XR6 power/tile issue

[el_taco]

Hello all.

Stangest thing happened today and need some help. Motor is a 2003 merc XR6. No previous electrical problems everything was great....up until this afternoon.

So I just got finished installing a bob's hydraulic jackplate. Before even touching the jack plate, the tilt was working flawlessly trimming in and out. So i hooked up the plate along with their height gauge in the console cover. At one time after finishing the install, the motor's tilt and jackplate up/down function was working flawlessly together simultaneously. While i had the console cover opened, i bumped the tilt sender unit's wire. So i re-crimped it and screwed it back onto the tilt gauge screw post on the back of the gauge.

Then when i thought everything was ok, the tilt doesn't work and sure enough, the motor wont crank. So i checked all the wires i touched, checked the fuses on the motor, checked the battery voltage, it all seemed to be fine; no fuses blown. When attempting to tilt from the motor and not on the throttle, i can hear a buzzing sound from the two relays inside the motor. As i kept trying to diagnose and checking for function, the buzzing sound got weaker and weaker to the point where it was nothing.

Meanwhile, at the ignition, there is always that "BEEP" when the key is switched to 'on' before cranking the motor. However, since discovering the tilt issue, there was now sometimes a slight 'beep' while other times there was no sound at all. Checked starter battery and it was reading 12.9. Flipped safety lanyard switch on/off and sometimes it helped the "beep" and other times it wouldn't; but the 'beep' was a very faint one.

So this got me stumped and as i was ready to call it a night, i jumped out of boat from driver seat and accidentally kicked the hand throttle.......WHOOPS. At same time i heard that audible "BEEP" sound again, as if turning key to the 'on'. Tried trim and it works and motor cranks now.......WTF?!?!?!?

Also, while i couldn't tilt and/or crank the motor, the jack plate works flawlessly up and down. the dash gauges work and light up......seems like everything worked BUT the tilt/motor crank.

What could it be?

No fuses blown, cranking battery at 12.9, all wires secured.

Is there something in the iginition swtich that causes this?.....because it works now, after i had accidentally kicked the throttle. i also noticed that while messing with the safety lanyard switch turning it on/off, it sorta seems like it was helping.

could it be a "weak" battery.....i dunno but batteries at 12.9 is good enough to start let alone run electronics like the tilt. Does it need to be at a certain voltage....say like 13.3 or more?

sorry for the story....totally stumped on this one.

[grybrd]

Might you have bumped the throttle earlier and as a result you were not properly engaging the neutral safety switch?

[JOE54]

if it has control box with key in it could be loose connection in wirring in box/^^^^ would not have caused tilt not to work

[el_taco]

Hmmmmm, this very well might just be the case........???

I remember never touching the throttle and it has always been in the N position, but when the tilt/starting issue occurred i remember making sure the throttle was in neutral. I have never engaged it in either forward or reverse.......although the thought had crossed my mind at the time while trying to diagnose.

I haven't ran the boat for a few months because i was installing jack plate and hydro steering; so the boat has been sitting in garage the entire time.

Here's another question, even if the neutral safety switch wasn't properly engaging....shouldn't the tilt at least work or does it go hand in hand with the engine cranking?..........because i know that i can tilt motor at front with it off when approaching shallows.

[JOE54]

tilt should still work,N safety only controls start, make sure fuse is making good connection under cowl and check batt connections also

[alli ss]

Check your control box connections. You have pulled something loose running your new wires. Always look back at what you did after the last time it worked right

[el_taco]

Well today i checked over what i have touched and everything seemed ok. it was just strange how everything was working flawlessly and then all of a sudden didn't.

Hooked it up to earmuffs and motor started right up. Now i am just hoping it doesn't do this out in the drink.

[EuropeanAM]

Engine posts in APPROPRIATE FORUM, Please



You might want to check your battery terminal connections- they must be CLEAN, ENGINE CABLES INSTALLED FIRST, remaining lugs Largest to Smallest, and finish off the connection with a Stainless LOCKNUT (do NOT use wing-nuts).