T/T seems "noisy"

[dajohnson53]

1982 V6, J235TLCNE, rebuilt/re-man about 10 years ago. T/T replaced completely about 4-5 years ago just before I bought it. I rarely - almost never - have used the trim and tilt when the engine is not running. I have a jet lower unit which means I do not tilt for loading, unloading or trailering. Most adjustments I do are with the hydraulic lift.<br /><br />Last night I was cleaning up the battery connections, and afterwards, in order to check everything out, I tried the T/T at both the control box and the engine switch. (both worked great). It seems that the unit might be a little noisy. Not a real harsh sound, but sounds like its grinding a little. It functions perfectly. Like I said, I don't really know what it "normally" sounds like since I only use it when the engine's running, and thus don't really hear what it sounds like.<br /><br />I've never done any maintenance on this. In years past, I've had spring maintenance and tweaking done by a mechanic, and he checked out the T/T unit. But the past couple of years, I've been doing fall and spring maintenance myself, but haven't done anything to the T/T. <br /><br />I'll dig into the service manual tonight (have Seloc and OMC), but I'm wondering, what common maintenance is done to a T/T? Is it easy (as a reference, compared to lower unit gear lube)? Would low fluid or dirty fluid cause noise?<br /><br />Thanks much.