Mercury Shock Absorbers

[minnguy32]

Hello, I have a 1978 80hp Mercury outboard without the power tilt and trim. I have to manually raise and lower the motor by hand....my question is, should it be hard to raise and lower the motor? it feels like the shock absorbers are not doing anything...i would think they would assist in raising and lowering the motor kinda like opening a hatch back or something...i dont see any oil or anything but these things are like 30 years old...i guess im just not sure if they are actually suppose to be hydraulic and assist or not...any help would be great thanks

 

[merc850]

Re: Mercury Shock Absorbers

Those shocks are meant to slow the motor rising out of the water if you strike an underwater object while underway, there's also a mercury switch on the powerhead that cuts off the ignition until the motor is down again. The two work together to prevent damage to the motor and/or passengers. They should have some resistance tilting up but none going down. Follow this lube chart to make sure everything moves smoothly.

 

[carholme]

Re: Mercury Shock Absorbers

Try grabbing the lower end of the LU and give rapid rise and see if the effort is more than if you just tried to lift it normally.


Gerry