alpha 1 trim pump question?

jpotter93

Cadet
Joined
Mar 18, 2004
Messages
16
i've been having a problem with my trim pump that i can't figure out. the outdrive will go down just fine, but when i bring it up, it is very slow. i can pick the outdrive up manually and have someone trim up the outdrive and it will stay in the up position when i let go. the motor will not bleed down over time. anyone know what is going on?. it does make a little different noise when trimming up. a more whining noise. i don't think there is air in the system and there doesn't seem to be water in the system. i just replaced the fluid when i replaced the solenoids in the spring and it worked good for the first ten or so times i raised and lowered it but it is doing the same thing again. it did this before i replaced the solenoids and drained the fluid. let me know if anyone has any solutions.
 

SS MAYFLOAT

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2001
Messages
6,372
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

Sounds like a weak pump itself. When under a greater load of lifting the outdrive, fluid maybe leaking by not allowing full pressure to your cylinders. I would try bleeding more fluid out of the cylinders on the lift mode to see if there is more air in your system. It is cheaper to eliminate air in the system than to replace the pump.<br /><br />Another thought would be is this. If you get the outdrive up and being held there by the hydraulics, push down on the outdrive. If you can push down on it and you can force it down a bit, you probably still have air in the system. Air can be compressed, but fluid cannot. A small amount of air in a hydraulic system is a PITA in any thing that is hydraulic.
 

jpotter93

Cadet
Joined
Mar 18, 2004
Messages
16
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

i was actually out messing with the trim pump and i did notice that the fluid was white milky looking leading me to suspect that there might be water in the system. where should i start in finding here i am getting this water from. also what is the best way to flush the water out of everything if i can find the problem.
 

simon666

Cadet
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
14
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

I had a similar problem,<br />i stripped the pump itself and found that the big spool valve (the one with the large nuts either side of the pump body) that shoots across as you go up or down had a burr in the cylinder wall causing it to allow oil to bleed back into the res when triming up as it wasnt seating properly.<br />A bit of very fine wet-n-dry sorted it! works great now!
 

boatguy19

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Feb 15, 2004
Messages
94
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

its not your pump. if the oil is milkey you have to drain the oil out,un bolt the motor from the braket that holds it- two bolts in the back. on bottom of tank there is one bolt that holds it on to the motor take the tank off and dump the oil. on the bottom of the motor you will see a screen 99 out of 100 times the screen is cloged with gunk kind a like something thats been your refig for two months, clean it with carb cleaner until clear put fresh oil in fill with outdrive down no need to bleed system does it automatically after running up and down a few times . been through this many times with friends boats.
 

jpotter93

Cadet
Joined
Mar 18, 2004
Messages
16
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

i just recently drained all the fluid and put new in but i didn't fix the screen your talking about. where did this new water come from. also where is that screen. i'm not sure i understand
 

boatguy19

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Feb 15, 2004
Messages
94
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

you have to take the plastic tank off to get all the warter and oil out, the screen is inside the tank thats why you have to take it off to get to it. once the tank is off you will see three shafts one has a screen on it thats the one that gets cloged from the water and oil being mixed together it will be full of goop on the out side you have to clean it thats why your outdrive will not go up and if it does it takes allday to do it, as for where the water is coming from sometimes from climing in and out of the boat water runs down there rain ect the cap on the tank has a little hole in it, it doesent take much water to mess those things up. thats how water got into mine.
 

fireship1

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 26, 2003
Messages
581
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

Hello, Those OEM Merc oil tank filler caps are notorious for allowing water to mix with the oil. You can by aftermarket caps that have addressed this problem by changing the design. The only other way you can get water in the system is worn or leaky trim ram seals or a cracked or leaking power trim hose or fitting.
 

jpotter93

Cadet
Joined
Mar 18, 2004
Messages
16
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

when i am changing the fluid, does the motor need to be all the way down so i get as much oil out of the lines as possible? do i then add oil to the tank with the motor all the way down and add as it takes oil back into the lines. what is the procedure? i understand that if i add too much, it will spill over when i put the motor back down. thanks for all the help guys.
 

boatguy19

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Feb 15, 2004
Messages
94
Re: alpha 1 trim pump question?

to get the majarity of the oil out of the system put your outdrive in the down position. leave it down when you fill it back up with oil, you should see a fill line on the side of the tank just make sure the screen is clean in the tank. you should clean the screen once a season or more often if necessary .
 
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