1988 Force 125 Tilt Piston Leak

[grs5211]

The motor tilts up and down OK, but bleeds off slowly.
I have found some oil residue under the right piston. The rest of the piston is dry.
Last year I had to replace the sleeve where the pipe connects to the center of the piston. This is also dry.
Are there any other pipes behind the piston(between the transom and the tilt cylinder that could be the culprit?
Are there any exploded views of the Tilt piston mechanism that would help visualize the the components?

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Tilt Piston Leak

nine times out of ten the problem you describe traces back to pump - aka valve body. Your year - 1988 - is about the right time for your pump assembly to give out. I don't think you can buy anything but replacement motors through normal channels. check ebay for pump or valve body.

It is not uncommon for the band collar to corrode and snap on saltwater boats (due to galvanic reaction with stainless oil tube). Not common ... but not uncommon either. If you fixed it then it is fixed and no big deal.

Your system does not have to leak fluid in order to bleed down. The fluid is pumped in a circle with piston trapped in middle. If fluid can leak past any gears, valves, pistons, or seals then the engine can slip down without any external leaks.

 

[grs5211]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Tilt Piston Leak

Thanks for your advice. I am just intrigued why I only find oil on the RHS Tilt cylinder, the pump is a seperate unit with no visible leaks at all.
You are right about the whole unit needing a spring clean though.
May I ask where I get an overhaul kit for this unit, or is it better to go out to ebay or such like to get a new/refurbished unit?

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Tilt Piston Leak

There's probably nothing wrong with your tilt cylinder and the oil leak is probably unrelated to bleed down. You probably didn't seat the band collar squarely before tightening the adapter. Or maybe it was a used fitting and it has a ridge?

If you completely removed the top cover from your tilt ram so that the fluid could spill out freely ... then the system should still not bleed down. If you are linking fluid leak to bleed down then I think that you are chasing ghosts.

I don't think I would recc. a home overhaul. The pump is a tricky device.