the local lake for a shakedown run and hopefully some fishing. At the ramp we were giving it an extra-thorough inspection since it was the maiden voyage. Everything seemed fine until he was testing the trim / tilt & the motor wouldn?t go up. There was only a click coming from a black box (where the wiring and relays are housed) in the stern by the batteries and fuel tanks. After trying several times and only getting the click, we decided to take it home since luckily the motor was still tilted up enough to safely tow it, and I didn?t know where the emergency override valve to manually tilt the motor was at the time.

At home I started messing with it, and would only get the click when trying to tilt up. I then tilted the motor down a bit and then tried up again? it worked! I haven?t tried to take it on the lake again, but have tested it a few more times on different occasions in the driveway. It?s hit or miss. Sometimes it works fine & tilts right up, other times I only get the click from the relay box. I believe it always works when tilting down though. Any ideas on what to test, or may be the cause?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

You have one bad relay. To prove this, switch the relays. If the problem is now reversed = bad relay.

 

[70Cougar]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Thanks Joe! If I get time, I'll try this tonight.

 

[boobie]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

If it doesn't have a bad relay it could also be the switch in the control handle.

 

[71Windsor]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Bad relay or possibly corroded wiring. Most likely the relay but make sure you have good clean connections on the connector and the relays are clean.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

That engine will have a up solenoid and down is direct wired , you will likely find its a bad solenoid or motor problem as it a field and frame motor(3 wire), the magnet motor is the one that uses relays(2 wire)

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Fazrbullet..... Yes, Relays vs Solenoid. That fact slipped my mind possibly due to the first and other posts mentioning relays. That model would indeed incorporate a three (3) wire electric motor and the solenoid for the UP mode.... unless he has converted over to the later model relay setup.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Could be some bad contacts in the up solenoid. Also check the single (20 amp) fuse in the rubber jacket inside the trim box. Sometimes the sockets in that fuse holder will get corroded/rusty and won't pass current properly to the solenoid.

 

[70Cougar]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Thanks everyone! I got stuck at work late again and didn't have time to test the relay swap last night. I haven't got into this much yet, and who knows what parts previous owners have changed over the years, but I believe there's a black box in the rear storage compartment with the wiring, fuse, relay, etc. for the trim (which is where the clicking comes from when I try to trim the motor down, but it won't go down). If I remember correctly there are two of the standard 87a type automotive relays in the bottom of that black box.

Also, when you said 'Field & Frame Motor' vs. 'Magnet Motor', does that refer to the trim set-up I have? I can tell you there are only two wires going into the trim-motor, below the engine. I'm worried it could be bad wiring b/c the two wires going into the trim motor are both black and those wires are spliced into to a green and blue wire just downstream from the black box. The splices are with yellow wire nuts on it, which I will fix, but I wanted to leave them while diagnosing the problem. However, I did remove the wire nuts and there was no corrosion on the wires, but I wiped them off / retwisted & wire-nutted them (again temporarily) to be sure. While we're talking about this, should the wires going to the trim motor both be black (looks suspiciously like a lamp cord to me), or should it have blue & green wires going all the way to the trim motor?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

I try to trim the motor down, but it won't go down). If I remember correctly there are two of the standard 87a type automotive relays in the bottom of that black box.

Also, when you said 'Field & Frame Motor' vs. 'Magnet Motor', does that refer to the trim set-up I have? I can tell you there are only two wires going into the trim-motor, below the engine. I'm worried it could be bad wiring b/c the two wires going into the trim motor are both black and those wires are spliced into to a green and blue wire just downstream from the black box.

Getting a little confusing now. Your first post states that the engine won't tilt up... here you say it won't tilt down.

A "Field & Frame Motor" is a 3 wire motor where the fields are actually part of the electrical circuit.

A "Magnet Motor" is a 2 wire motor where the magnets are permanent magnets that are glued to the housing.

The Blue and Green wires should remain that color from the electric motor all the way to the junction box.

Sounds like someone possibly converted the tilt/trim assembly from a 3 wire (solenoid) electric motor system to a 2 wire (relays) system. Let us know for sure.

 

[70Cougar]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Sorry, yes I meant won't tilt up, don't know why I keep wanting to say down today. I'm fairly certain the system has relays, but I'll check for sure and let you know.

 

[70Cougar]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Here's the black box with the wiring and relays for the tilt / trim.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Yep... It's been converted over to the relay setup. Reverse the relays as per my prior suggestion to see if the condition reverses itself and if so... purchase a new relay.

 

[70Cougar]

Re: 1980 Evinrude 150 Sport tilt and trim problem: Only goes down

Update: Seems to be fixed! I got the click trimming up, swapped the relays and it went up! Thanks for you help!

 

[stanthefireman]

I'm glad that you fixed yours, but I have a similiar problem.
I tried switching the relays like you did, without success. Here's what I did:
I removed both relays. With power to the fuse box, when I plug in the right side relay , it clicks. no sound when I plugged in the left side. However, when I try to trim down with the trottle toggle switch, the left one clicks.
Then I disconnected both relays and did the same thing, switching the relays. Same result. No movement of the engine whatsoever. Stuck in the "up" position.
Since both relays "click" in the same way , are both still good? Are both bad?
What might be causing the relay plug to be "hot", clicking as soon as I plug it in on the right side?
Evinrude 150 hp. Skeeter boat , mid to late 80s.

 

[GA_Boater]

stanthefireman Welcome aboard.

Please read the Help Tip on top of the page. 70cougar's last visit was over 2 years ago and it's doubtful you will get an answer from him.

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