Re: Is it safe to remove the motor on my trim/tilt assy?
The DC electric motor that runs the tilt spins a small pump with a hex shaped bit about 2 inches long. This system cannot be under pressure for the unit to function properly. The o-ring at the base of the motor is designed to hold water out, not designed to keep pressurized fluid in. You should trim your motor all the way up, fold down the tilt lock, and lower it to where it just rests on the tilt lock. Then you should remove the motor. The tilt lock is just a good safety measure whenever you do extended work on the motor while in the up position.
I've rebuilt my tilt trim unit and some advice on putting that motor back on: if yours has the small hex key and it is removable from the motor, put it down into the fluid (the pump) first, then set the motor on top. You'll never get it properly lined up otherwise. Also, The O-ring I received from OMC was rather small and didn't make as good of a seal as I would have liked. I noticed some fluid seeping out after being out on the water. I removed my motor again while still on the boat, and I ran a ver light coating of black rtv around the edge of the housing, not where the o-ring is. Just as a second line of defense.
