Leaking hydrolic fluid from power trim HELP

[lilharryjr]

I just bought a 96 Celebrity w/ 4.3l Mercuiser Alpa 1. It seems there is a leak in the resevoir for the power trim. I'm not all that mechanically proficient...but I was wondering if anyone could help me trouble shoot this and how difficult might it be to replace resevoir myself if this winds up being a crack or leak in it...Thanks a bunch!

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: Leaking hydrolic fluid from power trim HELP

Good old mechanical skills will prevail. It may require for you to "stand on your head" to observe what is leaking but,. If you spray on some engine degreaser on the suspected area(s) then brush the stuff around a little, and hose off, then let it dry, it should clean up enough for you to see what area becomes oiled first. That should point you in the right direction.<br /><br />On old greasy leaking components, at first glance the leak will appear cleanest due to the washing effect of the fresh oil washing away the dirt. I doubt there is much dirt and grime in your bilge though.

 

[lilharryjr]

Re: Leaking hydrolic fluid from power trim HELP

Thank-you Yepblaze, will do with the degreaser. Absolutely right about standing on the head...we'll see what my acrobatic skills are like. Thanks for the tips...

 

[lilharryjr]

Re: Leaking hydrolic fluid from power trim HELP

$42.00 for the part at the local marina, but also realized I needed an American flag so, that meant mounting hardware, clips, teak pole, etc...over $100 later I leave the marina with what I actually came for. It turns out there was definitely a leak in the resevoir and it is a real bear to get at the thing. One thing I noticed is that the old resevoir looks to have melted on the inside and this is what caused the hole/ leak. Is this something I should be concerned about reccuring? The bolts are in the back and getting them out was OK, the oil that had leaked was everywhere and that did not make things easier. But trying to line up the whole apparatus and get the bolts back in was killer...After two hours upside down I finally got at least one bolt in and will start fresh on getting the last tonight...

 

[lilharryjr]

Re: Leaking hydrolic fluid from power trim HELP

Everything seemed OK but...I think this puppy might be leaking again. Could anyone tell me if they have every seen a resevoir melt from the inside and if so...what's the fix?

 

[lilharryjr]

Re: Leaking hydrolic fluid from power trim HELP

Well, going down to mess with this again today. Is there anything I should NOT be doing. I'd hate to mess up another resevoir even though it was not that expensive, or worse damage a good pump. Still wondering what caused the old one to melt like that.

 

[Franki]

Re: Leaking hydrolic fluid from power trim HELP

Melted on the inside? <br /><br />you are not putting brake fluid in that thing are you? <br /><br />brake fluid is much more acidic then tranny fluid.. (just spill some on some paint if you want proof) I can't think of anything that would melt the inside.. but if someone in the past filled it with brake fluid, then its possible that the materials its made from are not resistant to brake fluid...<br /><br />still, thats probably a long shot..<br /><br />rgds<br /><br />frank

 

[lilharryjr]

Re: Leaking hydrolic fluid from power trim HELP

Thanks Franki...Yes the resevoir seems to have melted from the inside near the bolt that keeps it attached to the pump, which actually runs through the center of the resevoir container.My first thought when I saw this was that this leak had been there for some time, but had not been realized by previous owner and the strain on the pump caused the melting. When I replaced it, I filled it with regular 10w/30 as I thought this was about the same as hydrolic fluid, just cheaper. And it seemed to work fine, but there is carpet back there and it is tough to tell...Maybe someone else has had a similiar problem...