Trim motor and pump left off exposing trim system to weather

[kjspylite]

1989 Mariner 75 HP 3 cylinder
Serial # starts with 0CXXXXXX (thats all I can remember)
Trim system: Design 1 side fill

When I purchased the motor it did not have the trim motor/pump installed. The owner said the motor was bad and was going to replace it but never got around to it. This left the trim system open to weather elements. I knew nothing about boats when I purchased it and thought that I could just install a new motor, flush the system, and having working trim. I installed a new motor (after reading A LOT of threads on this site) but I can not get the trim system to work.

Motor spins and sounds great
flushed the system a couple times using ATF as the existing fluid was pink
The trim arms (i think these are called the "rams", the arms that actually lift the motor) have moved with no weight but I have only gotten them to move once. They usually are recessed and don't move.
The system is full of fluid
I can lift the motor by hand up and down with fluid in it

What is my best plan of action to get this system working? Is it shot becuase the previous owner left the system open to the elements?

Thanks,
Nik

 

[eclipseturbors]

Re: Trim motor and pump left off exposing trim system to weather

Try this. The rod should move with some ease and spin freely. With nothing on, you can crack your lines and move your engine up or down fairly easily. This will make a mess, but the ram should be fairly easy to move. If so, tighten your lines back up. If the pump is working correctly, it should make the same sound all the time until the ram reaches the end of the cycle... then you should hear the pump work in bypass. Extend the ram as far out and then command the pump to extend it some more. If the system is full of ATF and has been cycled enough, your pump should go into bypass. If the pump is working in bypass the ram is full. Try commanding down. If it wants to move, then it may still have some air trapped. If not, then I would have the ram inspected by a hydraulic shop and NOT a marine place. Its gonna be cheaper and they should measure and match seals just as easily. The elements may have rusted a piston inside the ram. Its hard to say.

 

[kjspylite]

Re: Trim motor and pump left off exposing trim system to weather

Is it possible that, by not extending the rams out, I am not filling the system with enough fluid? I thought the system was full, but that was with the rams all the way down.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Trim motor and pump left off exposing trim system to weather

First check to see if manual release valve is tight and this system has on lines to loosen. Below is clip and paste from manual
Fill, Check, and Purge - Power Trim System
TO FILL:
IMPORTANT: This trim system is pressurized. Remove ?Fill? plug only when outboard is tilted to
the full ?Up? position or the trim/tilt rams are fully extended. Retighten ?Fill? plug before tilting outboard down or retracting tilt/trim rams. Remove ?Fill? plug and O-ring and add fluid. System is full when oil level is present at fill hole. Tighten ?Fill? plug securely
Trim engine to full ?up? position. Engage tilt lock lever. Trim system fluid can only be checked when engine is in this position. Slowly remove fill screw and check fluid level. Fluid level should be visible in fill tube. If necessary, add Quicksilver Power Trim and Steering Fluid or Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) Type F, FA or Dexron II to power trim system. Reinstall fill screw; tighten screw securely.

Bleeding Air From Power Trim System
To determine if the Power Trim system contains air,
position engine so two trim rods are slightly extended.
Do not extend tilt ram. Push down on lower unit. If trim
rods retract into trim cylinders more than 1/8

(3.2mm), it will be necessary to bleed air from the
Power Trim system.
Bleed air from Power Trim system as follows:
IMPORTANT: This trim system is pressurized. Remove
fill screw only when engine is trimmed to
the full ?up? position. Retighten fill screw securely
before trimming engine down.
Trim engine 3 or 4 times thru entire trim range; check
fluid level (fill if necessary) each time engine is
trimmed to the full ?up? position. See ?Checking Fluid
Level and Filling,? preceding.

 

[kjspylite]

Re: Trim motor and pump left off exposing trim system to weather

Thanks Eclipse and Fazt for your responses...

I'm hoping my problem is that the sysem simply does not have enough fliud in it. Both trim rods were completely down when I filled it up. I would raise the motor and lock it, then open the fill plug and fill as much as possible. after putting the fill plug back on, I would try try to work the system either with the motor still up or putting the motor down first. Either way, the trim rods would not move. As I said before, they have moved once, but I'm not sure what I did to get them to move. I've been filling and purging and filling so much that some combination must have worked temporaily. I will try to loosen and extend the rods and see if I can add more fluid with them fully extended. Also, this might give me an idea if rust is causing friction, and, therefore, the lack of movement of the trim rods.

 

[eclipseturbors]

Re: Trim motor and pump left off exposing trim system to weather

Is the pump going into bypass or sometimes hydraulic pumps have a limit switch and just shut off. I doubt the latter because I've never seen it on a boat, but it doesn't mean it can't happen. If you have followed the proceedure posted above, then maybe try this... Try disconnecting the rams from one end of the motor and see if they move freely when you command the pump. If your rams are barely moving, continue to try to purge the system with the cylinders back on the motor again. If not, I would def consider having the ram disassembled to see if you have a blown seal or something wrong with the ram cylinder. Weather inside any hydraulic system is never really going to be good, but hopefully you get lucky and its just full of a little air.