motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

[stack08]

when i tilt my motor up (electric tilt) it will not stay up it slowly comes down.i don't believe thats supposed to happen.What can be wrong and what might be my problem and how do i fix it....Once again i'm new to this...any help would be apreciated.....thanks

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

Need more info other than your motor won't stay up.Year/HP anything else!! Jerry

 

[thirdgen87]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

if you have tilt and trim. your seals may be going bad. also there should be a cap on the side of the pump. put some hydraulic lift fluid in it and see if it holds. my motor sat for a while. i put fluid in it. and it held the motor up. worth a try

 

[stack08]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

1990 force 125hp.

 

[RRitt]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

It's almost certainly your pump.

The seals get old and go bad. In the valve body half of pump it causes pressure bleed off (leak down). In the motor half it allows moisture to get inside and leads to rust (motor failure). The seals on both usually go bad at around same time regardless of how much you use boat.

Your trim system should use oil (tan color) rather than ATF (red). If oil then you may expect another 2-10 years from your hydraulic rams. You rams should be good until the rod scrapers begin to crack or split. Inspect your rod scrapers and if they are good assume that your rams are just fine. Rod scrapers are on the very top of shock/tilt rams and wipe water/debris off of the piston shaft as it retracts. The other point of failure on hydraulic rams is the centering ring on trim piston cover. If the centering ring pops out then immediate attention is warranted before the problem becomes terminal.

You may be able to find some aftermarket valve bodies and motors here on iboats. You are looking for a 2w Prestolite. If yours is in decent shape then you may want to consider having it rebuilt. As long as you have all of the parts then rebuild is fairly cheap. If your motor doesn't have any rust, then slapping a new set of seals and thru-bolts on it will keep it working like new for another decade (and the ideal time to do it is while having valve body repaired/replaced).

 

[stack08]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

well i looked on the pump and say that there was a nut(which i believe is where you fill it)and when i unscewed it oil came out thats with the motor down.does that mean there is enough oil in there?Mine has 1 pump and 2 hydrolics.So it would be the seals on the pump that would have to be replaced or on the hydrolics.the connections are all tight.Like i said new to this so any other help would be good...Where can i get these seals and other parts that may be needed?

 

[PMcColley]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

I have a 90 120 that had the same problem and the valve went bad, the shop I had check it couldn't get new replacement parts so I had a new pump motor, valve body and lines installed for about $1100. Now my ob lifts twice as fast as before. The ram and shock will probably go next but they can be replaced new for a couple hundred bucks according to my merc shop.

 

[RRitt]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

I have a 90 120 that had the same problem and the valve went bad, the shop I had check it couldn't get new replacement parts so I had a new pump motor, valve body and lines installed for about $1100. Now my ob lifts twice as fast as before. The ram and shock will probably go next but they can be replaced new for a couple hundred bucks according to my merc shop.

ouch!

DIY,
take pump off 45 mins
send-off for valve rebuild + motor seals $150ish
put pump back on 30 mins

so .. that's like ... about $750 per hour. Personally, I'd like to have that job.

 

[stack08]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

yeah i'd rather do that and save some money..now i live in central jersey does anyone know a place that can rebuild that for me in the area...if anyone know a place or two let me know some numbers so i can call....
thanks everyone for your input on this....

 

[RRitt]

Re: motor tilts up and doesn't hold up

yeah i'd rather do that and save some money..now i live in central jersey does anyone know a place that can rebuild that for me in the area...if anyone know a place or two let me know some numbers so i can call....
thanks everyone for your input on this....

Try a local hydraulics shop. Their main market is stuff like tractors and road-graders but there is so much overlap that they should be able to figure out how your prestolite works. Don't be thrown by the "marine" label. Most tractors are kept outdoors and having a watertight motor isn't really all that special. To my knowledge my listings on Ebay are the only "send away for what I need" option in the world. There is one company left making the valve bodies in the $250-$300 range but I think they are backordered until next spring. And I'm not going to rebuild them after this season except as personal favors .... So try a local hydraulics shop. Any city with tractors, road graders, and bucket trucks will have someone who fixes the hydraulics. The one thing I wouldn't do is wait until next year. I'd definitely try to find out sooner rather than later if there is a local hydraulics shop. If not then you might be scr*wed. But ... if you have ALL winter to look .... then maybe .... you might find a good replacement on ebay for cheap.