2001 F115 Tilt Trim working by itself

[tsmitherman]

My 2001 F115 tilt/trim raises the engine whenever I crank it, without either tilt/trim switch being activated!

It will also "stick" in the up mode whenever you push and then release either switch, and continue to raise the motor.

Is this more likely the switches or the relay? Is there a way to determine where the problem is without buying parts first?

[bumperfood]

What it sounds like at least to me is that you have a short in your wiring, where the power from the crank circuit also goes to the up side of the trim/tilt motor. I would look carefully at the relays to be sure that no wires are touching terminals they ought not to. You shouldn't have to remove any wires just look carefully. Another good spot to look would be anywhere the wiring might flex or rub during normal operation, ie turning. I don't know about your engine but mine has three solenoids under the cowl and they are close together. One is for the starter and the other two are for the tilt/trim circuit. All three will have battery voltage at one of their larger terminals anytime the battery is in the circuit. When I turn the key to the start position 12 volts is supplied to starter solenoid, the two terminals are joined internally and power is supplied to the starter motor. Get someone to turn the key to the start position while you use a 12v test light to the large terminal of the tilt/trim solenoids that do not normally have 12v to them. One of them in your situation) should light up when you turn the key to start, providing power to the up circuit, if you have a short in the wiring. assuming this is the case, you need to find the trigger wire that goes into this solenoid. trace it back to its nearest connector and take the connector apart. Now when the key is turned to start the trim motor should no longer turn, but you may still be getting power to the trigger wire. Check with the 12volt test light where you took the connector apart. If you have power there when you go to the start position, you need to go to the next connector and so on. At some point you will no longer have power in the trigger wire when you turn the key to start. When this happens you will know that the short is between this point and the last point you took the connection apart. I hope you find it quickly as this can be a long process. I also must tell you to make sure that your engine will not accidentally start during this process, by removing the spark plugs and/or removing the positive starter wire and insulating it with electrical tape(doing this ensures the motor won't even turn over). I hope this helps you.

[tsmitherman]

Thanks for the help.
After I posted the problem, I went back and looked again at what was happening. To make a long story short, the tilt switch on the side of the motor had become super sensitive, to the point that any vibration would cause it to make contact in the "UP" curcuit. It was so sensitive, that cranking the motor or bumping the up or down switch from the console would cause it to engage and raise the motor!

I disconnected the wiring from the bad switch. The tilt/trim switch on the console works correctly now, so the problem is solved. I probably won't even replace the bad switch.