Trim won't stay up.

[88bay]

I just put a new lift trim ram on; my last one leaked really bad. I don't see any obvious leaks but, I do know there is some water in the lines from driving it with the ram unhooked. If I trim all the way up it will slowly drop down and if I'm driving I can't trim up. Do I need to bleed the lines or drain all of the fluid and put new in? If so any ideas of how to do this?

 

[88bay]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

Also, the cap for the fill does not close tight. I know the rubber gasket is bad.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

year? horsepower?

 

[88bay]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

Year is a 1988 and hp is 125

 

[RRitt]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

if you do not have any external fluid leaks then bleed down is almost always the valve body. It could be a bad bypass valve in tilt piston but that is like finding zebras at a rodeo. Yes, it could be a zebra painted brown ... but it is more likely to actually be a horse.

If this is the original 1988 trim motor then the smart thing to do is put new seals on motor while you have it off boat (for valve body rebuild).

 

[RRitt]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

don't worry about filler cap. on your year all it needs to do is keep water out of reservoir. When you have the valve body rebuilt ask them to run a 3/8-24 tap in filler hole to clean up threads. Put a 7/16"OD x 3/32" diameter o-ring on the plug. Mildly finger tight is all you need - just enough to keep from vibrating out.

 

[88bay]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

I'm pretty mechanically inclined. Is this something I can do at home if I can find a manual? And somewhere to order the parts.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

Rebuilding valve body is a difficult proposition. It's hard to get apart without damaging or losing something. Its hard to put back together so that it works and even more difficult to reassemble so that it will last. I consider the cost of rebuilding fairly cheap ($120-$140). So I find it extremely difficult to endorse DIY valve bodies as a good idea.

That said, somebody posted a lawnmower part# for the check valves. That's the hardest part to find. Don't lose or distort the retaining rings. They are over $1 each wholesale. Last thing anybody needs is a spare box of 98 SS retaining rings. Don't forget to put new seals on your 1988-1992 trim motor while you have it off boat. That's a $200 part and $10 worth of seals will make it last another 10 years.

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

my local merc dealer indicated the the trouble was the check valve and order and provided me a new one with the o rings and c clip , 68 bucks, but cautioned they are getting rare.
when I pull the check valve if its ok, and just the o ring is bad, anything special bout the o ring? would prefer to save the package for when I need it if I can.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

my local merc dealer indicated the the trouble was the check valve and order and provided me a new one with the o rings and c clip , 68 bucks, but cautioned they are getting rare.
when I pull the check valve if its ok, and just the o ring is bad, anything special bout the o ring? would prefer to save the package for when I need it if I can.

I listed that part number once and somebody got upset saying it was of no value to them .. so I haven't mentioned F17620 since. You kind of actually need two of them. One in front and one in back. If you only have one new check valve then install it in the front (next to the port that faces down). Kicking up in reverse isn't normally much of a problem anyway.

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

thanks, the problem I'm having is the motor bleeds down , this happened the first time after raising's it up in the spring.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Trim won't stay up.

it's an age thing. trim systems get old and need plastic surgery.