1999 Ficht 200 Trim/Tilt Problem

Hi all,
The system will trim down every time. It is the up part that is sporadic. I have swapped the relays. When swapped, the down relay still clicks and the up relay does nothing. If I keep pusing the trim up on the motor, eventually it will work. I was able to get the the motor to it's full tilt. I opened the fill resevoir and I heard a rush of air and just a bit of oil leaked out. The oil was very black. Is that normal?
I was going to cycle the trim to purge any air in the system and before i got to the trailer bracket I stopped and tried to tilt back up. Nothing. I engaged the trailer bracket. It's a good thing, because the motor drifted down slowly until it was resting on the bracket.
I've checked the switch on the motor with a DMM and it works. I have a switch on the throttle, foot switches, and a bow switch. I haven't checked those, but I have never had any trim problems in the past.

What could the problem be?

Thanks.

Both of the relay's are used for up and down. Both of the wires from the trim motor go to ground through the normally closed side of each relay. When you activate the switch, one relay puts 12 V on one of the motor leads and the other lead goes to ground thru the other relay.

If one relay is bad, the other won't be far behind. Change em both.

Thanks rangercj.
What about the motor drifting down. Thats not supposed to happen, is it?
How hard is it to take the system apart and clean it, and or replace the o-rings?

The leak down might be just your manual release is a bit loose. It is a recessed screw on the port side mounting bracket. Make sure it is firmly tightened, not super tight but firm. I would change the fluid, bleed and recheck. If that doesn't fix it, I'm not sure what the next step would be. I've never had one apart (yet lol)

There is a procedure on how to remove the unit in the John/Rude Tips. See the link at the top of the page.

I was going to add some oil to the resevoir, and a little leaked out. It was almost as black as used motor oil. The new oil is not even the same color. I think I need to drain the system and put fresh in.
What is the best way to do this?
Do I remove the manual release screw and let it drain?
The manual (Clymer) does not cover fluid removal..

The motor would not trim up because of the tilt limit switch. The spring in the switch is no longer springy and the switch sticks.

WD-40?

Leaking down, check the manual release valve.

The switch button can be shaken in and out, so it has lost its spring inside.

If the motor goes up or down on either the trim or tilt rods it will slowly drift down.
Interestingly, if I put pressure on the motor i.e. standing on the lower foot, it will stop drifting until I bump the switch again. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif

BTW, the manual release valve is as tight as I can possibly get it.

Sorry Soundguy, can't help further. Maybe a seal on the release

You can tilt the motor up and support it on the service bracket (right side top of swivel bracket) remove the manual release valve and inspect the seal, you will lose some fluid so have a drain pan ready, if the seal looks good you my need to replace the trim unit.