trim motor questions

I have an old ebbtide with mercruiser 140 and last year the trim motor would notwork. I had a buddy hold the button while I pulled up on lower unit and I began to see smoke come from in side motor compartment. we stopped and now I got boat back out and the trim works but it seems that one ram works better or is faster than the other. i have no idea how to test it or even put fluid in the resivoir. I saw the link on manuals to download but Im unsure of which link I would need. any ideas

Re: trim motor questions

The trim pump may be out of hydraulic fluid.
The trim pump unit consists of an electric motor (a 4x6" cylinder) mounted on top of a square tank that holds the fluid. There are two flathead screws on top of the tank. The larger & lower screw is a dipstick and is where you fill the tank. If you need to fill it you can get a cheap ($10) multi-purpose pump from walmart and/or AutoZone that can pump oil from the bottle into that hole. The same pump when plumbed the other way can pump oil out of the engine through the dipstick hole when you change your oil.

Or - given the smoke - your trim pump may be fried. You can get a new one for big $$ or you can check ebay and find them used. You'll need to know what kind of outdrive you have. When you say "Old ebbtide" you could have an R-Type or Alpha which have two different types of pump. Search these forums for steps to determine which you have.

Also check the electrical connections on the pump. A loose connection can get hot and smoke. Wiggle the red rubber connector and check the connections between the pump motor and the solenoid.

Others more expert than me might have some other suggestions.

Good Luck
Jeff