Tilt Cylinders Leaking

[robman2100]

I have a Force 125 I believe is from 1988. Model on it is US marine 1251A8B
The Tilt Cylinder on the right is leaking preventing it from staying up longer than 10 min. I need to know the rubber rings to replace and tool I need to pull it off.. Plus i don't see the locking post to keep the engine up so not sure how to service the tilt cylinder.
IT looks like it is leaking from the cap.. but not sure until I take it off.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[topgun3690]

Check out the sticky thread at the top of this forum called Force and Chrysler FAQ.....click on it, then look at the bottom 2 threads.....lot of info about the T&T system.....how to test and troubleshoot it.....you will need a pin wrench or spanner to get the trim cap off/back on without damaging it.....if your motor doesn't have a tilt lock then you will have to securely block the motor up somehow....make sure it is securely held up as it will come down HARD and ruin your day.

 

[robman2100]

Check out the sticky thread at the top of this forum called Force and Chrysler FAQ.....click on it, then look at the bottom 2 threads.....lot of info about the T&T system.....how to test and troubleshoot it.....you will need a pin wrench or spanner to get the trim cap off/back on without damaging it.....if your motor doesn't have a tilt lock then you will have to securely block the motor up somehow....make sure it is securely held up as it will come down HARD and ruin your day.

Sadly the link to the parts is not working anymore. Secondly mine is the dual tilt cylinders with dampening. The thread there was in regards to the single cylinder no dampening. But the rest of the concept still applies I just have to find the right parts and tool to get the head off the cylinder.

 

[topgun3690]

I use Franz Marine for parts.....I bought a universal trim cap removal tool from Offshore Marine....worked perfectly but kind of pricey at $89.99.....the only one I could find that said it was specifically for Chrysler/Force....

 

[robman2100]

I use Franz Marine for parts.....I bought a universal trim cap removal tool from Offshore Marine....worked perfectly but kind of pricey at $89.99.....the only one I could find that said it was specifically for Chrysler/Force....View attachment 332151

I found the o rings on Crowley marine. They should be here next week. And this my friend solves another of my issues. The trim cap removal tool was the next step. Last step is to figure a way to remove the cylinder. I dont own an outboard stand and from what I can tell there is no upright locking bar on the engine mount.. thing weighs so much. Not sure how to get it off and back on safely.

 

[topgun3690]

There were some cheaper tools on ebay but wasn't sure if they had the right sized pins to fit the tilt cap....is easy to round out those little holes if the pins don't fit right....as far as safely holding the engine up while working, mine had the tilt lock so it was easy. I can think of several ways I might do it, but I have never done it so hate to give a suggestion that might get somebody hurt.....but whatever you do make damn sure it is not gonna come down until you are ready for it to come down. Somebody with a safe way to do it may chime in here with solid advice.

 

[topgun3690]

If this is a saltwater engine, getting the thru bolts off could be a problem, due to corrosion. Mine moved freely as it has never been in the salt.

 

[topgun3690]

" I dont own an outboard stand and from what I can tell there is no upright locking bar on the engine mount.. thing weighs so much. Not sure how to get it off and back on safely." Not sure I read this right....are you saying you want to remove the engine from the boat?

 

[topgun3690]

"Secondly mine is the dual tilt cylinders with dampening." If you have the factory installed T&T there is only one hydraulic tilt cylinder, on the right(starboard). The one on the left(port) is a shock absorber only. The engine just needs to be tilted up fully to get to the parts to work on it. Crowley has diagrams that shows the system and parts.....

 

[robman2100]

If this is a saltwater engine, getting the thru bolts off could be a problem, due to corrosion. Mine moved freely as it has never been in the salt.

This has only seen freshwater thankfully and looks like it hasn't seen much use anyways as most of it is in pristine condition except for the tilt cylinder.

 

[robman2100]

" I dont own an outboard stand and from what I can tell there is no upright locking bar on the engine mount.. thing weighs so much. Not sure how to get it off and back on safely." Not sure I read this right....are you saying you want to remove the engine from the boat?

I guess I'm saying I don't know how to remove the title cylinder without raising the engine however the engine has no

" I dont own an outboard stand and from what I can tell there is no upright locking bar on the engine mount.. thing weighs so much. Not sure how to get it off and back on safely." Not sure I read this right....are you saying you want to remove the engine from the boat?

I just am trying to figure out how to remove the cylinder or at least get to it so it's accessible there is no tilt lock that I can see on this motor.

 

[robman2100]

Thats

"Secondly mine is the dual tilt cylinders with dampening." If you have the factory installed T&T there is only one hydraulic tilt cylinder, on the right(starboard). The one on the left(port) is a shock absorber only. The engine just needs to be tilted up fully to get to the parts to work on it. Crowley has diagrams that shows the system and parts.....

Good to know. I could be mistaken I'm a noob at outboards. Would explain why there is only one tube coming from the elctroic pump into the right only but they look the same to me. Then there is a center one that looks different than the other 2.

 

[topgun3690]

Once the engine is

Thats

Good to know. I could be mistaken I'm a noob at outboards. Would explain why there is only one tube coming from the elctroic pump into the right only but they look the same to me. Then there is a center one that looks different than the other 2.

That center one is the power trim....tilt cylinder on right and shock absorber on the left. The components are held in by an upper shaft and a lower shaft, nuts on the ends. Just remove the nuts on the right side, then slide the shafts far enough to the left to free up the tilt cylinder, then lift it out. Use flair wrench on the hydraulic fittings to keep from rounding them off. When reinstalling the fittings, be careful and not get them cross-threaded....you will be buying more parts if you do. Of course you still need a safe way to support the engine while working on it. Having a factory service manual is handy also.....

 

[robman2100]

Once the engine is

That center one is the power trim....tilt cylinder on right and shock absorber on the left. The components are held in by an upper shaft and a lower shaft, nuts on the ends. Just remove the nuts on the right side, then slide the shafts far enough to the left to free up the tilt cylinder, then lift it out. Use flair wrench on the hydraulic fittings to keep from rounding them off. When reinstalling the fittings, be careful and not get them cross-threaded....you will be buying more parts if you do. Of course you still need a safe way to support the engine while working on it. Having a factory service manual is handy also.....

Thanks for the advice. The tool and repair kit is on its way. I will let you know how it turns out! Again thank you!

 

[topgun3690]

No problem.....those links above for the T&T should apply to your system....I am able to open them on my computer.....if you can access them there is a lot of good info there.....you may find that after replacing the o-rings in the tilt cylinder that the engine still bleeds down. If it does, there could be a problem with the valve body on the pump or the trim might need new o-rings too. An external leak usually does not cause a bleed down....it will cause a mess for sure. Usually it is an internal leak around a bad seal that causes the leak down and the valve body is a prime suspect for leak down problems.

 

[robman2100]

No problem.....those links above for the T&T should apply to your system....I am able to open them on my computer.....if you can access them there is a lot of good info there.....you may find that after replacing the o-rings in the tilt cylinder that the engine still bleeds down. If it does, there could be a problem with the valve body on the pump or the trim might need new o-rings too. An external leak usually does not cause a bleed down....it will cause a mess for sure. Usually it is an internal leak around a bad seal that causes the leak down and the valve body is a prime suspect for leak down problems.

After further investigation you are correct. I can visibly see the fluid coming out between the piston and the tilt cylinder cap. The gasket between thoes must be bad... is that built in? Meaning do I have to buy a whole new cap?

 

[pnwboat]

I'm pretty sure that it's an "O" ring seal That seals the cap.

https://www.crowleymarine.com/mercury-outboard/parts/1257_190.cfm?mdl=VFOSJU

 

[robman2100]

I'm pretty sure that it's an "O" ring seal That seals the cap.

https://www.crowleymarine.com/mercury-outboard/parts/1257_190.cfm?mdl=VFOSJU

For where the piston goes in and out of the cap?

 

[robman2100]

I'm pretty sure that it's an "O" ring seal That seals the cap.

https://www.crowleymarine.com/mercury-outboard/parts/1257_190.cfm?mdl=VFOSJU

Meaning the center hole where the rod comes through the cap.

 

[topgun3690]

Meaning the center hole where the rod comes through the cap.

There is no o-ring where the rod comes through the cap. Do this....there is a plastic/rubber cap that sits on top of the cylinder covering the top....it is like a dust cover....it can be pryed up away from the top.....with this cover lifted up, clean up the oil real good, then recheck to make sure fluid is actually coming out around the shaft. What might be happening is oil is leaking from around where the cap screws into the cylinder and is coming up through the dust cover making it look like the shaft is leaking. There are only 2 o-rings that can be replaced.....one on the piston and one on the cap where it screws into the body. I can't tell by looking at your pic in first post if there is a dust cover on your cylinder or not. If it is really leaking fluid around the shaft you may have to replace the tilt cylinder.....as far as I know that seal is not serviceable. Franz marine could steer you in the right direction if that is the case.