1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

[yowiie]

Hi Guys
Just a quick question, I have a mate thats having trouble with his trim and tilt, it will not trim under load. The unit works fine out of the water but once in and under way ceases working.
He has replaced the seals but that done nothing, could it be a low il level? If so where should the level of the oil be
Cheers
From Oz

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

probably a worn out spring in the trim bypass valve. find the correct parts diagram from an online mercury dealer and the part number should be easy to find.

 

[yowiie]

Re: 1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

Ok will check that out, could you tell me where the oil level should be and how does he check it

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

Ok will check that out, could you tell me where the oil level should be and how does he check it

when the oil is low a system will lift until it runs out of oil and then hold at that spot. If it lifts all the way up without any problems on trailer, then the oil level is ok.

 

[yowiie]

Re: 1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

Ok, it must be the spring, I will let him know
What is the reservoir on the left of the trim and tilt, it has a bent spout/ neck?

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

Ok, it must be the spring, I will let him know
What is the reservoir on the left of the trim and tilt, it has a bent spout/ neck?

oh, I was thinking it was the single ram design since 60HP. I don't work on the older 3ram Mercury systems.
However, every other system that lifts and holds on dry land but won't lift under power traces back to the pump relief valve. Every system has either one or two relief valves. Single ram systems often have a midpoint bypass valve making it two. Three ram systems typically just have the main relief valve in the pump. I think 1988 might be year when pump came with new trim motor for $250ish.

 

[yowiie]

Re: 1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

oh, I was thinking it was the single ram design since 60HP. I don't work on the older 3ram Mercury systems.
However, every other system that lifts and holds on dry land but won't lift under power traces back to the pump relief valve. Every system has either one or two relief valves. Single ram systems often have a midpoint bypass valve making it two. Three ram systems typically just have the main relief valve in the pump. I think 1988 might be year when pump came with new trim motor for $250ish.

Yes its a 3 ram unit, sorry I should have mentioned that.
Could you tell me what the reservoir is on the left side of the unit

 

[aussieflash]

Re: 1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

Its for filling the system.Never open cap till motor is in full up position and locked.
Check for leaks,check all 3 cap seals are in tact.Centre ram cap seal often blows out when cap is corroded.If no leaks and caps look good it could just need bleeding.
If motor losing trim while under power(trimming down) then it could be check valve(dirty).Check valve is located in port side trim rod only.Cap can be removed and valve cleaned in solvent and air gun dried.
To fully rebuild pump you need to remove from boat/transom...seal kits are available.

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1988 Mercury 60hp Trim and tilt

there are three distinct classes of failure.

1) The system goes up halfway and then stops moving. When you release switch, system stays where you put it without any bleed down. This is usually traced to low fluid levels.

2) System lifts fine but it bleeds back down. the bleed down under power (versus in your garage) is typically slower for a three ram and faster for single ram. This usually traces back to check valve.

3) it lifts and holds fine on the trailer but as soon as I give it throttle it sinks down to bottom. This usually traces back to pressure regulator or bypass valve internal to pump.