Tilt/Trim relay clicking on "down" mode

[ozom08275]

Hello all,

I have a Yamaha F60TLR 6C5 L 1028094 (numbers on mount bracket). The motor has less than 50 hours on it . I splashed it down off the lift yesterday and tied up to my floating dock so I could head out for a day of fishing this morning. When I went to tilt the motor down to leave the dock, all I got was a clicking noise (using the pan switch and using the shifter switch). The "up" mode works fine as I tilted it up yesterday when I tied up and could hear it working again today. I'm assuming the relay is bad or possibly a flaky connection somewhere? (all the connections that I can see look like new) There are three wires coming from the pump motor to a blue connector (wires are sky blue, red, and green) From there, I don't know where they go.....they disappear into another larger bunch of wires all taped together. What should I do to test/bypass the relay and where is it located? Would a picture help? I would take it out of the water and trailer it to a dealer but don't have a way to get it to the ramp.
I would certainly appreciate any help/suggestions at this point. The sand gnats were so bad that I couldn't work on it very long! Hate those noseeums.
Thanks in advance.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Can't speak about the relay(sounds like it), BUT you can manually lower the engine for operation.

There should be a hole in the transom bracket (usually the port side, next to the T&T) with a large flat head screw that's slightly recessed.

Unscrewing that screw 1/4-1/2 turn will release the pump hydraulic pressure in the tilt. The engine will go down with gravity. Snug the screw back in once the engines down.

Someone else will chime in about the relay.

[greasyshaft]

Both thick green and blue wires are grounded when no buttons are being pressed.

When you press "UP" the relay switches the thick blue wire from being grounded to positive, the thick green wire remains earthed thus the motor shall start to spin.

When you press "DOWN" the relay switches the thick green wire from being grounded to positive, the thick blue wire remains earthed and the motor will spin in the opposite direction.

You could try gently tapping the relay with the handle of your screwdriver while pressing the down button, they sometimes come to life, but otherwise just use the relief valve as townsends said that'll get you back to the ramp.

The blue, green and red wires disappearing into the main harness are part of the switching circuit.
You should only have two heavy gauge blue and green wires coming from the trim and tilt motor.

[sachin2021]

Whats your battery voltage. My f150 does the same thing when the battery volatge drops. Run it for a while and once the battery is holding around 12.6v or so the problem goes away.

[ozom08275]

Many thanks!

Thank all of you for your much needed guidance. I did what Townsend said to do once I located the screw and voila.....it came down and I'm safely back on the lift! (my old Suzuki DT 40 tilt setup had exterior hydraulic lines where you could crack open a fitting and release the pressure....of course fluid went everywhere!). I really like the Yamaha setup better. Anyway, once I got the motor down, I started flipping the switch back and forth (up and down). The up mode never faltered, however the down mode would work intermittently...sometimes just click, other times it would work. Also, when I revved it in reverse, the motor flew up like a motor without tilt/trim which it has never done before. What may be causing this? I have my suspicions but don't want to sound stupid (which I basically am when it comes to outboard motors). Also, does anyone know if the tilt relay is located behind the plastic cover on the front of the port side of the motor or is it underneath toward the back of the motor inside the lower cowling right above the pump? I don't know how those guys can cram so many wires and stuff in such a tight space. I would like to see if I can do something to get it working before I spend $200 on the relay (tapping it or spraying it with some type of electrical cleaner like CRC although I suspect it's a sealed unit and no way to reach any contacts ). I searched online for diagrams but no luck there. I just haven't had the time or focus to fool with it yet since I put her back on the lift. My cousin shot herself to death yesterday and I've been dealing with that.....another long story that I won't bore you guys with.
Again, thank you all very much for your responses.....if anyone ever makes it to Jacksonville, Fl, the fishing trip and the beer is on me! That is, if you like to limit out on redfish, flounder, and trout.

Happy fishing!

Mike

[greasyshaft]

Circled is the relay (looking at the front of the engine), It is a sealed unit.

The motor is part of the tilt unit in between the transom brackets (port side).

You have to close the relief valve once the engine is tilted down, that is why the outboard is pulling itself out of the water.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Just a side note.

On my low hour F150 (2006), I had the sealed starter relay (about $70.00, not nearly as expensive as yours) "click" and NOT function.

It did it agout 6 times(one day all at once), until of course I pulled the hood to look further. Then of course it started EVERYTIME. Used the boat all day, no issues again.

Did some research and confirmed with Rodbolt. Pulled it out and replaced it with new, been fine ever since.

I did, for S&G's, hook it up to 12 volts and of course it made that "click" noise. So the inside coil was working, just crappy contacts(which sounds like yours) not transferring the current to my starter or in your case, the T&T.

I still have the old part in the attic and will cut it apart just to see the contacts (I know their crapped up, at least in one spot)

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________
12-3-14, Update. Here's a pic of the actual contacts from the bad starter relay. The coil that pulled them together worked fine, the contacts, as you can see, not so good.... The down contacts for your likely is in the same condtion.

My relay is MUCH smaller than yours and it still took me 15 minutes with an air powered rotary cut off wheel to access the points..

[ozom08275]

Thanks once again!

Greasyshaft,

I must say that your information is so very helpful. Your diagrams are better than any manual I have ever encountered......you make it look easy (posting such vivid and clear diagrams/details). Perhaps one day I'll learn how. Do you use a particular software in making the diagrams? In any case, very impressive.
As I stated in my last post, I had a suspicion as to what was making the motor kick up and my suspicion was wrong. I thought that air had been introduced into the hydraulics when I opened the release screw and needed to bleed itself by simple use after a few cycles. (told you I am far from expert on outboard motors and hydraulic systems!). The fact is that the screwdriver used to open the screw barely fit into the access hole on the transom bracket. When I initially tightened it back up, my screwdriver had to have been binding on the edge of the hole making me think I had torque on it. I went back, after you told me that the screw needed to be re-tightened, with a smaller screwdriver and what do you know?......yep, the screw wasn't all the way tight. Man I feel stupid!
I'll now check the relay for continuity and whatever else I'm capable of doing myself before I bite the bullet and buy a new one. You guys have already saved me a trip to the dealer along with the hassles involved. Thank you so very much and keep up your good work!

[boscoe99]

Reverse the power leads at the relay assembly. The big ones that run to the trim and tilt motor. If it now works going down every time but won't work going up, or is erratic, then the relay is defective.

[sachin2021]

Thank all of you for your much needed guidance. I did what Townsend said to do once I located the screw and voila.....it came down and I'm safely back on the lift! (my old Suzuki DT 40 tilt setup had exterior hydraulic lines where you could crack open a fitting and release the pressure....of course fluid went everywhere!). I really like the Yamaha setup better. Anyway, once I got the motor down, I started flipping the switch back and forth (up and down). The up mode never faltered, however the down mode would work intermittently...sometimes just click, other times it would work. Also, when I revved it in reverse, the motor flew up like a motor without tilt/trim which it has never done before. What may be causing this? I have my suspicions but don't want to sound stupid (which I basically am when it comes to outboard motors). Also, does anyone know if the tilt relay is located behind the plastic cover on the front of the port side of the motor or is it underneath toward the back of the motor inside the lower cowling right above the pump? I don't know how those guys can cram so many wires and stuff in such a tight space. I would like to see if I can do something to get it working before I spend $200 on the relay (tapping it or spraying it with some type of electrical cleaner like CRC although I suspect it's a sealed unit and no way to reach any contacts ). I searched online for diagrams but no luck there. I just haven't had the time or focus to fool with it yet since I put her back on the lift. My cousin shot herself to death yesterday and I've been dealing with that.....another long story that I won't bore you guys with.
Again, thank you all very much for your responses.....if anyone ever makes it to Jacksonville, Fl, the fishing trip and the beer is on me! That is, if you like to limit out on redfish, flounder, and trout.

Happy fishing!

Mike

I believe the motor trimming up on its own when revved hard in reverse is a protective mechanism. Mine does it but no issues if reversing at around half throttle.

[ozom08275]

Fixed!

Sorry for the delayed response but just now got around to working on the T&T relay. Just as most, if not all, of you said, it was a bad relay. I replaced with a new one and am now back in business. Thanks again everyone.....you guys do a great job and are such an outstanding service to some of us "poor" fishermen. Merry Christmas to all!!