MerCruiser Alpha One Gen II broken trim line

[FliesAndFloats]

I had one of the external hoses come apart on my MerCruiser Alpha One's trim system in saltwater yesterday. I believe it is one of the "up" hoses (it's the one with the short fitting on the end). I added fluid to the reservoir and engaged the trim switch. The fluid purged from the system appeared milky in color. I have purchased a replacement hydraulic hose and a couple quarts of fluid. I am aware that time is of the essence in ensuring that the system is properly purged of any saltwater as corrosion starts immediately. My intention is to ensure the system is purged, replace the hose, order replacements for the other three external hoses and replace them as they look pretty rough too.

I bought the boat to learn on and that is what I intend to do. How do I properly purge the system of saltwater?

 

[Bt Doctur]

remove the 4 hoses and press the down/in button until oil is clear. Then refill the res and press the up/trailer button until oil is clear.
technically ,only the one ram with the damaged line needs to be dis-assembled/cleaned

 

[FliesAndFloats]

Thanks a bunch. What safety precautions do I need to take? Will releasing the pressure on either side cause a violent rise or dropping of the outdrive?

 

[Bondo]

Will releasing the pressure on either side cause a violent rise or dropping of the outdrive?

Ayuh,.... Trim it all the way down 1st, 'n there is no pressure,....

 

[FliesAndFloats]

Thanks for all your help. It's fixed now. It's not even worth trying to do it without buying a flare wrench (I bought a Craftsman and ordered a Snap-On from eBay to keep in my toolbox).

I had met a mechanic turned broker while I was working on my boat a couple weeks ago. I walked into his office with a 3/8 flare wrench in hand and he says to me rhetorically, seeing the wrench in my hand, "did you break a trim line?" He helped (well, did) with the repair. To access the rear fittings on the line there's a zinc block held on by two 7/16 bolts at the bottom that has to be removed, taking care to ensure that the gasket remains undamaged. If you cannot get the hose fitting to break free, while we didn't have to do this, he explained to cut the line and use a socket. He also mentioned that what I see with the collars on the hose fittings being split is normal and doesn't indicate that the lines need to be replaced and that it's always the "up" lines that fail due to the higher load.