Help.OMC Stringer lower unit tilt stuck

Hi,
I have not been on this site for almost a year as everything has been running perfectly...
I have a 86 OMC 3.0 Stringer. love it.. Has run perfectly for years. This spring however after having some water leak thru my cover and getting some moisture in the boat, my lower unit tilt works very intermitantly if at all now.. When I use the switch to raise or lower unit, all I get is a click from somewhere in the engine compartment. Hard to tell exactly where. I'm thinking that some connection might have gotten a bit corroded from the moisture. B4 I have to take it to a dealer to pay a boatload of money to have it checked out, I thought I'd ask around on here. It has a bit of a clicking sound like a solenoid might..

Any ideas where to start looking...??? Fortunately I have it in the up position now if I do have to trailer it anywhere. I'm afraid to put it in the water for fear I may not be able to get the unit back up again and take it out or trailer it....

Thanks,

Clay

Re: Help.OMC Stringer lower unit tilt stuck

That click is probably the solenoid that powers your tilt motor. Check to be sure the solenoid is operating properly. If so, look to the right lower portion of your transom (near your oil filter) you'll see your tilt motor. You can pull it out by removing the screws and unplugging the harness. They run about 2 bills new. It'd a pretty easy change out. Have it tested and see if it's shot. Do you leave the drain plug in during storage? how much water accumulated in the bilge and for how long?

Re: Help.OMC Stringer lower unit tilt stuck

looking at the motor from inside the boat the oil filter is on the left side.the tilt motor is way down low on the right port side.ok its good u have it in the up position. you should have a manual.however on the outside of the boat on the drive is the tilt housing its on the port side.4 screw hold on the cover.pull the screws remove the cover gently.ok i bet a bunch of gunk is in there.clean it out best as you can.i used carb.cleaner.really clean it out.spray some wd40 or something better in there.get it real real clean.ok now you have a choice pulling the clutch pack and rebuilding the tilt or packing it real real good with greese.i would try to pack it with greese for now.install the cover dont over tight the screws just snug is good.go inside the boat and clean all the connections i would disconnect the battery before i do that.connect the battery.now on the outdrive thats still up i would greese the turning gear there is a hole halfway up the drive on the back side u can only get to when the drive is up there is a zerk fitting there greese that .let the drive down.there are 2 rubber bumpers on the drive pry them off gently.greese those 2 zerk fitting till u see greese.ok reinstall the bumpers make sure u dont mix them up.now cross ya fingers and see if the drive goes up and down any easier.make sure you have a fully charged battery.fully charged.good luck and post ya reply how it worked out we can go from there.

Re: Help.OMC Stringer lower unit tilt stuck

Chiefalen has some good points. Here's a page from my manual showing the wiring for the tilt system:



Check to see that you have 12V from the battery into the solenoids. Then put your test lead on the 'out' terminal and have someone hit the switch. If you have a full 12V coming out of the solenoid, then you need to check the tilt motor. It could have worn brushes, or corrosion inside. Let us know what you find and we'll help with any more questions.

Re: Help.OMC Stringer lower unit tilt stuck

Had the same problem with mine. What you need to do is tap the tilt motor with something.(I used a hammer) If it works then you need to rebuild/replace motor. I got mine on ebay for $100 shipped new. Although I continued to use mine for a few weeks the way it was and when it would not go down/up I gave it a few taps. Viola! It may be harder to reach than mine to get a good tap to it but be careful to not hit any surrounding areas like the casted metal of outdrive.

Re: Help.OMC Stringer lower unit tilt stuck

Unfortunately I did leave the plug in this year.. idiot.... I'm not sure exactly how much water, but it ran out for a while....I changed all the oil, plugs, etc and everything ran fine.. until the motor tilt started acting up... I will certainly check the solenoid... I have a feeling that is it... You said 2 bills.. hopefully small bills.

I also will check the wiring diagram... I'm not the greatest with electrical testing, but the diagram really will help....

I'll probably try to get to it this week.. otherwise next... The weather has been perfect for riding M/C here in WI anyway....Tough choice .. boating or riding... Hhhmmm..

Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know the results and ask if any more advice is needed..
Thanks again.

Clay