Trim Motor

[zippy83]

HI All,

I really don't know what type of trim motor do I have... A few years ago I wanted to install a trim motor on my 1973 Mercury 50HP. I took it then to one of the boat shops in the area and he installed what then seemed to be a good working (used) trim motor. I have used it for about 5 years now, but I am starting to have some issues. The other day I was cleaning around the hydraulic lines and accidentally loosen one of them without noticing. about 5 min later I noticed a small puddle of fluid on the floor, so I tightened it and tried it out. It work but there is a whiny noise.

I remember from what the mechanic told me when it was installed that if I hear that noise it's because it need more fluid added. He also told me it uses transmission fluid? Unfortunately for me this guy retired 2 years ago and the only other shop in the area is Bass Pro marine who told me that they don't service this type of motor.

I was hoping that someone here has ran into this type of trim.. Sometimes it stops working and I have to gently hit it to get going. I also recall the screw that the mechanic pointed at that time to undo and add more fluid, however I never done this nor do I know what tools I need to add this fluid in...

Any help is greatly appreciated
Thanks
Zipp

 

[Starcraft5834]

"He also told me it uses transmission fluid?" the only fluid I have ever used on a trim motor is 30w oil... not transmission fluid.. there's a reservoir fill next to the motor

 

[zippy83]

"He also told me it uses transmission fluid?" the only fluid I have ever used on a trim motor is 30w oil... not transmission fluid.. there's a reservoir fill next to the motor

It does look like transmission fluid, It's red in color...

 

[Alumarine]

The fill and vent ports are on the side closest to the transom in your application.
If you move the battery you might be able to get at them otherwise you will have to remove the pump.
The vent plug is above the fill plug.
If the fluid is red add any type of auto transmission fluid up to the fill plug.

 

[zippy83]

The fill and vent ports are on the side closest to the transom in your application.
If you move the battery you might be able to get at them otherwise you will have to remove the pump.
The vent plug is above the fill plug.
If the fluid is red add any type of auto transmission fluid up to the fill plug.

marc,

Thanks for the reply. I took the trim motor off and here is what I got

The bottom screw is definetley the filling hole.. The upper screw Im not sure about since it's kind of a long one and very dry...

Also when I take off the bottom screw the fluid seems to be on the very top.. I know a good 2 oz leaked out. My outboard is currently trimmed all the way down.. Should I try to manually bring it up and then try to fill it up?

 

[Alumarine]

Yes, you should check the level with the motor up.
2 ounces shouldn't have prevented it from working but make sure it's full.

The pump should try and pump whether there's enough oil in it or not.
If you have to tap it on occasion to get it to pump that would indicate an electrical issue.
If that's the case, make sure all the connections are clean.

 

[zippy83]

Yes, you should check the level with the motor up.
2 ounces shouldn't have prevented it from working but make sure it's full.

The pump should try and pump whether there's enough oil in it or not.
If you have to tap it on occasion to get it to pump that would indicate an electrical issue.
If that's the case, make sure all the connections are clean.

Thank you... I will try it shortly and will let you know

 

[zippy83]

No luck.. Looks like I filled it up a good 8 oz but still behaving the same way. Has a whiny noise when it trims down and eventually stops working. Every time I press the down button I hear a single clicking noise come from the motor. If I gentry hit it with my palm it starts to work again but barely. I have cleaned all electrical connections and made sure none of the cables were bad..

Would anyone happen to know what model this is? Maybe I can get another one that is in better working order?

 

[Alumarine]

You should be able to get a used one off ebay or craigslist.
They were used on many mercruiser and mercury motors.
If it looks like yours it will probably be the same.

If the one you buy doesn't have have the same port arrangement as your current one, then you can swap the old lower manifold to the new one.

If you like you could take the motor apart and check the brushes.

 

[zippy83]

Thank you... I have ordered a new one on ebay. From the looks of it I have to transfer the lower part where the hydraulic hoses connect to the main motor. I just have to figure out how to bleed the hydraulic lines once the lower unit has been transferred.

 

[kenny nunez]

When you get the pump back together refill it with power steering fluid. Transmission fluid will foam, which will add air bubbles to the system. If you manually raise and lower the motor that should empty most of the old fluid. Most times cycling the motor up and down will self bleed itself.

 

[zippy83]

When you get the pump back together refill it with power steering fluid. Transmission fluid will foam, which will add air bubbles to the system. If you manually raise and lower the motor that should empty most of the old fluid. Most times cycling the motor up and down will self bleed itself.

Thank you.. I would assume DOT 3 or DOT 4 fluid will work?

 

[Chris1956]

Those older systems originally used 5W-30 motor oil or Dextron III ATF. Also, those systems are not self-bleeding. You will need to bleed the trim cylinders up and down circuits, by loosening the bleed screws on the cylinders, and running the pump in the appropriate direction.

If it were me, I would install the new pump unit and fill it with ATF. The pump is self bleeding, so let it sit a minute. With any luck, no air will get into the trim cylinders. If you can move the cylinders by pulling on the motor in the trim up direction, the cylinders need bleeding.

 

[zippy83]

Those older systems originally used 5W-30 motor oil or Dextron III ATF. Also, those systems are not self-bleeding. You will need to bleed the trim cylinders up and down circuits, by loosening the bleed screws on the cylinders, and running the pump in the appropriate direction.

If it were me, I would install the new pump unit and fill it with ATF. The pump is self bleeding, so let it sit a minute. With any luck, no air will get into the trim cylinders. If you can move the cylinders by pulling on the motor in the trim up direction, the cylinders need bleeding.

Since I dont think I can get the old oil (ATF) out of all the lines properly I will stick with the same type of fluid. As far as bleeding the trim cylinders I have not seen the bleed screws on them, but i did not look very hard the other day ether.

So If I understand this correctly these are the steps I would do to get everything back together properly

1. Disassemble the lower part of the motor and replace the upper portion with the new one I get.
2. Manually move my outboard to the up position as far as it can go.
3. Put the original lower part that the hydraulic hoses connect to to the new motor
4. Fill it up with OIL (ATF)
5. Hook up the Motor to the battery
6. Manually lower my outboard to the lowest position
7. Find the bleeding screws on the on the trim cylinders
8. Use my trim motor UP button to try to bleed the cylinders ?
9. Add more ATF fluid ?

 

[Chris1956]

A replacement PTT motor of that vintage usually comes with the upper part of the reservoir. It canbe bolted (see oring seal) to the entire bottom of the PTT unit, including the control valve. If that is what you have, the PTT lines may not need to be disconnected. I would leave the outboard on the down position when doing this. Also, make sure the end of the armature mates with the pump unit in the bottom of the reservoir.

Fill it and look for bleed screws. They may be Philips head screws on the top of the cylinder. These are for bleeding down.
The UP bleed screws may be next to where the hydraulic hoses connect to each cylinder. The cylinders must be taken off and the bleed screws faced up. Run the motor in the up direction and watch for the bubbles in the ATF to disappear.

Refill the unit.

 

[zippy83]

So I finaly got around to change this up. I was able to get the makn motor from ebay. It seems like it is the right item. There were a few little things I had to move from the other unit which I did. Now that I have everything hooked up and filled with oil it wont turn on. I made sure all connectuons are clean and ready to go but no budge. Could it be that the control that came with the original motor dont work on this one?

 

[Chris1956]

The trim motor should be three wire (green, blue and black). If you have a two wire motor, you will need to do some modifications (and spend another $50) to make it work.