Tilt / trim hydraulic hose replacement?

[CaptStephan]

So, I have been searching for an answer to this and found an old unanswered post, so I thought I better start over.

I spent over two hours tonight and only have some broken tools to show for it. I have a 2003 Volvo Penta 4.3GL with the SX outdrive. The previous owner spliced one of the hydraulic lines with a brass hose barb fitting and it can't handle the pressure. I want to replace the hose, but I can't get to the end behind the motor and on the front side of the drive. There must be a way that doesn't involve removing the outdrive.

I can see the manifold from the back side with the outdrive all the way over to port. The manifold is on starboard and has the four hoses that run to the two rams. Any help is greatly appreciated as I can't seem to figure it out and can't seem to find a manual or any instructions (except info on the other end / pump assembly).

Thanks,
Stephan

 

[dypcdiver]

No Title

I have had to replace the whole manifold on my boat. Is your boat used in fresh or salt water? If in salt then you have very little chance of getting the fitting out.
You may need to get a Auto brake nipple spanner, but even that may need grinding down, mine did and even then it would not work (rounded the nuts).

Remove the Outdrive and the Swivel housing to gain access. The manifold is only held in by one nut. you need to cut the ties on the 2 hoses inside of the engine compartment. The manifold can be removed far enough to undo the 2 lines from the pump. I have replaced my manifold because despite soaking the fittings for a week I was unable to undo any of the fittings. By the way you may need to bend the existing tubes to get the manifold to turn enough to extract it.

 

[CaptStephan]

OK,

So this boat has never been in salt water, it has been in lakes / rivers in the Rocky Mountain region its' whole life as far as I can tell. There is no sign of corrosion and everything looks pretty clean.

My issue is that I can't reach the inboard end of the hose to loosen it as I mentioned above. I have attached some photos to show my set-up. You can see that there should be room to get at it from the inboard side if there was a custom wrench made for that purpose. I just have a hard time believing that I need to drop the whole outdrive to change this hose. Maybe that is the reason the previous owner made the cheap splice that doesn't hold.

Is there a trick I don't know about? Can I loosen up something on the outdrive that would allow me to remove the manifold just enough to loosen and remove the inside hose?

Thanks,
Stephan

 

[dypcdiver]

Sorry, but you need to remove the outdrive and the pivot housing to gain working access to the manifold if there is no corrosion then you might be lucky and be able to get the hose free. It only takes less than half an hour to remove the outdrive and should be done every season anyway to grease the "U" joints and check alignment and the gimbal bearing.

 

[serpico1]

I have twin 2004 Volvo 5.0 OSI-F stern drive engines. The Port side hydraulic trim line is leaking. I had the marina mechanic look at it, (unfortunately, I do not fully trust his opinion, I have been burned in the past by them.) He stated that it was the low pressure line leaking. He said this line runs inside the boat. Which doesn't make sense, since the line is leaking outside the boat, as I can see an oil sheen in the water from the leak. He also said that in order to change the line, he has to remove the engine from the boat. Again, I cant believe that just to replace a hydraulic line that the whole engine has to come out of the boat. This doesn't seem right to me. Does anyone have experience on replacing the hydraulic trim line?

 

[dypcdiver]

Change your mechanic.

 

[serpico1]

Change your mechanic.

I had figured as much. The mechanic says he is certified in vovlo repairs. However, he is not a Volvo authorized mechanic. Si, I think I will take it to another marina, where they have a Volvo authorized mechanic on staff and get a second opinion. Although, if its not a difficult job, I would like to just do it myself and save the extra costs.. If anyone can give me some pointers..

 

[dypcdiver]

No such thing as a low pressure line they both act as supply and return. As stated above you need to remove the drive and swivel housing to get at the manifold. it is not difficult, but can be time consuming depends on age and whether the boat has been used in salt water or not.

 

[serpico1]

No such thing as a low pressure line they both act as supply and return. As stated above you need to remove the drive and swivel housing to get at the manifold. it is not difficult, but can be time consuming depends on age and whether the boat has been used in salt water or not.

I am assuming he meant the return line then. Either way, he didn't say anything about having to remove the drive. The drive was actually replaced this season, which is when he noticed the leak. Again, he states the engines, not the drives, have to be removed from the boat in order for them to replace the line.

 

[dypcdiver]

http://boatinfo.no/lib/library.html

 

[PatinIdaho]

CaptStephan: Nice job on the pic's!