Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

[tominatub]

it always happens when you are trying to have fun. <br /><br /> Don't know what happened, but I pulled my boat out of the water this evening as we headed back to camp & noticed trim fluid squirting every where. Went back to inspect the 1990 alpha one out drive & found my aft trim line on the starboard side hanging lose. It appears that the actual threads stripped from the bolt hole. The inside of the ram where the line mounts is clean - no threads. I haven't tinkered with any of my tilt & trim stuff since I bought the boat 5 years ago. This seems like a very odd thing to happen.<br /><br /> I guess my question is if any of you guys have a suggestion that will get me through the next 4 days of my vacation. (IE pluggin up the hole & the line, retapping the hole, running with just one ram, ect..) There is a lowes & a walmart nearby but thats about it. I'm willing to sacrafice my trim system in the future if it will get me through my once a year vacation.<br /><br />any suggestion are appreciated<br /><br /> TOM

 

[Wotknot]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

Might can use a heli-coil as a get-by but I'm not sure.

 

[QC]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

I would NOT run just one, there's a lot of power going through there and it would be terribly off-center. Maybe someone else could comment, but I wouldn't.<br /><br />I'd take the hose and ram down to Lowes and hang out in the hardware aisle and tool crib and ask for help. I'll bet you could get some sort of fix rigged up before you left. Good luck. <br /><br />I've been there, on vacation and had my whole drive gone through in a day and a half . . .

 

[bigbrownbuku]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

find an auto store and pickup a heli coil kit and fix the threads. most stores have hire kits

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

Tom,<br />If you can't do the heli-coil fix. Keep in mind you must drill and tap to a very specific depth as not to destroy the sealing surface in the ram. (I think they use an o-ring face seal)Try this, if you can find an adaptor to mate the existing hose fitting, to a 1/4 NPT female fitting (the fitting you'll need is a 1/4 NPT male to Female connection matching your trim hose) you can drill and tap the ram with a 1/4 NPT (tapered pipe Tap). This is a much, much easier fix. FYI I just did the Heli-coil fix myself but I had the benefit of a machine shop to ensure I did not destroy the sealing surfaces. There is NO way that can be done with basic hand tools unless you are very lucky. Good luck.

 

[tommays]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

i think that the brass fitting on a surge brake master cylinder has the same threads as the cylinder and then goes to NPT <br /><br />i think there wil be and oil slick following you if you cant close it up correctly<br /><br /><br />you have to keep both rams on to even think about useing it<br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[tominatub]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

okay, well I'm back in the water - I took it to a machine shop & had the guy tap the hole with a 1/4 pipe tap. Then I bought a fitting (3/16 inverted flare - female to 1/4 pip thread male) hooked it all together & it works! it does leak some, but I'll just live with that & replace my ram in the next month or so.<br /><br />Thanks for the ideas guys<br /><br />TC

 

[tominatub]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

oh! & he did it for free.

 

[QC]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

Cool. Glad you're back in biz . . . Have a good vacation!

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Urget help! on the lake & having bad luck

There ya go then......enjoy the rest of your vacation!!