Tried this once before but didn't get a response. Still working on it so will try again.
When I trim my engine up or down two of the continuity straps on the lower unit heat up enough to make the rubber jackets on them smoke. Of course I only see this when I getting ready to put in or tying down to leave. The consensus is that something is looking for a ground. Since it only happens when trim/tilt is being operated it is in that system. Keep in mind it is still working. Hooked a seperate ground to the relay switch and that didn't solve the problem. Unhooked the power to the trim motor and ran it to a seperate battery. This did solve the problem which means there is no short in the motor. Had my cranking battery checked and it is fine. At this point I'm hoping it is the relay but why does it still work and grounding it doesn't fix the problem?
Couple of other things worth mentioning. A few weeks ago my motor trimmed up by itslef in the middle of the night and drained my battery. The blinker style trim switch on the steering column sometimes needs a jiggle or two to get it going and sometimes my trim gague takes a few seconds to get moving. The trim switch and gague issues have been going on for a few years but I wasn't too concerned about them. Any electrical experts out there?