79 johnson 70 trim/tilt issues

Dabbler_E

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
338
Just added a used trim/tilt (off an 1983 Jon 140) and am trying to get it working right. This is a 2-wire, between-the-brackets unit. The gist is that when filled w/ fluid it has very limited range of motion and zero power to the tilt cylinder.
1) I'm working with jumpers straight to the blue and green wires
2) Existing fluid was somewhat sludgy coming out the manual lift valve
3) Went through the recommended bleeding procedure (raise motor, lock, fill reservoir to hole, down, up, repeat), but this became problematic because
4) after a couple cycles, the trim started having very short movement distance. Basically stays within 1" of fully trimmed out and won't go down any further, despite the motor continuing to run.
5) There is NO power at all to the tilt cylinder as far as i can tell. Trim extends fully, motor continues running, and nothing happens. I can lift the motor manually at that point, but there is zero assistance as far as I can tell.

My complete lack of experience with power trim/tilt hasn't stopped me from hypothesizing that it could be a stuck valve or clogged line. How far off am I?

Any wisdom, hypotheses, or (preferably) "Aha! I know what your problem is!" moments greatly appreciated.
 

marinemech1

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
623
Re: 79 johnson 70 trim/tilt issues

sounds like your manual release valve is open or leaking...tighten it up or substitute a working one.
Wayne
 

Dabbler_E

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
338
Re: 79 johnson 70 trim/tilt issues

MM1 -- bingo! The release valve was hanging up on the circlip. Replaced circlip & torqued down the valve. Cycles perfectly and stays up all day. Thanks! So simple.
 
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