1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

[HotTommy]

I'm beginning work on the tilt / trim system on my 1993 Force 150 outboard, and I suspect I'll have more than the one question I'm asking now. So I'll be using this thread as I proceed.

My first question regard the wiring for the tilt/trim system. According to the FSM, power to the two relays that control the pump begins at the hot side of the starter relay and goes through a circuit breaker before before arriving at the relays. On my engine, the only thing between the starter relay and the tilt/trim relays is a section of slightly thicker than normal wiring. I suppose it is possible there is a compact circuit breaker in there. Should I be looking for a more obvious circuit breaker or was the factory circuit breaker small enough to pass as a wide spot in the wiring?

 

[pnwboat]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

That thicker than normal wiring could be a fusible link. Fusible links are common in automotive applications, but I've not seen on on a Force motor, but it could be what you're looking at.

 

[HotTommy]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

I was also thinking it might be a fusible link, but I decided to see if anyone here could suggest anything else before I took it apart to find out. I'll wait a little longer.

 

[Jiggz]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

If you do not see a compact ckt bkr yours will be equipped with a 20 Amp fuse which is also the same fuse the ignition is powered from. The diagram does not show any ckt protection for the T&T motor unless the motor (thru the relays) also gets it power from the control ckt fuse mentioned in the preceding.

 

[HotTommy]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

If you do not see a compact ckt bkr yours will be equipped with a 20 Amp fuse which is also the same fuse the ignition is powered from. The diagram does not show any ckt protection for the T&T motor unless the motor (thru the relays) also gets it power from the control ckt fuse mentioned in the preceding.

The wiring diagram in the Electrical Starting System section shows only the 20 amp fuse you mention. But it does not show the T/T relays at all. The schematic in the Power Trim and Tilt section shows the circuit breaker as I described above. The wire from the starter relay to the T/T relays is only about 5" long, so if there were a circuit breaker, it couldn't be far away unless the PO made some changes.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Looking at the wiring diagrams, it appears that the wiring for the 1990 - 1991 150HP motors get the power straight from the hot side connection on the starter relay and goes directly to the relays. There is a circuit breaker in between and it uses a separate Tilt/Trim switch.

From 1991 - 1994 150HP motors also get the 12v from the hot side connection on the starter relay, however, they use a fuse and instead of going straight to the relays, it goes into the wiring harness to the throttle handle which has the built in Tilt/Trim switch.

As old as some of these motors are, and the possibility that some one could have installed a later model 150HP motor in a hull that has the earlier style wiring harness, or the other way around, it's hard to say. If it works properly, and you have a separate Tilt/Trim switch all you have to do to be safe is add a circuit breaker and you're good to go. You could add a fuse, but a circuit breaker is a little more convenient.

By the way, what type of ignition system do you have? Does it have a Switch Box, or does it have the 3 Light Blue CD modules and 5 Light Blue coils?

 

[Jiggz]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Can you post pic of the schematic that shows the ckt bkr for the T&T? Are you sure this is for a '93-150HP? I understand on the older Prestolite system, it shows the ckt bkr and also the relays. Anyways, recalling back to your original problem with the T&T, I believe the problem is more mechanical involving O-rings in the spool valve or it could also be the O ring in the tilt cylinder. Anyways, do some testings first using caps and plugs to isolate each hydraulic ckts to localize the source of the problem. I've posted the steps in one of the threads on this forum. If you cannot locate that said thread let me know and I can do the search for you.

 

[HotTommy]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Here's some additional info. My motor's serial and model numbers are: Serial # E011799, Model # H150422NF. The FSM I am using looks like this:


The wiring schematic I mentioned looks like this:


The ignition portion of my engine looks like this (partially disassembled when photographed):


I offer this more to solve the mystery than anything else. I'll unwrap the thick wiring tomorrow and if it does not reveal a fusible link, I'll just add an inline fuse for safety.

BTW, I just discovered an Ebay ad for a tilt/trim wiring harness that includes both relays AND the circuit breaker. It looks like what I expected to find, but did not.

 

[MickLovin]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

May I ask HotTommy, what problem do you actually have with the tilt trim wiring? Are your relays getting 12 volts to them. Going by the wiring diagram you need and have to have some sort of c/breaker or fuse, if you didn't it is possible for the relays to short without protection and cause a high current to be drawn from your battery. If yours isn't wired like this, I doubt it would be hard to change it to this diagram. The tilt trim wiring system is not hard to rewire. I had a second switch with mine that the PO had never had working so one day after gett ing the ****s with going back to my throttle, I cut into the wiring of the trim motor and put the switch in parallel. Keep all your wiring sealed though, I tape the crapper out of my wiring and even slide some silicone over the tape when finished, sounds messy but no water gets in that joint trust me. I also use insulated crimp links/lugs.

 

[HotTommy]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Mickilovin,
I don't have a problem with the wiring. I am reassembling an engine that was partially disassembled when I bought it. Some of the wiring to the starter relay had been removed, so I am just trying to put it back the way it should be.

 

[MickLovin]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Ah ok, let us know if you need any help I am a sparky by trade and can help you with the wiring side.

 

[Jiggz]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

From the look of your ignition system as expected you have the thunderbolt system. Here's the wiring diagram:

 

[HotTommy]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Yeah Jiggz, thats the same diagram as in my FSM. It shows all the wiring for the T/T control circuits (i.e., switches), but it doesn't show the wiring that carries power from the battery cables to the T/T relays. That is covered in the diagram I posted above.

Thanks for taking time to help.

 

[HotTommy]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Next question. ... The Trim Cylinder is an integral part of the larger molded piece positioned between the two mounting brackets. It is held in place by a 5/8" diameter steel shaft with a nut on each end. The PO broke off all five mounting bolts that held the trim cylinder cover (and piston) in place. There is not enough room between the raised engine and the trim cylinder to effectively drill out the broken bolts and retap the holes. So I'd like to remove the steel shaft and the larger trim cylinder piece.

My first attempts to drift the shaft out (without damaging the threads) yielded no results. I'll be working on Plan B today, but in the mean time I'm wondering if anyone else has experiece with this particular job.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

The trim cylinder casting is supported by the 5/8 bar. However, it is almost always in the water. There are 6 webs and two plastic bushings the 5/8 shaft passes through. Once corrosion sets in, it is almost impossible to remove the shaft with the engine mounted on the transom.

Dis mount the engine and spray the back of the trim cylinder liberally with penetrant. Then heat the thing with a torch while a friend tries to drive out the bar. You will need to buy two new nylon/delrin bushings for the tilt cylinder and shock.

I have several different trim systems. Some come without relays and some with. Some come without circuit breakers and some with them. The probability of a short circuit is low so don't go crazy looking to install a C.B. If, however you can easily do it, that is not a bad idea. All the stock circuit breakers I have seen were the black plastic ones the same as the engine wiring C.B. and were mounted on the cowling below the engine C.B.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

It's probably corroded in place. Need to break the shaft free. Have you tried to just take one nut off and leaving the other one on and just turn the nut like you're tightening it to try and get the shaft to spin and break free of the corrosion? If it still won't break free, then generous application of Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, CRC, or something similar, time and patience. I had one where I had to take the whole motor off of the transom and suspend with a motor hoist to take the two left and right hand brackets off to get the whole Trim assembly off and use a hydraulic press to get the shaft out.

 

[HotTommy]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Thanks guys. I tried Frank's method and it worked. The only thing I would add for anyone who stumbles across this thread in the future is to be alert for the bracket arms spreading apart. I noticed that the end opposite where I was hammering was spreading rather than letting the shaft slide through. The immediate problem is that is causes the shaft to bind even more on that side, and I suppose it could break the arm if it went far enough. ... I tapped everything back into place and put some heavy clamps across the arms to keep them square. I also gave a little more heat to the side that was not yet free. It soon came free. ... So now I'm working on removing the broken stainless steel bolts. I really don't enjoy drilling into stainless steel.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

You don't need to be precise when drilling out the three pump motor mounting bolts. You don't need to re-tap them. You can drill them to clear a 5/16 bolt. There is enough clearance inside the transom clamp so that you can insert a 5/16 bolt through from the inside and nut it on the outside. I never tried it but I suppose you could also hammer in a SS carriage bolt for even more clearance.

 

[Jiggz]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

If you are still dead on installing a CB on the trim motor ckt here's what is looks like.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: 1993 Force 150 tilt / trim repair

Cobalt steel drill bit works pretty good on stainless.