Mercury trim & tilt is jammed and only goes down halfway. Video included.

[nwpete]

Hi. A total newbie here. Just got my first boat, an older Gregor with a Mercury 40ph (2 stroke, oil injected). My tilt only goes down halfway and then it gets stuck. It sounds like it gets jammed on the way down with a grinding noise although the motor is still running while jammed. I attached the video I uploaded to Youtube so you can see and hear what I'm talking about. When I tested it at the seller's location it worked fine and went all the way down but a few days later this happened. I checked to see if it has enough fluid and as I unscrewed the fluid cap, clear pink fluid started pouring out so I'm guessing it has enough fluid. I was hoping someone experienced can diagnose what the problem is by watching the video. Thanks in advance!

 

[alldodge]

Howdy

There is a shinny stiff wire under the motor that gets flipped up or down, then the drive gets dropped down. If it stays up its used to help hold the motor up. That wire is appears to still in the up position. Raise the motor and flip it down/up and then lower the drive

 

[nwpete]

Yes, you're right! I moved out out of the way and of course the motor went down. It's like a rod with a red cap on it that moves in and out. Wow I feel pretty stupid. lol Thank you so much for pointing that out!

 

[alldodge]

No problem-o, I've missed so many things I cannot remember how many times :facepalm:

Have a great boating season and don't forget about us here, come on back again