How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndrive

[bcnul8tr]

So here is my problem, I have a 1991 Thompson with a 4.3L mercruiser. The power trim motor just died, with the motor about 4 degrees or so trimmed up. Here is my problem. I can't drive the boat, because it is trimmed too high, and I can't get it out of the water onto my trailer, because it is not high enough. Is there a way to manually raise it? I have power going to the solenoids, as they click when I hit the buttons to trim/tilt up and down, but the motor doesn't make a sound. I jumped the motor by giving it Battery voltage on the Green and then the Blue wire, but still nothing? The grounds are also good as well? Is there something else I can try? Please help as this is my first boat, and I have only had the damn thing for 2.5 weeks There is fluid in the resevoir, but it looks kind of funny, as it looks like a strawberry float (a pink color).

 

[greg82255]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

Sounds like water is getting into your trim cylinders. You can't repair that correctly without pulling the boat out of the water and rebuilding or replacing the trim cylinders and checking the lines for leaks. As for the trim pump itself, it sounds like your trim motor is dead. You should be able to get a new one online, and it's easy to change out.. Or just get a whole new pump from SEI for 300 bucks.

If you disconnect the trim lines from the pump and manually push the drive down, it will probably go down, but trim fluid is going to get everywhere - get a container for it to fall into, then reconnect the lines to the pump once its down. You will have to bleed the system anyways to repair the trim fluid problem, so letting some fluid out to make it drivable shouldn't be too big of a deal. Goodluck

 

[bcnul8tr]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

Thanks for the reply, so if I bleed out the lines inside the boat, I should be able to lower or raise the sterndrive? I am guessing that because the fluid in the resevoir has turned into a pinkish color, that is why you think water may be in the cylinders? If I get a whole new pump assembly, is that something that I can change while the boat is sitting in the water, and do you think that I would be able to use that until the end of the season, and then rebuild/replace the cylinders?

 

[greg82255]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

If your drive is stuck up (too high), you will be able to lower it by disconnecting the lines. As for fixing the problem, you can't do the job right unless you pull the boat out of the water. If you replace the pump and use new fluid with the same faulty trim cylinders, you are going to end up with another milkshake. Rebuilding/replacing the trim cylinders is a quick job, just costs some $. You could also be lucky and it could just be a leaking hose or connection, which is an even quicker fix. I'd pull the boat for a few hours and replace them if it were mine.

 

[Stamey]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

First, try smacking the motor with a hammer or block of wood. It might run again. It is helpful to have a helper when doing this, but not imperative. This might get it to work enough to get it up so you can get it out of the water. I have been here and that's how I did it.

You can find a new motor online for about 80 bucks. I would not replace the entire motor/pump assembly unless it all was bad. The pump is the really expensive part. I just put the motor on and it works great.

I had the strawberry milkshake in my trim tank as well. It worked fine for last year and I just flushed it last week with new 30wt oil. I won't be replacing/rebuilding any trim cylinders until I see that this fluid is getting milky also. With the way my boat was taken care of before I got it, and the lack of the correct cap on the tank, how do I know water didn't get in from above, and the cylinders are just fine.

Chris

 

[slag]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

in a jiffy, to get your boat out of the water, just take out the threaded bolt that holds the rams to the outdrive and then tie the outdrive up to the transom. Worry about the hydraulic fluid part later. A guy with a pair of crescent wrenches or pliers can do it in a few minutes. Just be sure to keep track of the washers.

 

[bcnul8tr]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

Thanks everyone for the idea, I am going to try and the threaded bolts off, and tie the motor up. Wish me luck....

 

[jasher32]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

I had a similar problem. I removed the electric motor and ran the drive up and down with a cordless drill.

 

[bcnul8tr]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

Got the motor up by removing the threaded bolts. The trim motor is dead, and we found a crack in the resevoir, plus the fluid was a milky strawberry color, so I now have to replace the cylinders as well

 

[Volphin]

Re: How to tilt motor when the power trim doesn't work 1991 4.3L mercruiser sterndriv

Got the motor up by removing the threaded bolts. The trim motor is dead, and we found a crack in the resevoir, plus the fluid was a milky strawberry color, so I now have to replace the cylinders as well

That's a bummer. But hey, at least when it's done you can hit the water again. Bet you could find a used trim motor...

V