90 horse 1998 Force Trim cylinder crack

[mbdlaw2]

Anyone have web site information or contact information for Force - the trim cylinder cracked on my power trim...Also, any estimates for replacement of the trim cylinder? the local repair shop wanted $700...the trim motor appears fine, but the trim cylinder is cracked all down the length of it. This is the fourth one this repair guy has seen this year- any recall information?

 

[snowshoe]

Re: 90 horse 1998 Force Trim cylinder crack

I serached the forums to find this thread. I had the same thing happen to my 115 merc last spring. I have fully trimed the motor down for storage over the winter in a wall tent I use to protect the boat. At the end of April when I came to get the boat out, the trim cyl was split length-wise about 4" along the chamber section to the relief valve of the cyl.. Mercury had no replacement units available at the time and had to retool to make new ones -- this would take til Jume 7. I phoned the dealer on the 8th and found that Mercury was still backordering the cylin to late July. Boating/ fishing season is at hand and I can't get the boat into the water.I phoned around to other dealers and one told me that I was the 4th person looking for the trim cyl -- Merc seems to have a problem. I could get a whole assembly for $1200 cdn or wait for the cyl for $450. I phoned around some more and found a marine repair shop that had some old cyl that he figured would work. I ended getting one for $150 but we found two the had the correct length but wrong pin hole sizes.( The shop owne firmly believes that merc seems to change the design to specifically corrupt interchangeability)<br /><br />Upon disassemble I found that the relief valve at the botton of the resevoir chamber was slightly rusted and when the hyraulic fluid expanded with the warming temp, the relief value could not open to allow the fluid into the trim down side of the cyl OR since I had trimed the motor fully down, the fluid could not push the piston any further and consequently cracked the cyl. <br /><br />For your situation, try the marine shops for a used cylinder. I understand that the motors fail more than the cylin and the shops tend to replace the whole assemble leaving many good cyl around for reuse.<br /><br />Secondly -- do not full trim the motor down completly because there will be no room for fluid expansion to the other side of the cyl if the releif valve fails. Last fall I put the boat to bed for the winter but trimmed fully down and then up slightly. This spring no problems. Ihope this helps<br /> <br />snowshoe