250 hpdi tilt trim help!

[mikeperez8]

Getting a clicking sound on both relays when I try to trim both engines up & down. Tilt & trim relay is getting 12v in & is putting out 12v. Main relay appears to be ok. Was thinking it may be the motors. But what are the chances of both motors failing simultaneously?

i also checked my batteries & tried tapping the motors & the fluid is fine as well. Engine starts as well.

[boscoe99]

Some trouble shooting is needed.

Disconnect the power leads at the trim and tilt relay. Apply 12 volts positive to the blue lead and the ground to the green lead using jumper cables from a known good battery. Does the motor trim up?

Reverse the leads so that positive is to the green lead and negative is to the blue lead. Does the motor trim down?

If so, the trim and tilt motor is good. If not, replace the motor or perhaps the brushes therein.

If the motor checks good then test the relay itself using the procedure prescribed in the applicable Yamaha service manual. If the motor tests good and the relay tests good then I would next check the wiring from the battery to the motor.

Strange that both motors would be faulty at the same time and in the same manner. Highly unusual. This presumes that each motor has its own dedicated battery. And that both batteries are electrically isolated from one another.

[mikeperez8]

each motor does have its own batteries. 2 in fact. while i did not connect to a known good battery source per say, my volt meter read 12v going into the relay & 12v at the blue when i hit up, 12v at the green when i hit down. i guess i can check the other end of the blue & and green wires, where they plug into the motor. just so unusual that it happened to both. Seemingly out of no where.

thanks for the response. I'll let you know what i find.

[rodbolt17]

your testing it wrong by your post.

place one meter lead on the motor green wire,the other meter lead on the motor blue wire.
hit trim up,its going to display either 12V or -12v.
trim down, should show a reversed polarity 12v from up.
if it does the motor or motor wirings is an issue.

[mikeperez8]

i thought i could put the black wire at any ground source?

either way, i tapped the heck out of the starboard motor and it finally started working. the port motor caught a beating too. but it only worked for a second & then stopped. starboard motor still works but sounds weak and grindy as hell.

I think its a safe bet i need new motors. anyone know where i can a some at a good price?

[99yam40]

Follow Rods advice when troubleshooting, it will tell you if both the positive and negative are being switched by the relay

Just exactly what do you call a good price?
Yamaha parts can be bought right here on this web site.
Just click on the red Purchase Yamaha Parts at the top of the page and look for your motor.

Most after market ones are a lot cheaper in price, but I have no idea if they would hold up and last like a Yamaha one

[bajakeith]

voltage

ahhhhh...12.6 V is fully charged battery.......

[rodbolt17]

dude, its a simple concept.
at rest BOTH motor relay terminals are grounded.
when activated only ONE contactor will move to the positive.
which one gets taken to + depends on if your going up or down.
the trim motor simply turns ccw or cw depending on polarity.

[mikeperez8]

thanks for the explanation. Thats pretty much what i figured. My goal was to identify whether or not the relay was sending power to the motor. Since I got 12v at both i assumed it was doing its job. Regardless, the fact that the motor began working after tapping tells me that the problem is the motor & not the source.

I have no doubts that yamaha motors are good, but they're $500.00.

vs

$200 for an oem......

[99yam40]

thanks for the explanation. Thats pretty much what i figured. My goal was to identify whether or not the relay was sending power to the motor. Since I got 12v at both i assumed it was doing its job. Regardless, the fact that the motor began working after tapping tells me that the problem is the motor & not the source.

I have no doubts that yamaha motors are good, but they're $500.00.

vs

$200 for an oem......

You need to make sure relay furnishes the + and the - when it is not operating to be sure.

And I always thought OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer, so not sure what you are getting at

[mikeperez8]

Thanks, Im pretty new at this so I wasn't completely clear on how to check the relay.
Btw, oem refers to after market parts.

Original equipment manufacturer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[boscoe99]

OEM has to be taken into context.

With respect to a Yamaha outboard, a Yamaha trim and tilt relay assembly or the trim motor, with a Yamaha part number, are considered as the OEM part.

A non-Yamaha trim and tilt relay or trim pump motor, such as those that might be offered by Sierra or other similar company, would never be considered as a Yamaha OEM part. These are considered to be aftermarket parts.

The exact same company might in fact be making the exact same part. One, branded as a Yamaha part with a Yamaha part number is considered to be the OEM part. The other, branded as a Sierra part with a Sierra part number is considered to be the aftermarket part. Companies are pretty good about keeping folks from finding out who makes parts for them so they can't acquire a similar aftermarket part.

I wonder how many millions of dollars are spent in buying unneeded parts, both OEM and aftermarket, by people that don't have the data needed to properly test parts. Surely would be cheaper to buy an $80 service manual than to buy an expensive trim and tilt relay only to find out the relay is not defective.

[boscoe99]

Thanks, Im pretty new at this so I wasn't completely clear on how to check the relay.
Btw, oem refers to after market parts.

Original equipment manufacturer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It is all clearly explained in the applicable service manual.

[mikeperez8]

Thanks for clarifying. Are there PDF versions of the service manuals?

[boscoe99]

Thanks for clarifying. Are there PDF versions of the service manuals?

Authorized Yamaha service manuals are not available on line. Should you find one it is stolen data.

Do you know how to use a multimeter? Are you familiar with the continuity check function of one? Not an Ohm meter, the continuity check function?

If not, you might want to find a knowledgeable Yamaha mechanic and let him work with you to troubleshoot the motor. Use it as a learning experience.

Did you ever do the test that I mentioned, that being to remove the power wires from the relay to apply battery power and ground directly to them? This is about a five minute job and will tell you if the problem is with the electric trim motor or not. Once you know that the motor is good move on to the relay.