Suzuki DF50 - has anyone replaced the trim relay?

[msell]

[msell]

Tx for your kind replies. Could it be that trim is not working right cause everytime I return from fishing I spray silicone spray around the inside of the motor everywhere maybe wires got moist somehow?

[Jimmyt]

Not likely due to silicone spray.

[Be Free]

2016.

[Jimmyt]

The thin black module in the lower left corner of the picture should be the PTT relay module. The large flat module, lower center, should be the engine control unit.

This is what you’re looking for.

[Be Free]

OK, we have the year and the relay identified. How sure are we that the relay is the problem?

I have a Honda so the mechanism may be totally different, but as I recall the tilt/trim mechanism is driven by a hydraulic ram that is powered by a DC motor. The switch(es) reverse the polarity and thus the direction of spin on the motor which, along with a reversing valve in the hydraulics pulls the ram back in allowing the engine to lower.

The report is that the engine will go down but not up and that he hears a clicking sound (probably a relay) when he tries using either switch. The click tells us that the relay is energizing but it is still possible that it is not making the high amperage connection for the motor.

The original post (from 2012) mentions that the blue wire is UP and the green wire is DOWN. Even though it's likely a different year, if there is a green and a blue wire on the PTT relay it's highly probable that they work the same.

Before I would spend $150 on a new relay I think tracing the wires coming out of it and cleaning all the connections along the way might be a good idea.

[Jimmyt]

Yes!

[msell]

Tx again for your replies very kind of you, I have attatched a pic cause not sure which one sry for my too much questions but would like to be sure before I take off switches dont want to get into more trouble. For now I found the screw which free up the hydraulic pressure so in case I go out and when I return motor wont go up again it s not trouble anymore for me.Switch is working normal now both up and down so I think in my opinion relay is working, probably more of a corrosion somewhere like someone suggested here. Would you guys take things out since it s still working or you will wait until switch doesn't work anymore?

[Jimmyt]

Tx again for your replies very kind of you, I have attatched a pic cause not sure which one sry for my too much questions but would like to be sure before I take off switches dont want to get into more trouble. For now I found the screw which free up the hydraulic pressure so in case I go out and when I return motor wont go up again it s not trouble anymore for me.Switch is working normal now both up and down so I think in my opinion relay is working, probably more of a corrosion somewhere like someone suggested here. Would you guys take things out since it s still working or you will wait until switch doesn't work anymore?

That pic is shot so close, and from a different angle than the previous pic, that I’m having trouble seeing it. It should be below and left of the fuse/relay box.

Look at the replacement part and see if you see it in there.

I said this, and Bill made a point of it also; you are going to need to determine if the PTT is bad. Do you have a test meter, some test leads, and a fair bit of electrical troubleshooting skill? If not, you might be better off taking it to a mechanic. Finding a bad ground, combined with testing switches and relays, can turn into a real treasure hunt; not to mention how much stuff you’ll have to take apart to get to the stuff that needs checking.

The first thing I would try is unplugging the connectors, looking at the contact points, cleaning if required, and plugging them back in.

You can run it until it breaks completely. It makes the problem much easier to find and fix. The last thing you want to do is take it to the $100/hr guy and have it “fix itself” temporarily. As you say, the relief screw is a work around if it quits completely.

[Be Free]

Again, recalling the 2012 post that this one is "piggy-backing", it mentioned that the blue and green wires were of particular interest. Jimmy's picture clearly shows a blue and a green wire in the round, white connector. If it were my engine, I'd unplug that connector and barring any obvious problem like a connector missing I'd shoot some contact cleaner in both sides, put it back together and see if it works.

The problem is obviously intermittent and most likely electrical in nature. It is probably not mechanical since you hear the relay clicking and the motor runs in at least one direction. It is almost certainly a bad connection in one of the wires leaving the relay or in the contact points inside the relay that feed one of those wires.

The connection is the higher probability failure point and the only one that is readily repairable. I've taken relays apart and "dressed" the points in the past followed by years of trouble-free function. I don't even know if you can access the internals of this relay but I doubt if that is the problem and I'm not suggesting you try.

You mentioned that the relief screw works and you know how to use it. That's going to keep you from being stuck with the engine in either position as long as you have the correct tools with you. I'd recommend squirting some contact cleaner in both sides of the connection, working it in and out a couple of times and then testing the switch. If it works, go sailing (but take your tools with you). If cleaning the connection does not work or if it fails again, replace the relay.