Re: [OMC-Boats] 1970 Seapsort

Yes, anything is possible when 40+year old boats and electrics come together.

1. Both solendoids (or relays) could be bad, but more than likely I would start by looking at what is common to both (the High-current path). Being a 69-70 OMC boat you should have the LARGE ROUND YELLOW 10-WAY CONNECTOR, which bundles the shift and tilt circuits. Trust me, you WILL want a pair of NEW relays, anyways. I carry a spare on my boat, as I can think of at least three that are used on most OMC boats. Once you have one circuit working, it's easy enough to swap out the defective relay (if that's in fact the problem).

2. Make absolutely sure that all heavy-current patch conductors and connections are clean enough to eat off of. Trace every connection on the + side, dissasemble and clean with fine sandpaper or emory cloth. Also use electrical contact cleaner like QD from CRC. Use your cell phone or digital camera to take photos before you disassemble. Also, make sure the return (- ground) path is also low resistance. Of course the helm switch is also common, but in most case the low-current (user control) side of the relays is not the cause, especially as you hear the sound of both relays reacting.

3. YOU MUST ALSO INSURE YOU HAVE A FRESHLY, FULLY CHARGED BATTERY, again all cable connections must be corrosion-free and spotlessly clean. Marine environments are not kind to electronics. Sometimes corrossion can crawl up a cable beneath the insulation and cause a high-resistance, which will then not allow enough current to pass. Also don't assume because you installed a freshly charged battery YESTERDAY in your boat, that is hasn't drained down overnight.

4. The tilt-motor pulls a lot of current, almost as much as the starter motor, so it's crucial that everything be in tip-top shape. Removing the Quadrant gear is a good way to relieve the torque starin on the motor as you troubleshoot the electrics.

IT HELPS TO HAVE COMMON KNOWLEDGE OF TROUBLESHOOT SIMPLE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS. PICK YOURSELF UP A DECENT VOM OR DVM METER AND BASIC GUIDE TO 12 V ELECTRICS.

Lee

________________________________________
From: omc-boats-bounces@... [omc-boats-bounces@...e.com] On Behalf Of Ron Mathewson [ron.mathewson@...]
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 8:53 AM
To: omc-boats@...
Subject: [OMC-Boats] 1970 Seapsort

I have a 1970 Seasport 155, and have been following the Q&A regarding the tilt issues. I too have an problem with mine, where it will not come up using the tilt motor. I replaced the motor, shaft and hammer coupling as they were damaged, cleaned the worm drive, gear and replaced all the oil and still get a "click" from both solenoids. I put a test light on both posts of the solonoid, hit the switch - click and no light. Is it possible for both solenoids to be bad or am I missing something? Any help or words of wisdom will be appreciated..

Ron Mathewson
Received on Tuesday, 26 May 2009