OMC Trim-and-Tilt Kit

[Oldslowandugly]

I have a 1993 OMC 48SPL on my 15-foot Sport. I want to convert to power trim-and-tilt with an OMC 175297 kit, but I can't tell how complete the kit is.

Has anyone done this?

If so, what was included?

How did it turn out?

Did you have to purchase anything else?

[contender]

Make sure the kit is complete; make sure that you do not have to purchasing anything else once you get started.

If you are good with tools and have what you need, you should be able to complete [the installation of the kit].

I do not know how difficult the change will be.

If you cannot do [the installation of the OMC trim and tilt kit] you can always take [the OMC engine] in.

[Oldslowandugly]

That's the problem, no one lists what is in the kit, not even BRP.

The [sellers] that do show some parts, still show unopened boxes in the picture.

Very frustrating.

Once I can get maybe a parts list and it has what I need, then I am confident I can make the modification.

II already know that the lower tilt shaft and upper pin, which the units are mounted with, are the same for the trim-and-tilt and tilt-assist, which was stock.

When I got the motor the tilt assist was shot. The dealer I bought it from sold me a new assist unit for cost. It lasted 10 years, but I don't want to waste hundreds of dollars again for something that cannot be rebuilt.

At least the trim-and-tilt hydraulic cylinder [can be] rebuilt. The pump motor is common.

Unfortunatly that dealer is defunct now. He was the best andhad a great parts department. The few others remaining can get [the trim and tilt kit] but I have to order it sight-unseen.

[jimh]

Have you located the listing for the trim and tilt kit on the Evinrude Part Website ?

UPDATE: The above website shows there is a trim-and-tilt conversion kit available for the 48SPL from BRP Evinrude. The MSRP is $1,610. Part number is 0175680. The contents of the kit are not shown.

[Oldslowandugly]

I contacted an eBay seller. He says it is a kit intended to adapt trim-and-tilt onto a non-trim-and-tilt engine, and the kit includes everything needed. In fact, [the seller] says it comes with both a cowling mounted switch as well as a console switch, and all the wiring, relays, and connectors. The unit itself looks brand new--it is supposed to be--and is still in the original box with instructions. I think I will decide on this and save my back. Yanking the motor up with my foot in the Whaler's transom well gets old fast.

[Oldslowandugly]

I received the 176587 / 175297 kit today and it is complete. After reading the instruction manual and inventorying the parts I am glad I found the correct kit. It would have been difficult to do the job by scrounging used parts or fabricating things. As always, OMC supplied everything needed for a complete factory approved conversion. Now all I need is some warm weather.

[Oldslowandugly]

Warm weather!!! Anyway, I tested the t-n-t motor and got nothing. Not even a clunk. I figure it sat for so long it's just stuck so I plan to remove the motor for a no-load test. Edit: ooops, I was testing it the wrong way. Here is the explanation http://continuouswave.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=567 It works fine. Now to install it. Also I didn't mention that I saved over $600 buying from an auction website.

[Oldslowandugly]

Now another dilemma. When I first tested the boat I tried different tilt pin positions looking for the best performance. I found the middle hole out of the three to be the best. Now that I will have power T-N-T, what hole should I put the pin in? I remember that in the closest-in hole the bow plowed so much as to take water over the bow. Conversely, in the farthest out hole, the boat porpoised. The middle hole was just right. I would guess that I should put the T-N-T pin there as well. Yes or no?

[Acseatsri]

Put the pin in the first position where it gives you full range of motion of the trim. The pin was a fixed stop that was just a compromise position that worked best for a preferred speed and wave height.

[Oldslowandugly]

I understand that under certain conditions a bow-down attitude is preferable. But when the pin was in the closest hole I really hated the boat's performance. I don't have a T-N-T gauge, so I will never know exactly what position the motor is in. I was thinking the default position should be the middle hole where performance was ideal. Without a gauge, how else could I know the best setting besides a seat-of-the-pants feeling? Know that most of the time I will have Grandchildren with me and it will be a nice day on protected waters. I can always change it up after I launch for the season. I'm just trying to get an idea beforehand as this is all new to me.

[jimh]

The pin in the engine mount bracket should be relocated to allow the engine to tilt down as far as possible but not hit the transom.

Adjustment of engine trim really is best done by the feel of the boat. The value of a trim gauge is that just by using the indication on the gauge you can easily return to the optimum trim position--or close to it.

To use a trim gauge there must be a trim sender on the engine mounting bracket. If your engine does not have the trim sender, you can buy a trim sender and install it without too much fuss--I think. Check with a good OMC repair shop for advice on this. Get the OEM part to make installation simple.

I find having a trim gauge to be very useful, but others have often commented on trim gauges as being less than necessary. There can be a difference of minds on these matters.

[Oldslowandugly]

Yes, I located a TRIM gauge and TRIM SENDER. [They prices were] not cheap, but for [unused new parts for an old engine the cost] is worth it--I guess.

I also checked the schematic and found that the cable that came with the Power Trim unit has the wiring for the gauge in it. However, at the engine-end the Amphenol connector is missing the female pin for the gauge-circuit conductor. The expensive gauge kit includes the exact same cable. What I could do is get the gauge, sender, and a single Amphenol female pin and use my existing cable.

I get it about the pin position. Probably what I should do is find the best position and put a white line on the gauge for reference.

[Oldslowandugly]

While reviewing the installation instructions there was mention of a gauge and sender kit #433448 for use with this model. I looked it up at BRP and it did indeed have the items I needed that would work with this T-N-T kit. The wire harness from the sender unit has a female amphenol connector already attached that would install into the empty hole in the T-N-T cable. You gotta love OMC, they think of everything. I found the complete kit available at MarineEngine.com for less than just the sender alone. Strange. It's ordered, so now I will be equipped with power trim and with the TRIM gauge.

[Oldslowandugly]

I got the TRIM gauge trim sender kit today. Yup, right in the instructions it says to insert the Amphenol connector pin from the sender harness into the empty hole in the supplied trim-and-tilt harness. Easy peasy. And now they are forecasting a snowstorm.

[jimh]

Those older-style rubber-body Amphenol connectors are easy to work with--as long as the rubber is still elastic.

When I was working with my 1992 Evinrude engine I discovered that there was a conductor missing in the wiring of the adaptor kit I was using to mate my old pre-MWS boat wiring to my new MWS-style E-TEC harness. The missing circuit was for the isolated ground for the TRIM gauge. I just went to my OMC dealer and he found an extra pin in his stock drawers, so I was able to add the isolated ground for the trim gauge ground to the trim sender ground circuit. I think that later OMC gave up on the isolated ground concept for the trim gauge, and now they just use the harness ground circuit (or battery negative) for the trim gauge ground.

The isolated ground circuit was actually better because only the very small current from the trim meter flowed on the isolated ground; all of the other currents in the harness were isolated from the trim gauge dedicated ground circuit. That kept them from influencing the trim gauge reading.

[Oldslowandugly]

It says in the factory manual to use alcohol as a lubricant when inserting/removing the pins. Since the connector is new it should be pliable.

[jimh]

That suggestion from OMC is really a very good suggestion. I have since used alcohol with older rubber-body electrical connectors and found that it makes a huge difference. It is difficult to get pure alcohol. Usually you get an alcohol-water mix. Look for a mixture that is 80-percent alcohol. The alcohol evaporates rapidly after the connectors are mated. The water evaporates, too, but it takes longer.

[Oldslowandugly]

I have several alcohols available to me. Isopropyl 70% rubbing, methanol dry gas, denatured cleaning, and North Carolina moonshine.

[Oldslowandugly]

This is harder than I anticipated. I'm glad I started early in the year. The instructions are very simplistic and I think they assume you are working on a fairly new motor in a well equipped shop. For one thing, getting even stainless fasteners loose after 20-years is not easy. They expect you to re-use some items that are simply breaking instead of coming apart. Luckily I have a large stainless fastener inventory as I always substitute stainless for everything I touch (or break).

[Oldslowandugly]

I mounted the power trim and tilt unit and the tilt sender today. Another snag. I cannot put the tilt pin into the closest hole. In the full down position it has lots of room, but in the full raised position it presses against the transom. I removed the tilt pin again to see how bad and it was and the holes were off by about a good half-inch. So I will have to use the middle hole after all. The sender arm was hitting the screw that holds the adjustable eccentric bushing. I had to find a stainless screw with a super thin flat head that cleared the sender arm. Then the sender had to be shimmed a bit with a stainless washer or the arm would bind and not relax. After all that the motor tilts up and down smoothly and nothing binds or rubs.

[jimh]

On my OMC engine the UP relay circuit runs through a limit switch that is built into the tilt pivot of the engine mount. The limit switch is mechanically adjusted so it cuts out the UP relay circuit at a point in the tilt-up range of movement just before the engine cowling smacks into something on the boat or in the transom splash well. This is adjusted on each individual boat and engine rigging.

The limit switch is wired in the UP relay coil circuit, so only the relay control current is flowing through it. The circuit design is simple and effective at stopping the engine tilt-up range before any damage can be done.

I don't know if the UP relay limit switch is used on your engine, or if used, if the limit switch is available as a part, or if it should have been in the kit. Or, maybe it was in the kit and you have not set it up yet. But it is a cool feature and a good design from OMC.

[Oldslowandugly]

No, no limit switch. But according to the manual it has a bypass valve in the pump. When the pump sees a predetermined high pressure, like at the limit of travel, a valve opens and sends the fluid back to the reservoir. What I do not get is the instruction to rest the motor on the trail tabs when the motor will be raised for a long period. I understand you want the pressure off the pump piston. But when I try to relax the unit it actually bends the trail tabs. Even a tiny blip of the down button pulls the motor down so much it looks like it might break the tabs. Maybe I'm not finessing it right. EDIT: Jim the motor itself is not hitting anything. In the full up position there is plenty of clearance. It is the tilt cylinder that is hitting the transom. As the motor is raised the ram moves enough forward for the unit to hit the boat. My fear is that the weak link is the fiberglass and it will break and let water in.

[Oldslowandugly]

Another problem. The relay block fits into a cavity in the motor's wiring compartment (it does- but you will swear it won't). It has a wiring harness on the back side that is pre-assembled, sleeved, and zip-tied all nice and neat. The instructions said to route the wiring harness down and behind the powerhead and terminating just behind the starter motor. Doing that means twisting the harness in a way it does not want to go and straining it. Worse, the end does not reach far enough to connect to the wiring coming in from the tilt unit. So as I'm looking at it trying to figure what is wrong the logical idea was to route the wiring to the front of the motor down and under the carburetor. By doing that the harness was now plenty long, and back at the relay block the lay of the wires was more natural. That makes a lot more sense and even though the control cables are also in that space I routed the wire harness to avoid the cables and zip-tied it in place. Next on the menu I must run the switch and gauge wiring harness up to the console. Just my luck Winter is back and stopping progress. So as it stands right now here is my opinion of this kit- the parts are top notch OMC quality and I am glad I went with the factory kit instead of Ebaying together used parts. But the instructions are pathetic at best.

[Oldslowandugly]

Next project was the wiring to the console. I opened up my main wiring conduit and added the switch/gauge cable then tie wrapped it in place. It still fit inside the one inch convoluted tubing I use to cover the motor's wiring and control cables. It was a bit tighter fit in the aluminum deck wiring cover but hopefully this is the last addition. The problem was that the harness was twelve feet longer than I needed and this was all rolled up under the console. I decided to shorten the cable and Jim advised me to terminate the cable end with new factory style connectors. This turned out to be a great plan and the cable is now exactly the correct length and attaches like it was designed to. Next was the switch and gauge location. The only good spot was totally inaccessible from behind. The tilt switch was easier to install because the bezel screwed on from the outside. With the gauge the steering helm made it impossible to reach the backside to get the clamp and nuts on. I figured out a dodge. By straightening out the "U" shaped retaining clamp and re-bending it so that it was no wider than the mounting studs, I was able to push the gauge with the clamp and nuts already installed through the gauge hole. I bent the clamp so the legs would wing slightly outward and once it passes through the hole it will spring back out to engage the back of the console. It is the same principal as those toggle bolt anchors that have two spring loaded wings that pop open inside a wall. Then I can use a flexible quarter inch extension to try to finish tightening the nuts. Even that will be a chore. After all this- it works!

[Oldslowandugly]

My boat is in the water. First test was seeing what, if any, effect tilting the motor had. Without touching the throttle I raised and lowered the motor until I heard the exhaust out of the water. At 4000rpm, by having the motor parallel with the water I found a 500 rpm increase to 4500. That would indicate optimum hull attitude. I still topped off at 5600 rpm no matter the motor position. However at that speed my bow was slightly more raised than before and it was a much softer ride. At the dock it is a simple matter to raise the motor for out of the water storage. Even though the installation instructions were a bit simplistic, I have to say that as a whole the kit was a very good investment. All components were top shelf and everything needed was included. A big thumbs up!