1978 Mercury 800 80hp

[SweetLouI82]

Hello,

Last year I purchased a 1978 Rinkerbuilt that has a 78 Mercury 800 80hp outboard engine. I use the boat during camping trips on inland lakes which often require beaching the boat overnight. The problem is that the engine is not equipped with a power tilt and trim system and I believe the cylinders used to manually lift and lower the engine are shot. This makes it extremely difficult when trying to raise and lower the engine for beaching. I am looking for direction in obtaining either new cylinders, rebuilding the old ones, or a lead on a used power tilt and trim system. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Chris1956]

The shock absorbers on the manual tilt motors are designed to provide resistance to tilt and slow down the return to running position,if you hit something.That keeps the motor from slamming up and breaking the transom or hurting someone. I therefore think your shocks are working as designed.

In addition, that motor should have a tilt lock to hold the motor down for reverse. The motor must be in forward to release the lock.