99 Ficht 90hp Tilt and Trim question

[mkrussow]

I'm working on the tilt and trim from a 99 Ficht 90hp, but I'm doing the work off the boat. I've filled the reservoir and cycled the tilt cylinder several times to release any air. The tilt cylinder runs up and down great. The trim cylinders won't cycle down. I can push them down if the pump is running and then they will push up just fine. Do the trim cylinders require the weight of the motor to go down? I just want to make sure I've got everything right before this goes back on the motor.

Thanks for the help!

 

[iggyw1]

I'm working on the tilt and trim from a 99 Ficht 90hp, but I'm doing the work off the boat. I've filled the reservoir and cycled the tilt cylinder several times to release any air. The tilt cylinder runs up and down great. The trim cylinders won't cycle down. I can push them down if the pump is running and then they will push up just fine. Do the trim cylinders require the weight of the motor to go down? I just want to make sure I've got everything right before this goes back on the motor.

Thanks for the help!

I think it is pretty obvious, if I am understanding your post correctly, that you need the weight of the motor to lower the trim cylinders. You stated that you can push the trim cylinders down if the pump is running. This same thing would happen, I would assume, if the weight of the motor is pushing the trim cylinders down while the pump is running, the trim cylinders would go down. Without the pump running, the trim cylinders stay in the set position? If so, this is a good thing, no?

 

[mkrussow]

It's only a bad thing if the something is not working correctly.

Is a valve supposed to route fluid to the top side of the cylinder to push it down (in addition to fluid being allowed to leave the lower side of the cylinder)? If so, then the valve is not working correctly since the cylinders won't go down under power. If it's just a matter of a valve opening and allowing fluid to leave the lower side of the cylinder under pressure, then things do seem to be working correctly. I guess my question is whether the valves are functioning as they should given the way it's operating.

 

[Fed]

Fluid drives the trim cylinders down, they should drive down even if the motor is fully tilted up & sitting on the manual safety lever thingies.

 

[mkrussow]

Thanks for the response, Fed. At this point, it's safe to assume I have a valve that's sticking and I need to remove the pump and check things out? Or could it be something simpler?

 

[Fed]

Sorry mate I don't know anything about the inner workings of the system.
I can only assume when the tilt ram reaches a certain pressure something by-passes & directs fluid to send the trim rams down.
Got to be a by-pass valve somewhere in there.

 

[Chris1956]

Om my '98 Johnny, the tilt cylinder pulls the motor into the trim cylinders driving them down. They do not retract on their own.

 

[Fed]

Perhaps they changed the way they work but I don't think so Chris.

My '88 model manual specifically says for trailering to tilt to the top position, lock the trailering levers & drive the TT down until both the trim rams are fully retracted.

I only found out by accident one day when I did just that, after a few seconds I heard "clunk, clunk" and when I went to investigate I found both the trim rams fully retracted. Needless to say I did a quick google to find out that's how they're supposed to work.

 

[Chris1956]

Well fed, I had the PTT unit off the motor like the OP. The trim rods did not retract, even when the tilt cylinder was all the way retracted.... Just my observation.....

 

[Fed]

I don't think on or off the motor would make any difference chris but I don't know for sure.
You might be on to something, hopefully mkrussow will give us the answer.