1989 88 Hp Johnson manual lift assist "dead"

Old No 7

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
104
The "lift assist" cylinder on my 1989 88HP Johnson motor does not "assist" at all anymore. I can move it from full up to full down, but this is getting a bit tiresome. <br /><br />From other posts here I'm guessing that I need to change the cylinder. Am I correct?<br /><br />If I decided to put in a power tilt system, would I still have to replace this?<br /><br />Is this cylinder common to other engines? (years/models)If I go to Ebay, is it a good idea to look for a used one? <br /><br />The boat and motor have been in salt water all their lives and the top cylinder connection point looks pretty bad (corroded). How hard is to to replace one of these cylinders? Can I do it while the motor is still on the boat?<br /><br />I know this is alot of questions, but I have been thinking about this for a while now.<br /><br />Thanks!!! mjosiah@summitechnologies.com
 

OBJ

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 27, 2002
Messages
10,161
Re: 1989 88 Hp Johnson manual lift assist "dead"

Yep....the only thing to do when the the tilt assist cylinder dies is replace it......or.....get an OEM TNT unit to replace it or get an after market TNT unit which is like a jack plate with TNT attached. Check the iboats store link below for the CMC unit. <br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cg...e=keyword&keywords=cmc&submit.x=35&submit.y=6 <br /><br />The OEM units are available from any John/Rude dealer and will run around $1K including tax. Check eBay for used units. You can sometimes get them there pretty reasonable.
 

Old No 7

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
104
Re: 1989 88 Hp Johnson manual lift assist "dead"

Thanks for you answer. If you wouldn't mind, i have a few other questions. I'm fairly handy, but boating is very new to me.<br /><br />From what I'm reading, I can leave the bad cylinder in if I put the CMC unit in? Or would that depend on the new unit installed? <br /><br />I figured out what TNT stands for, what is CMC?<br /><br />Does this unit replace the existing transom mounting unit?<br /><br />If it does replace the existing unit, I will have to remove the motor from the boat. Will a car engine hoist work? I have a friend that has a fairly heavy duty one. I will check the weight load first, I was just wondering if that is what people do.<br /><br />Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it!!
 

mikeyzx2

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 1, 2005
Messages
633
Re: 1989 88 Hp Johnson manual lift assist "dead"

CMC is the manufacturer of a tilt and trim unit. I came across it the other day snooping around, it's not a bad deal at all compared to OEM.
 

Cricket Too

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
May 14, 2003
Messages
1,732
Re: 1989 88 Hp Johnson manual lift assist "dead"

Yeah the CMC unit bolts directly to your transom and then you motor will bolt to it. The entire unti tilts so it doesn't rely on the tilt assisit cylinder on the engine. I would say you would definitely be able to pull that motor with a car engine hoist, it weighs a lot less than a car engine. I use a lift from a hospital that's made for lifting incapacitated people into beds, so you should be good witha real hoist. You can even let it hang from the hoist while you bolt the unit on your transom, then just lower the engine back on.
 

doriften

Recruit
Joined
Jun 2, 2010
Messages
5
Re: 1989 88 Hp Johnson manual lift assist "dead"

hi guys iv got a 89 90hp vro motor and the tilt trim has done the same thing died my problem is the 6 bolts that hold tilttrim onto motor bracket have snapped due to corrosian and at the heads so how do i get the trim unit off now drill them out this would take ages
 
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