Force Trim Seal?

[showman3003]

I am in the process of overhauling the trim/tilt on a 1990 90 hp. Force outboard. The original reason for the overhaul was that after about a three year storage the tilt was leaking down and the motor would not hold the position it was left in. This seems to be a reoccurring Force issue and I thought I would start with the trim/tilt cylinders. The O-rings all look pretty good but I'm replacing them anyway. The tilt cylinder has some scoring or scratches in the liner and the piston has some scoring on the sides. My guess is that at some time the o-ring had failed and the liner and piston made contact. Could these light scratches cause the leak down? Also, as I was breaking down the trim cylinder there was a ring around the ram. My suspicion is that there should be an outer seal around the ram on the outside of the cap and that the ring is the remains of like an oil ring in a seal. There is a depression that wasn't painted like the rest of the cap. Currently, there is only an o-ring around the ram about half way through the cap that can only be replaced with the cap off. I can find no reference to a "grease seal" or any pictures that will support that theory. You thoughts are appreciated.