Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

[86RajunCajun]

Hello,

I have a 1986 Mastercraft rajun cajun with 150 hp mariner v6 and mariner tilt and trim.

My problem started when the fluid reservoir broke and was leaking fluid. I got the new reservoir installed and drained all the old fluid out of the unit. The fluid was pink like pepto bismal when i drained it, but not milky like it had water in it.

So i try to refill the system and now it will trim down, but will not trim up.

The motor runs both directions and i can hear a sucking sound when trimming up. If i lift the outboard while someone trims the motor up it will go up but it is hesitant. The fluid in the reservoir is full when i remove the cap it spills out.

Also when i open the manual release valve the motor sinks all the way down and i hear air and gurgling sounds frim within the system.

When i manually lift <with a lot of umph behind it!> the motor, the 2 lower trim rams stay pressed into their tube and only come out when i manually lower the motor. Its like theres a big ol bubble of air stuck inside there. When i lift the motor it is hard to lift for the first 6 or 8 inches then it gets very easy to lift to full up.

I have heard that this system is self bleeding but so far it will not bleed.

So to sum up,

Motor trims down fully and compresses trim rams
Motor will not trim up.
Motor runs both directions just fine.
The pitch of the motor sound changes but the motor doesnt go up.
The trim rams stay sunk in their housings when the motor is lifted manually.
The trim rams come out only when the motor is pushed down manually.
I filled it with 10w30 motor oil, and have drained and tried ATF as well, neither fluid works.
The T+T unit worked just fine before the reservoir cracked. Up and down with no problems.

Thanks for any help.

Nate

 

[skynyrdcat]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

When the trim rams are extended (maybe a couple of inches) can you push down (and move the motor)?

If you can move the motor down more than 1/4" then you've got air in the system.

How did it get broke? You may have damage to other components.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Yes i can push the motor down and the bottom 2 trim rams pop out. im at wits end trying to get this thing working.

I dont really know how the reservoir cap got broken. I went out on the water, ran the boat for about an hour, put it on the trailer and the cap was cracked at the top where the filler neck meets the top of the cap. Its like something pushed down on the filler neck with force and just mashed it in a bit.

The motor will trim down all the way but it wont go up at all.

Any tips or tricks for gettin all the air out of this thing?

What step by step procedure should i use?

Thanks for any help.

 

[MaggieRose]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

I had to work on my system before the start of last season. The hydlaulic fluid in my unit was clear when it came out, you mentioned pink like pepto bismol??

Sounds like a seal is shot. You must have pulled the entire assembly to replace the motor. When you installed the new motor, did you pull the end caps off the rams and do an inspection of the cylinders and seals? A replacement seal kit runs about sixty bucks.

After rebuilding my unit, I had to run it up and down numerous (about two dozen cycles) to completely purge all the air out. Those unit are self-purging, and if it is not purging, a check valve is probably hanging up.

Dirty hydraulic fluid is a NO NO .

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Thanks for the info!

I didnt replace the motor. The motor works great both directions. What i replaced was just the reservoir cap that was cracked.

The fluid wasnt dirty, it was brand new, but every time i would fill the system up, and try to trim it up and down, it would trim down then i would have to manually lift the motor back up, and the fluid would always go in clear and clean and come out like it had been whipped, and turned into a whiting pink pepto bismol color. The fluid i put in was always nice and clean and comes out pink and whipped.

So if i rebuild the seals and such, how can i purge the air out if the motor doesnt lift and lower the outboard like it is supposed to? can i manually operate the system up and down with the manual relief valve open to purge the air out untill the trim motor will lift the outboard?


I guess ill take the trim ram tubes apart and look for a broken seal or something.

Thanks again for any info.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Before you take it apart, I recommend you bleed it good. The trim fluid will look pink if it has air in it.

Run the trim motor up, lift the motor manually at the same time and lock the motor all the way up. Now let it sit 1/2 hour in that position. Now open the resvoir and let out the air and refill with Dextron III Auto Trans fluid. When it is full, try to trim all the way down and then up. if it won't trim up, help it again and lock it up, wait 1/2 hour and refill the resvoir. After two or three treatments like this it will have been bled, and you should see it work better.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Thanks a lot! Ill try that tomorrow.

Question tho,

If i follow this method, and trim it down, then help it up, and let it sit half hour, then i go to open the cap and fluid spills out, as in it wont take any more fluid, what should i do then? Could that indicate another problem?

I tried this method a couple times and after trimming all the way down, i would lift it manually and the trim rams would stay in the tubes and only about 1" of the trim ram was sticking out. I would open the cap on the reservoir and fluid would spil out. Then when i lowered the outboard, about half way down, the trim rams would seem to be pushed out all the way by either fluid or air. Is this an indication that something in there is broken or not working correctly?

Thanks again for the ideas!

 

[82skeeterm]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

I have an xtra tilt and trim motor, if you live somewhere close in Sacramento, Ca you can pick my extra one for free.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Wow thanks a lot for the generous offer! So far the motor appears to be working good. Its bleeding the system of air that seems to be the troublesome part.

Thanks again for the generous offer! If the motor were to quit on me i would definitely take you up on it!

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

If you trim rams are stuck, you may have other problems. I admit my knowledge of the details of sdesign is exhausted, at this moment.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

well the trim rams come out and i can push them in by hand when the system is empty of fluid and the cap and manual plug is remove, so i dont think they are stuck.

I just started the process of refilling and bleeding the system, so i am on my first half hour wait while it is propped up. Wish me luck!

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Ok, well, i have completed about 10 cycles of the bleeding system and i seem to be making a little progress.


Right now, i am at the point where the main ram will only start lowering the outboard when the bracket comes into contact with the trim rams. I have to give it a little push to get it going, but then it will slowly compress the trim rams all the way in and when the motor trims full down i can hear gurgling in the system and it seems like the motor starts to strain at full down. The outboard will still not trim up at all, but i can manually lift it while the wife holds the trim up button and the motor runs. It seems like the motor is working some because it gets a little easier to lift this beast each time.

I do notice that sometimes after manually lifting the outboard with the motor running up, after i lock it up, and open the reservoir cap, i get a small release of compressed air, or a fast "hiss" sound. I put fluid in and top it off, seal the cap back up and then repeat the lowering and lifting of the outboard.

I am guessing there is still air in the system after 10 cycles up and down tho because i can still press the trim rams into the tubes by hand. What happens is if i push one side in, the other will push out, like there is a bubble of air allowing movement inside there, not solid fluid. So i guess i will just have to keep going at this till i get all the air out. It sure is a pain in the ***, and as far as i can tell this thing isnt even close to "self bleeding" at all!

Also, how much fluid should this thing take? I have almost a full quart of Dexron III in it thus far.

Also, the trim motor wont kick in to lower the outboard untill the trim plate comes into contact with the trim rams. Till it hits the trim rams, it just free falls down with or without the trim motor running. Im thinking thats the air pocket that i am slowly removing and replacing with fluid.

Thanks again for any help!

 

[hkeiner]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Take a look at the attached guide. It may be of help to you.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Ok well that was a great help!

So the symptons i am having are:

C: Does not trim full up. Down OK.
Problem: Lower check valve not seating in port side trim ram.
OR low oil level.

Well i have filled the oil and ran it up and down several times but sometimes a slight hiss of air will come out when the fill cap is removed, after running it up and down, eventually no more air will exit but fluid will exit as if it is under pressure with the motor locked up. Also, with the cap off and the oil level full, the trim rams will both stay sunk in their tubes, and when i pull them out oil will flow from the fill hole as if the moving out of the trim rams is pushing fluid out, but not when i push the trim rams in! I need to make a video of this damn thing so you can al lsee what im dealing with. This is too hard to explain in detail.

The port side trim ram stays seems to only come out AFTER the starboard side trim ram is all the way out. Also the ball on the end of the port side trim ram is rusty/dirty and doesnt roll in its seat freely. I had no idea this could cause a problem.

Looks like this is gonna end up costing me a bunch of dman money which i dont have lol. Im so pissed off!

Thanks a lot for all your help tho guys. Worth a million, all of you!

 

[hkeiner]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

Problem: Lower check valve not seating in port side trim ram. OR low oil level.

Have you determined whether the lower check valve is OK or not? This would be my next step if my motor's tilt/trim had the symtoms you describe.

 

[86RajunCajun]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

how could i confirm that as the problem? is there a tell tale way of trouble shooting that specific part?

As it is now, the port side trim ram seems to stick in the tube and only comes out when the starboard side ram is fully out, when lowering the outboard.

Its like,when i trim it down, it will go, and at about the half way point down the starboard side trim ram starts coming out and when it is fully extended the port side will start coming out.

Then when i manually lift the outboard with the motor running, both the trim rams stay sunk in their tubes. arent they suppose to come out as the outboard is trimmed up?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Un-Reel fishing team]

Re: Tilt and Trim 150hp Mariner v6

i have almost the same problem with my 1989 mariner 150 but mine is a brand new trim motor and it worked fine fishing all day .then all the sudden the motor stopped trimming up or down after i tilted it up a little bit. i dont have any idea what the problem could be but the motor works and sounds great but wont move the engine and the oil is full up to the filler cap.any help would be appreciated