1984 Two Ram Trim CROSS THREAD(!), etc...

[cperrine]

Help me Ob iBoats Kenobi. you're my only hope. So I've been trying to diagnose a slow leak down in this system for a month (Sand bar). I don't know if the bypass is in the cylinders or the control valve assembly. I tried to take apart the cylinders but I think the caps are seized (bent pins on my homemade tool).

After meddling in places I should never have gone I'm back to the cylinders, though I've only just realized that the hydraulic lines were cross threaded into the cylinder. Is there anything I can do, short of spending 300 dollars, to save these cylinders? Does Helicoil work on pipe thread??? Any trick to opening a stuck cylinder...I have time.

Oh, and just so you don't ask, I have a manual, though I find reading directions to be quite a bore.

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1984 Two Ram Trim CROSS THREAD(!), etc...

you hit a sand bar. That means saltwater. Home made tools and lawnmower wrenches aren't going to work. The aluminum oxide laughs at your silly tools. Try Sears and see if they have the right tool. Even with right tool you may need to hit the cylinders with a propane/map torch to soften the rubber.

TnT systems have two sets of valves. The valves in the pump control which direction oil flows and prevents the bleeding off of pressure. The other set of valves is in the ram and breaks open if you hit a sand bar. However, it is spring loaded and reseats itself as soon as your boat stops plowing the bottom.

Bleed down is almost always caused by the pump valves. Whenever I have fixed a system and found bleed down to be caused by the cylinder bypass valves it has been due to either mercury ATF (circa 1992) eating up orings or from water getting into system and rusting out the spring area.

lift engine. block in place. disconnect tubes. plug them up. remove engine blocks. If it does not sink then your rams are good.

 

[cperrine]

Re: 1984 Two Ram Trim CROSS THREAD(!), etc...

Oh, I like that. Wish i'd done that a week ago. Likely would have stopped me from opening the control valve.

No salt water, freshy its whole life, maybe atf, but I can't be certain. I bought the motor as a rebuild 5 years ago and I'm quite certain the tnt was left alone. worked fine until last year. Thanks