another trim question needing advice

[roofcock]

whats up guys. i have a 1976 85 hp johnson. i had issues with trim motor so i pulled the whole unit off. upon doing this as i was disconnecting the lines i had water come out well before any oil. then when i pulled the cylinders off and depressed by hand it shot out a lot of water before oil. so while i have it taken apart i am thinking i should replace the seals in the cylinders and install new pump motor. one question i have is how to insure all of the water is out of the system before reassembly. another question is do i have to replace the caps on the rams to have a new seal at the shaft or does the kit come with this. the cylinder closest to the pump is the only one i have removed so far but i figure why do only one. that particular cylinder as well as the pump motor had blue goo around them which i am guessing is where the water came from.
any help would be appreciated thanks.

 

[roofcock]

Re: another trim question needing advice

anybody??

 

[RRitt]

Re: another trim question needing advice

saltwater will harden o-rings. If it was saltwater on a system that old then ou should definitely replace all seals affected. If it was freshwater then replace ram seals when the top, center piston shaft wiper begins to crack or harden. I don't know if the omc kit comes with all seals or not. My guess would be that it comes with all cylinder seals except those associated with sensor fitting or trim ram. pump motors are not worth fixing ever since the chinses started selling them cheap. your original motor is definitely better quality and longer lasting. However, unless you do a full de-rusting, acid dipping, interior painting, bearing replacing, rebuild including new cable grommets then the cheap chinese is a better motor. Chances are that you will spend more and get less on rebuild. A true rebuild will cost you $150 in parts and 2-4 hours of time. A bad rebuild just requires fixing the same problem again with possibility of letting water into your system.

 

[roofcock]

Re: another trim question needing advice

Right on.. that was what i suspected after taking it apart. i just went ahead and bought the motor from dbelectrical for $130 shipped seems like good deal and i will post how the quality is in case any one else needs one. and no i am not affiliated with them at all. just think a good deal is worth sharing.

 

[RRitt]

Re: another trim question needing advice

if you use in salt or brackish water then spray the motor down with flex-seal or plasti-dip before installing. The chinese motors are lower grade metals, seals, and finish. In a short canadian summer on a crystal clear lake you'll get a good lifespan right out of the box (1/2 the life for 1/3 the cost). Throw some heat and corrosion at the chinese trim motors and they don't hold up worth a flip. cover them in plastic, dip them in roofing compound, or anything else to protect them if running in salt, brackish, mineral, quarry, or polluted water.

Chinese also seem to induce more galvanic corrosion. I have no idea why. whether fresh or salt, you should put an electrical bonding strap between your trim system and an anode. Bonding strap is just a length of SS rope (heavy fishing leader) with ring terminals run from motor mounting bolt to anode mounting bolt. Don't use chinese without one.

 

[roofcock]

Re: another trim question needing advice

the boat is used in lake anna (fresh water) and occasionally in the potomac river (brackish) What do you suggest for an anode. i do not have any knowledge of this and will do an internet search but if you have a preferred method i would love to hear about. i appreciate your help and knowledge..THANK YOU

 

[roofcock]

Re: another trim question needing advice

one other question is the trim unit is wired straight to the battery instead of a solenoid. am i risking burning it up. in other words should i add a solenoid

 

[RRitt]

Re: another trim question needing advice

relays harness with circuit breaker is better than the old solenoid harness. If you are going to do some DIY wiring then use a $30 relay harness off ebay. break off the center blade (the NC contact) from both relays in order to use 3w motors.