Trim/tilt ?

[getfished]

2013 250 Pro XS Serial # 2B011587

My motor suddenly decided to tilt all the way up and then continued running or trying to keep raising the motor although it was already maxed out. Not sure what is going on. I first noticed it Wednesday night. I have been tilting the motor up quite a ways when I fish to try to keep the thermostats clean. It was almost dark and as I was reeling in my last cast and thinking about heading in I thought I could hear a humming noise but wasn't sure where it was coming from. My hearing is not 100%. Curious I stepped to the back of the boat and sure enough it was coming from my trim/tilt motor. I kinda freaked but was able to get it down but it wanted to raise up again. I was tricky getting it down enough to get on plane to get back to the ramp. I made it back and shut it off and tied off to go get the truck. When I got back in the boat the motor was still down. I loaded up and afterwards lowered the motor to let it drain. It stayed down. I raised it up and put on the motor mate and was nervous it might not stay down for the trip home 25 miles. It didn't stay down. When I got home the motor was tilted all the way up but wasn't running the tilt motor. Don't know how long it ran but wasn't running when I got home.

I put the charger on it and went to bed. Well apparently about 4pm the next day it energized the tilt motor and raised all the way up again. This time the tilt motor ran for possibly up to two hours and had just shut off when I found out about it. The tilt motor was very hot to the touch. It wouldn't go down with the switch but a while later after it had cooled apparently it would then go down and up. I unhooked the battery power to prevent any more surprises.

Funny thing is my power light on control panel would come on when the trim/tilt started acting up when the motor and key was off and it's not supposed to do that.

I was thinking maybe a faulty trim/tilt relay but the power light coming on at the control panel makes me wonder if maybe there could be another gremlin.

Sorry for the long read but trying to explain the experience required this.

What say ye ?

[fishnfireman]

. The OLD Mercury motors did it about anytime the cowl switch got real wet before they started potting the switch.

I have witnessed this twice before on newer motors

Once was from the trolling motor cables laying on the bow trim switch.
The other time it was a bad console switch. Which would be where I would start looking.

[getfished]

Well I got 4 of em. The bow touch pad switch doesn't work and hasn't for a long time and I can't find a replacement touchpad. I also have one on the steering column, the shifter, and one on the side of the motor cowling. Where to start ?

[billnorman1]

Start at the bow. Disconnect the center wire to the switch. Do it soon.
If you have a touchpad system....disconnect any blue and green wires you might think go to the switch portion.

[Savage]

Use a DVOM to determine if a switch/touch pad is energizing the coil side of a trim relay.

[getfished]

So if I'm understanding these replies correctly the consensus is that I should troubleshoot the trim/tilt switches each one by one as the first order of business. Is that right ?

[billnorman1]

Percentage wise on conventional switches the bow switch fails at a higher rate due to its exposure to water. I'm not sure about touch panels.

[fishnfireman]

You say the bow switch has not worked for some time ?
I would pull red wire to it first as billnorman suggested.
If It's still stuck when you re hook the battery power.. Then pull the power to the rest of them one at a time until you isolate the bad one.

[getfished]

You say the bow switch has not worked for some time ?
I would pull red wire to it first as billnorman suggested.
If It's still stuck when you re hook the battery power.. Then pull the power to the rest of them one at a time until you isolate the bad one.

Will look into this. Thanks

[EuropeanAM]

You say the bow switch has not worked for some time ?
I would pull red wire to it first as billnorman suggested.
If It's still stuck when you re hook the battery power.. Then pull the power to the rest of them one at a time until you isolate the bad one.

+1... that's what I would recommend.

[getfished]

Thanks for the replies. My bow touchpad switch panel has 6 functions. Trim up an down, lights, and 2 accessories . All functions are factory wired into a plug which plugs into the the back side of the panel. When looking at the backside of the panel it is sealed into a rubbery gel. If you depress each touch switch you can lightly feel each switch "click" with the exception of the trim up button. This touchpad and the touchpad on the control panel are integrated into the megalink system in the rear bilge cabinet. I don't have any of the accessories hooked to anything, only the lights and trim.

Think maybe I could unplug the front bow panel completely , reattach my power cables at the battery and if it doesn't act up just fish with like that for a trip or two to see if the problem dissappears ? If so then maybe I could feel cofident the problem has been located .

I'm initially reticent to pull or cut the red wire as suggested simply because it along with others are part of a 6 wire harness. I was thinking maybe just unplug the entire panel since I don't really use the other functions anyway.

Thanks for the replies

[Savage]

I would disconnect the touch panel at the bow completely and test the results.

[getfished]

I would disconnect the touch panel at the bow completely and test the results.

That's what I was thinking. thanks