1975 115 hp Johnson tilt/trim problem

[bruiser910]

Hello new to the boating scene, but good with a wrench. So far I bought the boat and got the motor running well. The tilt and trim all of a sudden is giving me problems. The left cylinder with the sensor on it wont go all the way in, and may not be working all together. Any ideas will be helpful. there is no blockage or obstruction stopping it from going all the way down.

 

[ezeke]

Re: 1975 115 hp Johnson tilt/trim problem

Try topping up the fluid and cycling the unit 4 or 5 times, then repeating; that will generally get the air out of the system.

Get the boat on level ground, tilt the motor up and support it.

Remove the reservoir fill plug and add fluid until it runs out.

Replace the plug, release the support and cycle the motor up and down 4 or 5 times, helping when needed.

Repeat several times.

The battery needs to be fully charged,

 

[bruiser910]

Re: 1975 115 hp Johnson tilt/trim problem

Thanks I will try that. It goes up and down but on the down stroke it sticks about an inch from the bottom causing the other side to bind up and the motor to kinda kink sideways

 

[bruiser910]

Re: 1975 115 hp Johnson tilt/trim problem

Ok so far I have propped the motor up and filled the fluid all the way up. It was full. So I replaced the fluid and then ran it up and down about 12 times. Still will not go down all the way. It sits just an inch higher than the other cylinder. I cant figure this out. We bled the lines at the bottom of the cylinder and there was no air. I am tempted to say the cylinder is wore out. Can these be replaced.

 

[ezeke]

Re: 1975 115 hp Johnson tilt/trim problem

They can be replaced, but you will not like it because of the price. Try sea-way.com and ask if they have a rebuilt one or salvage.

You could try some of the other salvage yards as well.

outboard-parts.com
laingsoutboards.com
tcoutboard.com
fairwindsmarina.com
salvagemarine.com
marinepartsoutlet.com
outboardexchange.com
Superior Marine (800-338-9281)

The factory manual tells you how to rebuild them if you want to try that.

Do you want the flow charts for that unit's hydraulics? I can post them if you do.

 

[bruiser910]

Re: 1975 115 hp Johnson tilt/trim problem

Well I have determined that the cylinder is dead. I took the tilt and trim off of the motor and the left cylinder wont move when the switch is pushed. I assume it hasnt worked for a while and the cylinder just got in bad enough shape to bind up. You can move it freely by hand and we found metal shavings in the cylinder. So I wanted to say thanks for all your help and let you know if you have any suggestions for a cheap fix my ears are open. Thanks Again