Need help finding controls for Mercury Sterndrive.

[wade7575]

My friend has a 23 foot Starcraft Chieftain and he is restoring it and his controls to raise and lower the sterndrive are not working at all and were sure the switch's are bad,the boat was left beside a bush for 15 years and never touched and my friend got the boat for 500 bucks and was in great shape just needed a bunch of maintenance.

We know that he will most likely not be able to get the same ones that came with the boat which are the switch's in the picture that are just push button's.

What would you guys suggest he use other then changing the the throttle control,what about a 3 position rocker switch.

He got a Sterndrive Engineering cylinder conversion kit for the sterndrive because his is an Alpha 1 Gen 1 with the small crappy cylinders and he also got a new pump.

It's the 3 round buttons that do work anymore.

 

[Chris1956]

That PTT panel is pretty well made with heavy copper push button contacts. You might check the wiring as that is the weak spot.

To tilt the engine up, push both middle and top buttons together.

If the trim limit switch on the outdrive is working (most don't work at this age), the middle button will trim the outdrive.

The bottom button will tilt the outdrive down.

 

[mr 88]

Have you verified current going to the switches and if so , current going to the pump ? I would be looking at the solenoid before the actual switches . They usually let go 1st . A volt meter or test light is something that should be in your tool bag when diagnosing electrical issues . Or you can just keep spending money replacing parts until you get to the one that is actually not working .

 

[matt167]

Check the wiring. Those switches work well. I thought mine were bad but I didn’t have power. You push the top 2 switches together to raise it to the full tilt position.

IF they are bad, you can find push buttons that will fit in that panel

 

[wade7575]

That PTT panel is pretty well made with heavy copper push button contacts. You might check the wiring as that is the weak spot.

To tilt the engine up, push both middle and top buttons together.

If the trim limit switch on the outdrive is working (most don't work at this age), the middle button will trim the outdrive.

The bottom button will tilt the outdrive down.

I will tell my friend to give that a try,I know that the guy that he purchased the boat from doesn't remember everything correctly and he never told my friend about anything like that.

It makes sense with 3 button's being there now if that's what your supposed to do like it's a safety feature or something like that.

 

[wade7575]

Have you verified current going to the switches and if so , current going to the pump ? I would be looking at the solenoid before the actual switches . They usually let go 1st . A volt meter or test light is something that should be in your tool bag when diagnosing electrical issues . Or you can just keep spending money replacing parts until you get to the one that is actually not working .

The pump makes a bit of a noise but not much of one when the top button is pushed.

We never tried pushing the middle button and the top or bottom one at the same time,were going to try that next and we do have power.

 

[wade7575]

Check the wiring. Those switches work well. I thought mine were bad but I didn’t have power. You push the top 2 switches together to raise it to the full tilt position.

IF they are bad, you can find push buttons that will fit in that panel

Can you send a link to the push button's for the panel,I have no idea where to start as the boat is from 1972 or 1973 and we have nothing no manual at all.

 

[matt167]

https://a.co/d/dtDAfwd. These should work

 

[wade7575]

https://a.co/d/dtDAfwd. These should work

If the old switch's are shot we will give those a try.