Force 1992 120hp trim leak help

[pra100]

This is on my brother-in-laws boat.As you can see from picture, one of the cylinders on the trim is leaking at the top.Is this hard to fix and can someone give any ideas how to go about it? I can do mechanical work fine.Just got through rewiring the boat for him. I assume this is a 3 cylinder type with the small one in the center.
Also I would like to drain the fluid out of it and replace it. From the picture can someone tell me what kind of fluid to replace it with.

Thanks for help

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Force 1992 120hp trim leak help

It is not a difficult job technically. However, It can be a miserable PIA.

To access the tilt cylinder, you need to remove the top and bottom rods and they are usually corroded into the aluminum castings. Then you need a spanner to remove the top of the cylinder and lastly you neet to unscrew the piston from the plunger rod so the cap seal can be replaced.

If the top and bottom rods are not corroded in tight, consider yourself very lucky and if you do the repair, reassemble them with plenty of anti-seize.

Personally, if the leak is not too bad, I would live with it and just keep refilling the oil reservoir.

 

[pra100]

Re: Force 1992 120hp trim leak help

The leak is pretty bad.It squirts it out and the drive won't stay up. In other words when you raise drive up it won't be long till you will be raising it again.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Force 1992 120hp trim leak help

leaking out top does not dause bleed down. You have two things to repair.

Fully raise engine. Block into position. remove upper shaft. Using Armstrong spanner wrench # 34-151 which you can buy from sears remove the tilt head (top). Pull out piston assy. Unscrew piston from shaft taking care not to score sides of piston. Remove head assy. Put new seals into head and put head back onto shaft. Reattach piston using red threadlock. Put new seals on piston and head. Reassemble.

The two seals that you really need were never sold. You were expected to buy a whole new tilt head for $100 or so. Doesn't matter now because the head is NLA. What you will have a hard time finding is a polyurethene rod scraper. You want the black kind that resists saltwater/sunlight/UV. I used to sell trim/tilt seal kits on Ebay that included black poly scrapers. You can check, but I think the listing expired. You can either take parts to local hydraulics shop and ask if they can match or send me an email and I'll see if I still have some.

But ... that doesn't fix bleed down. bleed down is caused by either blown piston rings or valve body needing a rebuild. Usually valve body. But since you are squirting fluid out top then tilt piston should be considered suspect too.

 

[pra100]

Re: Force 1992 120hp trim leak help

RRitt

If I might ask,what kind of fluid is supposed to be in this tilt unit.I have read on here some use 30 wt oil and some use something else? Also When you take the top off with wrench does the piston come out with the shaft?
My brother in law says it did work fine till it started leaking,but what am I to know,I just fix stuff,ha.
I will pm you about the kit.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Force 1992 120hp trim leak help

System in picture is not a 1992. Wrong tilt ram for 1992. It looks like 1990ish. So whatever manual says about 1992 may or may not apply to your trim.

You should use non-detergent motor oil. You should not use regular motor oil or ATF. The cleaning additives cut life of system in half.

 

[pra100]

Re: Force 1992 120hp trim leak help

I'll ask him again what year the motor is.