96 200hp tilt/trim leaking fluid in water and motor will not come up

I ran my boat all day today and when I went to put it on the trailer it wouldn't come up. When trying to raise it, it was leaving a fluid film on the water. We had to raise it by hand while one person held the switch up. It very slowly came up and then worked fine. When I got it home to lower it and flush it wouldn't budge up to unlock it even with the 3 of us pulling up like before. I need to refill the fluid but I don't know what kind of hydraulic fluid to use. Any ideas what may be causing this problem?

Re: 96 200hp tilt/trim leaking fluid in water and motor will not come up

Hi, Michael - I've a similar problem myself, and it happened pretty much just like yours. Tilt/trim worked great at the beginning of the outing. Then at some point, I noticed that the engine would not trim properly, so I headed back to the dock. At the dock, neither the tilt nor trim would work. The engine was full down. I could hear the trim motor running, and then noticed the hydraulic oil leaking. You might want to find my post from earlier today, and another from a day or so ago, for some more detail.

On my '92 175 HP Mercury, there is a manual release valve on the starboard side of the tilt/trim assembly. It looks like a bolt head with a slot for screwdriver in it. If you back it out about 3 turns or so, you can muscle the engine up, then engage the tilt lock bar. Probably a good idea to screw the valve in again. To be safe, it's a two person job.

Look at my earlier post for approved fluids for my engine, according to the Merc manual. Your engine is a few years younger, so I can't guarantee the same fluids apply. Maybe someone can chime in, or I'd recommend getting a manual.

I still can't tell where my leak is. I'll bump my post up, and maybe someone can help us both out. GOOD LUCK

P51D