2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

[Guest]

My T&T only works sporadically. Some times it works, some times it doesn't. When I depress the switch (either on the cowling or on the controls) I hear a distinct click. I can feel the click on a black component on the front of the motor. No leaks. When it does work, it seems to operate fine. Any suggestions?

Wayne

 

[AGENT 37]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

Does it always work in one direction, ie: doesn't go up "click, click", then you cycle it down; it works fine, then it goes up fine? Do you know what you have for a TT relay; is it two seperate round ones or one rectangular one? TT is blue and green; up is blue, down is green.

 

[Guest]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

When it is inoperative, it is both directions.

It appears to be a rectangular gizmo on the front of the engine where the wires attach and where I feel the clicking.

 

[AGENT 37]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

How to the wire terminals look, are they bright and shiny?

 

[Guest]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

I just read another post where the electrical connections were discussed. I am betting that is my problem. I had to twist the leads on the battery to get the motor to start. I'll bet the terminals all need to be cleaned...they are not shiny. It resembles a solenoid clicking on a car when there is not enough juice getting to it from the battery.

Thanks for your help. I will attempt the fix in a couple days.

 

[AGENT 37]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

I'd say that would give you trouble. You might chec the condition of the battery cables also. Manipulate and bend them throughout their length and listen for any "crinkling" or stiff spots. Sometimes the insulation can get a little nick that isn't even noticeable and moisture will enter, get trapped, and cause corrosion. I recently replaced a set on a newer honda outboard for that. Also make sure that the battery cables are connected tightly in the motor.

 

[Guest]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

I shined up all the connections on my (new) battery and I checked all the connections on the relay. Still just clicks and doesn't operate.

 

[AGENT 37]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

How does the motor sound when it runs? You can test the motor and leads by simply jumping a fully charged 12 VDC battery, by swapping the two wires between pos and neg terminals you can change the direction that the motor turns, controlling whether you want it to go up or down. If it works fine in both directions and sounds strong your TT relay is at fault and needs replaced. If the motor doesn't work it's usually around $300 to replace. The TT relay should be less than half of that.

 

[Guest]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

The motor sounds fine and strong.

 

[AGENT 37]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

If you want to go one step further before you replace the TT relay, manipulate the leads to the motor when you power it and make sure that they aren't pinched, broken, or corroded. It's pretty common for the relays to quit though.

 

[Guest]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

When you say motor, I am assuming you mean the T&T motor. All leads to and from the rely are shiny and perfect. How do I trouble shoot whether my problem is the engine (50 HP motor) or the T&T drive motor?

 

[AGENT 37]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

I was refering to the wires going to the electric motor as the "leads". The terminals are lugs which sound fine. I was just trying to get you to make sure that the wires going to you TT motor were in good condition and did not have an intermittant open due to a corroded, broken, or cut wire that you can't see at first glance. Most likely your TT relay is going bad, but it's hard to test if it works then it doesn't then it works again. See if you can keep the switch depressed next time that it clicks and doesn't run the motor and tap on the relay to see if it works. The internal workings of the relay start wearing, corroding, or getting sticky sometimes. 85% chance I'd expect your problem to be solved by replacing the relay.

 

[Guest]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

Agent 37:

I have bad news, I think. I took the green and blue leads off and connected them directly to a battery. The motor only runs very intermittently. I worked to two leads trying to find a short but couldn't. I cut the terminals off and connected directly to bare wire...no change. I hooked a voltmenter to my relay and it worked as it should, sending 12v alternatively to the blue and green terminals.

So it appears my motor is the culprit. Before I spring for $300 to $400, is there anything I am missing? Can there be a bad connection in the motor itself? I tapped on it with a hammer and nothing happened. Can a motor be repaired?

arniep

 

[AGENT 37]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

That depends on how hard you "tapped" it with the hammer, how much frustration you can handle, and if you don't mind getting your fingers pinched. I'm not sure how much the brush kits cost. But at this point you probably wouldn't suffer if you popped the cover off of the motor (secured with 3 screws), cleaned things up and checked the wear of brushes and connections. You may just have a broken wire. An easy start might be to cut the leads down to just enough length to splice in some new known good wire and try it again. I've had the magnets come apart inside the motor housing and fought for a while to get things right again though, just a warning.

 

[JUSTINTIME]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

pull it off and rebuild it

 

[Guest]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

My new power trim motor is installed and works great. But, did I ever learn some things about power tilt and trim during the process!

First, never "tap" on the motor because it operates intermittently. I discovered when I opened the motor up that I had a spade terminal which was almost non-existent due to corrosion. Had I known this, the fix would have been simple and cheap. I also discovered that the part that appears to be the motor shell is actually the stator. There are two permanent magnets glued to the shell. Tapping dislodged one of my magnets. NOT GOOD!

Second, shop around before buying a Yamaha part. Yamaha prices their parts like they are gold. I was able to find an aftermarket motor at Hardcore Marine for about half list price...a savings of about $200. I was also checking on installing a trim gauge. Yamaha cost is about $130, aftermarket about $25.
Etc., etc, etc.

 

[Shott]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

When you replaced the motor, did you have to bleed the system to get it to work?

 

[Guest]

Re: 2003 Yamaha 50HP Power Tilt and Trim

The motor is independent of the hydraulic system. Replacing the motor does not require any work on the hydraulic side of the system. Whe I finally installed the new motor, it worked right away.