1997 Johnson 115 Tilt problem

Guys,

My buddy bought a boat this past summer, and other than being able to pay for the boat, didn't know much about them. The boat is a 1998 Aquasport 205 Osprey, and it had a 1997 Johnson 115 V4. I went to his dock yesterday, and found the serial number to be G0434387, and model to be XJ115HXEUA.

So, we were fishing for the last day of flounder season on Friday, and as we got back to his dock, he raised his engine. The tilt motor / pump made a pretty nasty noise, and it sounded like it was low on hydraulic fluid. I then noticed that there was a sheen on the water, but I don't know if this was hydraulic fluid, or just oil that was coming out in the exhaust.

Anyway, the next day, he is out crabbing with his young daughters, and gets into some shallow water. He raises the engine, so that they don't get stuck, and continues to crab. The good part of the story is that they caught a lot of crabs, but the bad part is that the engine would not lower. He finally kept hitting the tilt switch to lower it, and got the same noise that we had the day before while raising the engine (note: the tilt motor / pump did not make the noise the previous day when we lowered the engine). He was able to push on the engine enough to get it part of the way down; which was just enough to get the cooling inlets covered.

So, I'm trying to help him diagnose and fix the motor. I went on the shop.evinrude site, and found a diagram for his tilt motor (part #0437664 I believe for the entire assembly). I did some searches on the forum here, and found some similar problems, but I'm a bit perplexed. I see that a lot of the previous replies that there is a manual release screw, but everyone mentions that it is on the port side of the assembly. I printed the schematic from the evinrude site, and it appears that on this unit, it is on the starboard side (part #66 on the diagram). Does this sound right?

So, based on this minimum information, what can we try to fix this? There is definitely some rust on the unit (mostly on the tilt motor housing on the port side of the engine), but the tilt motor still works. I'm thinking that the electrical side of the equation is wrong, based solely on the fact that the engine will raise if it is in a down position. The fluid level has not been checked in the reservoir, but I will do that over the weekend. I would think though that if there wasn't any hydraulic fluid, then the ram/piston that raises and lowers the motor would not be able to hold the weight of the motor in an up position, and that the motor would drop. Is this correct?

Lastly, if he really had to, could he somehow raise and lower the motor manually, at least until he gets the problem fixed?

Thanks.
Joe

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 Tilt problem

Looking at the tilt/trim unit on that motor, it looks to be the same one I have on my '98 115. The diagram (see attached) indeed does look like it has the manual release on the starboard side- (mine is on the port). I had a similar problem several years ago- motor got stuck in the full up position. I had air bubbles in my fluid and probably was short some fluid. There's a procedure in the manual for bleeding off the air bubbles and back filling with fluid to top it off. Run it all the way down and keep the switch depressed for another 5 seconds after it hits full-down. The run it up all the way and do the same (5 seconds). Engage the trailer brace and while in the full up position, slightly open the fill plug and you'll hear air come escape. Remove the plug and top off the fluid. Repeat the procedure until no air escapes and the reservoir is full.

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 Tilt problem

as mentioned there is a manual release for emergencies as you mention,you will find a round hole on I believe on the port side of the eng.if not ,starboard,you can loosen the relief using a large slotted screwdriver,you may need to put a vicegrip or wrench on the screwdriver to assist loostening,be sure to use a as large a screwdriver as possible and not that the screw cannot be removed by screwing out with the driver,just a couple turns are needed to release pressure and allow you to lift or push down,it will not go all the way down in the manual position,you need to find out where you fluid leak is,usually its one or more of the 3 piston seals,but could be a line,corrosion etc,with the engine up,locate the resivior ,its the roud object opposite the trim motor,there is a plug on the side facing you,fill the res.with trim and tilt fluid til it flows out the hole,operate the unit a few times and refill,at this point it should be obvious where the leak is,if its a piston seal,you can buy replacement caps as a unit,there are 4 holes in the seal cap,they are for spanner tool installation,you need to locate a spanner,you can buy,rent etcc,if you buy the part locally,you might be able to rent the tool from the shop,let us know what u find for more assistance

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 Tilt problem

Guys, thanks for the information. We'll give that a try this weekend.

Just in case that doesn't work, can we raise and lower it manually?

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 Tilt problem

Im sur it will work as long as there is fluid,yes you can use it by lifting /lowering manually,BUT,big BUT,in the down position,it will only lower to the point the 2 tilt rams extend,so,you willl have a very tilted motor which is kinda useless unless you idle,often the leak is small enough that you can get some run time,the more you use the tnt,the quicker you lose fluid,if you lower it,leave it down ,you should not lose fluid while not using the tnt function

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 Tilt problem

Is your motor a 60 degree eagle ???

i have a 97 evinrude 90 ocean pro, and a 95 johnson 115 ocean runner

they have the same tilt trim unit..

and here is what it looks like:

http://www.boats.net/parts/search/B...POWER TRIM-TILT HYDRAULIC ASSEMBLY/parts.html

when all the way down, i think you have to access through a hole on the stern bracket!!!

the other TNT photo in the previous post looks like a unit on an older 88 special I have...becasue I got that motor with the manual release missing!!!

so i know!!

bob

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 Tilt problem

The release screw is on the PORT side.
You guys are misinterpreting those diagrams,
they are from the front of the boat.

That strange noise is probably air pockets going thru the system, it needs topping up and bleeding by cycling. Simple process.

Raise leg, prop it up,
break the release valve loose a couple of turns and fill reservoir with ATF.
run the TNT pump up and down a few times then lock the relase screw down real tight and see if that fixed it. Check level again and repeat as needed.

You will probably need a big screwdriver with a wrench on the shaft (square shaft) to break the manual valve loose, its very tight).