135 HP age?

[reelfishin]

I have a 135 HP motor with the following tag, Model 135683G, Ser. # J0003033, can anyone decifer the year on this one? It's been camoflaged and there's no sign of any old decals. It runs good, but has power tilt issues.

Also, it has the early power tilt, can I convert this motor to the later tilt and trim?

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: 135 HP age?

1976. That was a weak trim/tilt system that didn't do well on V-4s. I don't think you can retro a three-ram system to it, but I could be wrong. The 1976 200 had one.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: 135 HP age?

Thanks.
Can I swap over the entire braket or pivot assembly from a newer motor? I have a complete new tilt/trim unit for a later V4, I was going to use it on a 70 hp I have but it would be better served on the 135 if I can modernize it a bit. The tilt system on the 135 now is missing the right side ram but other than that is complete. Someone has unbolted the rams and let them hang, so it either was a problem or didn't work. The pump works and the right ram tries to lift the motor but can't quite do it alone.
I was told by a local shop that the early system was only a power tilt system and that it was not meant to be a true power trim unit?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 135 HP age?

Not sure from your description if your system is a one or two piston unit. Some of the older single-ram systems were tilt only. The 2-piston trim units that were made for the older 70-135 engines were not very attractive to look at, but were true tilt and trim systems. They work fine and were as reliable as todays' newer systems. Some of the parts are not around anymore, but entire units are frequently advertised on ebay for good prices. You might want to consider the purchase of a complete older 2-ram system for your engine, rather than go through the aggrivation of changing the transom bracket components to add a newer trim system.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: 135 HP age?

This one had two outside mounted hydraulic rams, one on each side. The pump works, but the one piston that remains struggles to lift the motor. There's a T in the line where a second cylinder was but has been removed. The pump looks new, as does the relay and it's box. I just figured that it would be better to upgrade to a newer system, especially since I will have this completely apart already and I have a brand new later style tilt and trim.
This older system is huge, its nearly double the width of the newer system.
A local dealer told me that this system was only a tilt system and that I was missing one ram. The way it was explained to me was that this only had two rams to lift while the newer system has three and operates in stages. This is simply a pump and two hydraulic rams. I was told that the early system will return to the down position over a certain RPM or amount of force as a safety feature? Was there two early systems and maybe they aren't clear on what I have here?

This one has a ram on each side of the motor bracket, a single line that tees off too each ram from a pump that is mounted off to the right side of the bracket and is powered by a three wire harness that leads to a relay box with a single relay that looks like a Ford starter relay in a gray plastic housing.
What is there now looks to be in decent shape, the motor looks fairly new, the ram that is there don't show any signs of leaks, and the bracket is not too badly corroded. It was a freshwater boat, that came east a few years ago and probably never ventured into saltwater. I got it when the motor developed a miss.

I plan to use the motor on my other boat, if anyone wants the hull, they can have it. It's a solid boat but its too heavy for me.