I hear click when I hit the up on tilt and trim

Well its time to replace my tilt and trim solenoid. My new project boat 1979 chaparrel 187xl with 470 merc is just about finished but when I hit the trim buttons I get a click on the up and nothing on the down.

Is getting a click when you hit a switch a sign you need new solenoids?

Re: I hear click when I hit the up on tilt and trim

I don't think so........"click" is the sound made by most solenoids when they function normally. But it is the sound made by electricity when it arcs across a contact point that isn't tight, or has a lot of corrosion on it. In fact, in my experience, about 97.4% of all electrical problems on boats can be fixed by cleaning and tightening the connections.

Re: I hear click when I hit the up on tilt and trim

The trim motor is usually a DC motor and it's direction is controlled by the direction of current flowing through it. Run it through one way and you go up, reverse it and you go down.

Two solenoids, very close to, if not exactly the same thing that starts your outboard and your automobile, are used to supply the current in the opposite directions.

Both are magnetically controlled "contactors".....very high current switches. When you put a small current through the control windings, it energizes the solenoid coil which pulls in the high current contacts.

When this happens, it is abrupt and you can normally hear and feel it (with your hand on the body). It may be silent, but usually not. If anything, silence would be an indication of friction in the circuit (inside the thing) not allowing the contactor to move freely. I'd suspect a quiet one before one you can hear moving.

HTH

Mark

Re: I hear click when I hit the up on tilt and trim

I'm having a similar (I think) problem. I am getting a high pitched chirp out of my gear box. It is not constant and when I took it apart, the chirp was coming from a 1"x1" (selinoid?). The part has one tan and one pink/purple wire going into it. Any ideas? Thanks

Re: I hear click when I hit the up on tilt and trim

I just checked my midrange Merc, '94 up engine manual and found no pink/purple wires in the engine, control, or trim unit. Remy, you didn't ID your engine or mfgr....must be something other than what my manual covers. Merc does use Tan wiring (also tan/blue) for alarm sensor wiring (temp and oil).

From what you said, I dobut that the particular module is driving your trim. More like an alarm.

What do you mean "high pitched chirp out of your gearbox"? What gearbox?

Mark

Re: I hear click when I hit the up on tilt and trim

a chirp coming from the gearbox can only mean bad news. Now, if you mean the control box........OMC has a warning horn with a purple wire and a tan wire......if you connect the tan wire to ground the horn should sound a constant tone - that would mean your engine is overtemp and needs to be shut down - the chirp.....not sure, think it means low oil in the VRO reservoir....or else maybe low fuel pressure?