DF140 tilt lock

[bowrider]

Hello; The marina that does warranty service on my DF140 trailered my boat to their shop to install the Suzuki recall on ECM failing to warn of water in the gas. On returning the boat, I noticed they trailered the boat with the motor in the full up position with no bar to support the motor. They then launched the boat into the water and turned it over to me. I lowered the motor, noticing that the tilt gauge kept reading full up. I now wonder if they engaged the tilt lock to hold the motor up (contrary to Suzuki's warning in their manual not to do that),
and if something went kaput when I lowered it. Any experiences like this??
I'm really not impressed with these marina guys.

[Harper]

Check the little arm on the trim position sensor. It's plastic and they could have broken it off. It has a spring that holds the arm in the full up position, until it is pushed down by the little cam arm on the bottom of the engine. The sensor is mounted on the right side of the clamp bracket. For a pisture of what it looks like, go here ...

2007 DF140 Suzuki Marine Outboard SENSOR Diagram and Parts

It's number 14 in the diagram.

[bowrider]

Check the little arm on the trim position sensor. It's plastic and they could have broken it off. It has a spring that holds the arm in the full up position, until it is pushed down by the little cam arm on the bottom of the engine. The sensor is mounted on the right side of the clamp bracket. For a pisture of what it looks like, go here ...

2007 DF140 Suzuki Marine Outboard SENSOR Diagram and Parts

It's number 14 in the diagram.

Hi Mike: Thanks for the info. I'll have to haul the boat out and have a look. I hope it's accessible without having to remove too many other parts. :-(

Eugene

[Harper]

It's easily accessed with the boat out of the water. Just tilt the motor alll the way up and you'll see it on the inside of the right side clamp bracket. Just two bolts, I think. Nothing else has to be removed. The wiring goes up into the cowling area, where it passes through the grommets and on to the helm with all the other cabling. If the actuator arm is broken off, and you're convinced that they broke it when working on the motor, do your best to have them pay for the fix. The part is not cheap.

Edit: one last thought .... if it is the arm that's broken, and you cannot convince your mechanic to pay for it, post back up here and I'll tell you how to solve the problem much cheaper.

[bowrider]

Hi Mike: That's great news! Thanks again for the terrifically useful information. Unfortunately, I won't be back up north to my boat for a couple of weeks, but as soon as I do, I'll yank the boat out and have a look.

Regards, Eugene

[bowrider]

Tilt sensor examined

Hi Mike;

I finally got back up north to check on the tilt/trim sensor. I finally found it in the center front, under a steering link. It looks quite different from the one in the link you gave me. Suzuki must have redesigned it for 2015. Anyway, the arm is not broken. I removed it to check its movement and measure its resistance. It appears to be a 2000 ohm potentiometer, with Black, Blue and Yellow wires. It seems to work, but the resistance at one extreme does not go to zero, but about 100 ohms, it's 2000 at the other end. Is this normal?? I found a site on the internet that states that the resistance should be 2.5 ohms at full up and 88 at full down. This sensor doesn't do that! Also since to display full up, it needs low resistance, I'm wondering if the sensor wire is shorted to ground somewhere, since I'm seeing continuous full up. So the question is, is the sensor resistance correct, or has it somehow changed, and if it needs low resistance to show full up, is the sensor wire shorted somewhere? Two different issues. BTW the part number on the sensor is 84626.

P.S. I checked the gauge itself with a 100 ohm pot, and it smoothly varies between full up and down as the pot is turned. That's why I can't see how a 2000 ohm sensor could drive the gauge properly, yet it did for a few weeks.

Regards

Eugene

[Harper]

Well, guess I can't help you on this one. Apparently you're right, and they have changed the design at some point, since the part to which I referred you was 34801-99E03 or 04.

[bowrider]

Hi Mike;

Oh well, thanks for your interest. When I get this thing sorted out I'll post the results. It's very mysterious. Hopefully it'll help someone else.

Regards

Eugene

[bowrider]

Finally, problem identified

Hi Mike; Well I finally solved the problem. Suzuki really changed the way the tilt/trim indicator works for 2015 (and maybe earlier). Now the trim sensor feeds the ECM which drives the gauge. The motor was bought new in May. Suzuki then had a recall to update the software in the ECM to fix a problem with the water sensor in the gas filter. The dealer installed this fix in July. That's when the trim gauge stopped working. I went back to the dealer a few days ago and he confirmed that others have had the same problem, so now the ECM has to be replaced again. This has bugged me for two months and now I know more than I ever wanted to about tilt/trim sensors, gauges and wiring. I'll post an FYI about problems arising from ECM updates. Thanks again for your interest.

[Harper]

*** (watch the powers that be censor that word..... it's w-o-w.... go figure) that is quite a change in trim sensing. But I'm glad to hear that there is a solution, and thanks for letting everyone know about this change with the trim gauge and sensing.


...told ya they'd censor that first word.......

[Twinfish2]

Did the second ECM replacement fix the tilt gauge? I'm having the same problem just put the new one in yesterday and now no tilt gauge..