1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

[davemillertime]

after pulling My Boat outa the barn for the first time this spring I noticed that the trim will not go up or down . All i can hear is the relays clicking ..Not sure what Or where to start with this ??

 

[sutor623]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

So you can not hear the trim motor hum? If not it sounds like it is electrical. How is the charge on the battery?

 

[davemillertime]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

No Hum ,Only clicking noise ..In both directions ""Up & down "" ..also noticed there is 3 relays ?? also battery charge is Great ??

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

trace trim motor cable back into engine. hotwire trim motor directly to battery. If motor does not spin when hotwired then motor is bad. If motor does spin the relays, circuit breaker, or wiring has problem.

 

[davemillertime]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

also noticed that the down relay is making a winning Noise ?

 

[davemillertime]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

Ok ..disconected trim motor ...Black,blue , green wires ..also disconected main battery from boat ,Then i touched black wire to Neg battery & when i touched ether blue or green wire all i got was a spark ..comming from the wire to the battery ...does this mean .Trim motor is froze up ??

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

Yes. trim motor is probably bad. I assume that green wire was hanging loose when you touched blue to positive.

next step is to take off trim motor and double check that it does not spin properly. It should hum like sewing machine. Any noise, roaring, vibration indicates bad bearing. no spin indicates brushes, breaker, or armature. motors usually
have internal rust by the time they break.

If motor is bad then it is not worth trying to rebuild. A partially rebuilt motor is not as good as new. A fully rebuilt motor requires new bearings and internal rust removal. By the time you are done a chines motor is cheaper. Chinese motor will last 60% as long as genuine mercury for just under 50% of price. If you want maximum reliability and durability the mercury and arco are best choices.

 

[sutor623]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

Just be glad this is a simple fix!

 

[davemillertime]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

Just be glad this is a simple fix!

Yeah simple fix....but COSTLY

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

should not be too costly.
mercury motors will last 18-23 years but cost too much for most old boats. chinese motors will last 6-12 years and cost cheap. do you really need another 20 years on a 1989 engine? if you run saltwater then the chinese 6 years may still be bad choice. But if you ran saltwater and got the full 23 out of mercury ... then you don't use your boat very much anyway.

 

[sutor623]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

Yeah simple fix....but COSTLY

Well then you have obviously never blown a cylinder or restored a boat!!

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

Well then you have obviously never blown a cylinder or restored a boat!!

definitely. whatever the part sells for at the marina is usually 10x what it costs from industrial wholesale. I was at west marine the other day and they had a big sale going. Marine grade toilet paper was only $1.20 per roll.

 

[sutor623]

Re: 1989 50hp Mariner Trim will not go up or down

definitely. whatever the part sells for at the marina is usually 10x what it costs from industrial wholesale. I was at west marine the other day and they had a big sale going. Marine grade toilet paper was only $1.20 per roll.

I hear that buddy!! If the OP can install the trim motor himself it will save him a ton. I would guess the trim motor is around $200 or less. A small price to pay for the luxury of power trim. I have owned a non- PTnT motor, and unless it is a tiller steer, I will NEVER do it again.