Outboard Electric Tilt and Trim Issues - fixed

[Brian D]

I posted this in the Engine and Propulsion forum but didn't get any hits. So I thought I would try here.

Having an issue with my '11 9.9 Outboard Tile and Trim. The motor is in the up position and will not budge. I was told by the marina personnel that the docks were hit pretty hard with swells and white caps. I see a lot of salt residue on the motor mount. So I am sure that salt got into the piston freezing the tilt-n-trim piston rod.

So some thoughts. I plan on using PB Blaster Penetrating spray on the piston rod. Hopefully that should at least break up anything blocking the piston movement.

There is also a plug on the front of the piston. Look like a fill port for fluid. The guys at the marina told me to also check for corrosion and possible fluid leakage. I didn't have time to do that but I think if the fluid was leaking wouldn't the motor eventually move down due to gravity? Or am I not thinking straight on that one.

So tomorrow I will spray both the piston rod and the plug to try and breakup the salt build up. If you have any other suggestions while I am down there let me know.

The plug by the way is pretty well frozen but I am sure with some determination I can free it. I think if I do that the motor should move in the down position by itself. Would that be a true statement?

Thanks for any thoughts in advance.

 

[DougM]

Brian,
You didn’t mention the brand of motor. I was wondering if the electric tilt somehow overtravelled and engaged a manual lever latch. That latch would have to be manually disengaged.
Also, if that is not the case, you should be able to flush out some of the salt buildup with fresh water. Otherwise, I think you are on the right track trying to get the plug removed. Either that, or remove the hydraulic lines to relieve pressure on both sides of the piston.

 

[Brian D]

Hi Doug, of course I didn't. I expect everyone to know what kind of outboard I use. LOL

It is a 2011, Yamaha 9.9 XPA. I have looked to see if there was some kind of latch preventing if from going down but see none. I really did hope it was simple.

PB Blaster says to saturate the parts that need to be cleaned. That is not possible without building some kind of reservoir to hold the fluid. My thoughts right now are to create a small reservoir with aluminum foil and tape. It would be constructed so no leakage would occur. Then I can fill the reservoir with PB Blaster and let it soak in.

Plus, I will try and remove the plug and see if perhaps the fluid is gone or needs to be drained and changed. I don't want to have Yamaha involved because it will be big bucks. I am sure I can do this. I might also investigate how to remove the piston and work on it at home.

 

[Fred Villiard]

Hi Brian,
I had a similar problem with a hydraulic jack that had rusted. Took an old towel wrapped around the shaft and saturated it with PB that kept things wet and after 2 days things loosened up.

 

[Brian D]

Ah! Never thought of using a small towel soaked in PB Blaster. Thanks, Fred! I will try that instead of using aluminum.

 

[Fred Villiard]

Oh I just remembered I also wrapped a piece of plastic over the towel to cut down evaporation.

 

[Brian D]

ROFLMA... I was just going to ask if I should wrap the towel. LOL Thanks again. Tomorrow I will do this.

 

[JimInPB]

Most of my experience working on TnT systems comes from old school Johhny-Rudes. Most of them used power steering fluid inside the reservoir. Some others use ATF.

If you are looking to get rid of embedded salt, then warm soapy water is your best friend. If you are looking to get rid of corrosion, then penetrating oil followed by metal polish after things loosen up, is a good game plan. Kroil is my favorite general purpose penetrating oil, but I know that a lot of guys swear by PB as being the fastest thing to loosen stuck parts.

A lot of times, when the seals in those things go bad, you get water in the fluid before you see an oil slick near the motor. It sounds strange, but I have seen it more than once. If you drain a sample & see spots of water or milky fluid, then it needs an immediate fluid change & some new seals as soon as you can get to it. Once the water gets inside, all sorts of valves, bearings & gears can get frozen with rust. Taking them apart for rehab is not a 5-minute job.

If the main piston moves a little, but the outboard motor does not go, then the pivot is the first place that I would look for corrosion. If the electric motor in the TnT spins with no resistance, then I would figure on a stuck valve or an air-bound pump (low fluid). If the electric motor sputters, you probably need a motor. Sometimes you can get by with cleaning the brushes &/or commutator. If the electric motor sounds like it is under high load, it could be a stuck valve or a seized pump, or a mechanical jam.

 

[Brian D]

Have to keep all that in mind, Jim. Appreciate the info.

Speaking of penetrating oils, I did a little research on YouTube and found this gem. If the PB Blaster doesn't work, I might give this a try. It is 1:1 ATF and Acetone. The guy even explains the chemistry behind the two. Give it a watch.

 

[JimInPB]

I have used ATF/acetone mixtures for years. The only reason that I did not recommend that sort of thing in this case, was because I was concerned about the acetone attacking the seals.

In the past, I had thought that the acetone just thinned the ATF & carried it into small crevices. I was unaware that any carbide reactions took place. The guy in the video sounded pretty convincing, until he wasted goo scotch like that for no real reason. I was expecting his secret ingredient to be some form of surfactant or emulsifier.

If you are interested in making up your own witch's brew type stuff, google "ed's red". It was developed as a gun cleaning fluid, but it has other uses as well. I know of Ed Harris, the guy that came up with Ed's Red, because of some of his mechanical designs. He's a pretty bright guy.

 

[Brian D]

Thanks for that info also, Jim. I read up on it and see it can be made without the Acetone. Something to consider in lieu of the ATF/Acetone mixture.

 

[Fred]

FYI... on my Yamaha 9.9 (2015) with power tilt there IS a latch that keeps the motor in the UP position. If the motor, while tilted, is subjected to vibration due to wave action etc. It is quite possible for this latch to self-engage.

 

[dLj]

While the guy made kind of a joke about the appeasing the gods with his scotch, the alcohol may actually play a role in his concoction. Notice that there was both carbon dioxide and water as by-products from his chemical formula (which was incorrectly written by the way, but close enough for youtube). The carbon dioxide goes off as a gas, and the water? Well, alcohol absorbs water. At the quantity that the guy used, I'm not sure it would make much of a difference, but heck, I'd probably be tempted to throw in some methanol into that mix and compare to without the methanol if I had the need to try it out...

Just an observation....

dj

 

[Brian D]

FYI... on my Yamaha 9.9 (2015) with power tilt there IS a latch that keeps the motor in the UP position. If the motor, while tilted, is subjected to vibration due to wave action etc. It is quite possible for this latch to self-engage.

Well this is interesting. Can you take a photo or point to where it is located? I looked everywhere and could find anything that looked like a safety latch. Was heading to the boat but will wait until I hear back from you @Fred

 

[JimInPB]

Could also be wiring or the switch

 

[Brian D]

Switch and wiring are good. Motor for power tilt works. Just engine will not budge. If @Fred is correct, problem solved. Else I have the towel saturated and waiting to be placed on the piston rod. I will get this bugger working. So many problems with this motor.

 

[DougM]

This is where it is on a manual tilt

 

[DougM]

Location on power tilt

 

[Brian D]

Interesting. Thanks Doug. My motor does not have a manual tilt lock. My old Yamaha 9.9 did, but not the new one. I also was not aware of the push lock on the side. I will look for that when I get down to the boat. I don't think that was mentioned in my Yamaha manual. Have to look.

 

[agprice22]

Does the motor crank? I ask because I had this problem, and it was water in the ground wire from the battery. I rewired the ground, and everything worked.