88 SPL replacement trim motor stop running in UP position

[hurbold29]

Hello.

First off, a big thanks to all the folks on this forum.

Problem:

I have a 1996 Johnson 88 SPL (J88TSLEDR), that had a corroded wire going to the trim motor. The wire was green and brittle all the way through, so I serviced the PTT unit and replaced the motor. However, now when I operate it in the UP position, it runs fine for a few (maybe 4 or 5) seconds, and stops running. After I leave it for about a minute, I can get another 4 or 5 seconds of operation out of it. When it stops running, the ground lead right under the steering arm assembly gets smoking hot. I'm guessing there's some sort of thermal overload protection shutting down the trim motor, but I'm having a hard time figuring it out. The motor works fine in the DOWN position. I've also tested it with a direct power source by connecting the green and blue wires to a battery, and both UP and DOWN positions work great when the trim motor is not plugged in to the engine. I should also mention that the steering arm assembly has some surface corrosion.

Questions:

So, has anyone ever had this problem before? Is this indicative of a bigger electrical problem somewhere in the engine? Any idea what that ground is responsible for, and why it only seems to be affecting the trim motor UP functionality? Is there a way I can troubleshoot the connection without pulling the engine (it doesn't really look like you can get to that ground without getting to the top of the steering arm assembly)? Is there a possible problem somewhere else that might be easier to get to and causing a circuit overload?

Thanks in advance for any and all help you can provide, and thanks for reading. Please let me know if there is more information you need from me.

Bill

 

[toddschubert]

Re: 88 SPL replacement trim motor stop running in UP position

Sounds like maybe a short towards the switch. I would not run it anymore as that "hot" wire could be melting insul. on other wires in harness.
Start ohming it out from the spot where you said you connected you battery. I have an 88spl if you need to know or reference wire colors. Mines a '93 but should be same if it is factory ptt like mine. Most 88spl did not come w ptt. only the 90 hp w vro (oil inj)

 

[hurbold29]

Re: 88 SPL replacement trim motor stop running in UP position

Thanks a bunch.

I'll check resistance and continuity on all the wires tomorrow morning. Clarification that the hot wire is the bare metal wire connected from somewhere under the steering arm assembly to the swivel bracket (IIRC). This wire appears to be about 3 or 4 inches long. I'm also starting to think now that maybe the sending unit could be causing the problem, so I'll try to dig up some info on testing it, too.

I'll update the post with my findings.

Any other suggestions welcome in the mean time

Thanks again.

Bill

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: 88 SPL replacement trim motor stop running in UP position

Its sounds like you replaced it with a Arco unit as these have a thermal overload in the brush cap. I have had several of these with this problem that the reason I use MES now...

 

[hurbold29]

Re: 88 SPL replacement trim motor stop running in UP position

I cut the bare wire ground that was getting hot and ran a new ground. Everything's working properly now.

Thanks.