Trim tilt upper and lower shaft bolts stuck hard

PaulO

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 25, 2010
Messages
225
Is there any trick to loosening these bolts up? they are stuck hard. I have used INOX to try and loosen in addition to some hammer work.
 

foodfisher

Captain
Joined
Feb 18, 2009
Messages
3,756
Re: Trim tilt upper and lower shaft bolts stuck hard

Use brass drive pins. Plumbing stuff. , brass nipples with brass caps and give it h3ll. PB blaster, 3# sledge and grunts did it for me.
 

RRitt

Captain
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Messages
3,319
Re: Trim tilt upper and lower shaft bolts stuck hard

I think Frank once said that AL-Ox is ten times bigger than the aluminum it came from. What you have is galvanic corrosion (the white stuff) and a shaft that is being clamped down by aluminum oxide. In some cases the growth of AL-OX can create so much pressure that it actually splits your transom clamp.

So that's what you're fighting.

WD40 and other steel penetrating oils don't make much difference to Alox. I once had a can a specialty stuff for aluminum and it worked pretty good. Heat does wonders. It causes the two different metals to expand and contract at different rates which makes the alox crack. A good whacking also helps dislodge the powdery alox. But not too much whacking. A mushroomed shaft end WILL NOT go through the housings and clamps.

Me? I use a hacksaw. Then i throw away what's left of the old transom clamps. It's better to buy a $50 set of craigslist clamps and save the shafts than spending a whole day sledge hammering and still end up spending $50 on new shafts.

there's a good chance that your problems are only just starting. galvanic corrosion can turn a trim system rebuild into a 32-40 hour labor with anywhere from $100 to $250 in parts. The most telling item is trim cover bolts. If they are seized then you are hosed.
 

PaulO

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 25, 2010
Messages
225
Re: Trim tilt upper and lower shaft bolts stuck hard

I couldn't be stuffed with the frustration off banging endlessly, so, I took it to the engine shop and asked if they could press the two shafts out. They used a combination of mild heat, penitrine (?) penitrene (?,) I guess its a fancy word for loose juice :) , and all is well. It was the outer edge of the lower shaft that was sticking. There appeared to be a little corossion in the aluminium.

Now for the clean up.

You cannot paint the upper and lower shaft and then re-install them. The hole is that tight.
 

RRitt

Captain
Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Messages
3,319
Re: Trim tilt upper and lower shaft bolts stuck hard

glad to hear you got off easy. When it is bad no amount of heat and chemical will fix it.
 

Frank Acampora

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
12,004
Re: Trim tilt upper and lower shaft bolts stuck hard

Use a battery brush to ream and clean in the holes and coat everything with lots of anti-seize before you reassemble it.
 

PaulO

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 25, 2010
Messages
225
Re: Trim tilt upper and lower shaft bolts stuck hard

I shall do Frank - Thanks.
 
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