1977 Johnson 140hp outboard - PTT - Tilts up but not down

[texasatm2011]

Howdy guys,


I'm sure this topic has come up before but I couldn't find anything that was quite the same situation.

I have a 1977 johnson 140hp outboard and am having problems with the PTT. The engine tilts up just fine, I just can't seem to make it tilt down.

Manual pressure release works fine. I have checked and topped off the hydraulic fluid but that did not help the issue.

The tilt/trim motor sounds very strong when raising the motor. When I go to let it down, the motor seems to move down about 1/2" and then stop. I can hear the trim/tilt motor working but it will not move the motor.

Anyone have any ideas on what this could be? Could this possible be a bad solenoid?

Any help would be great!

Thanks!

 

[boobie]

You could have a lot of corrosion in the tilt tube on the motor. When you're letting it down it's more or less gravity that does it. Check that first.

 

[emdsapmgr]

The solenoid is for the up movement only. Down movement is direct wired to the down button on the control box. Make sure all your connections are tight inside the remote trim box, under the boat splashwell. Check the rubber fuse holder in the box for corrosion.

 

[texasatm2011]

Thanks guys, I will definitely check those things out. Could it also be a problem with the switch on the throttle handle?

 

[emdsapmgr]

That switch is part of the down circuit, so should be considered a suspect part also.

 

[boobie]

I do believe he said in his post he could hear the T/T motor working when trying to go down.

 

[texasatm2011]

No Title

Yes, that is true.

I checked the hydraulic fluid again and it seems fine. When I use the manual release, I can let the outboard down by applying a little pressure. It seems to move pretty smooth.

I searched around but could not find any corrosion; other than peeling paint, the motor looked ok. I checked the remote trim box for loose connections; everything seemed tight and the fuse looked clean.

Next, I hard wired a new switch on there and I had the same issue. The motor tilts up nice and strong. When I press the button to let it down, the outboard drops about a 1/2" and stops. After the outboard stops moving down, I can still hear the PTT motor running.

Below is a dropbox link to a video if that helps. I'm at a loss right now.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v4ckuelzclrmga1/IMG_0978.MOV?dl=0

Got any more ideas on what I can check?

Thanks for the help!

 

[texasatm2011]

If there is air in the tilt cylinder, will this cause the tilt cylinder to get stuck in the up position?

Thanks,