3 Ram trim issue

[bobthebuilder]

I took a 3 ram trim unit from a swivel that was recently replaced so it was nearly new. The steering arm is frozen in the swivel bracket.. Anyway it worked perfectly and nice like bran new before I started taking side plates and all off it. I just wanted to close the rams and install it on my nice new looking can and swivel tomorrow but the big ram closed in and when it hit bottom the motor went into a bind and the short tilt rams just stay all the way out.. I ran into this one time before about 3 years ago and never got it solved I just got another mid section complete.. It is a 1998 Mercury 200. Anyway is it an air lock goin on? Any help greatly appreciated.

[leaky]

Those assemblies are some of the most nonsensical things to trouble-shoot until you look a the repair manual and understand the inner workings, one way and pressure relief valves, routing fluid back to reservoirs, etc.. etc..

Look at the diagram about 50 times and eventually you start getting the picture.. Anyway, without doing that, you ought to be able to loosen the pressure relief screw and have your way with it, assuming that you did not find a way to put it in a mechanical bind based on hyper-contracting that piston. There also may be other fills/drains/valves you can unscrew on the assembly that will have the same impact.

Worst scenario if nothing makes sense get yourself a gland wrench (or for some of them the spanner wrench to loosen a grinder wheel works) and remove the end cap, wiggle things around, and you ought to make some headway in getting it back into a natural position where things will move again, then don't play with the power trim/tilt until it's installed .

Jon

[leaky]

BTW thinking about what you did there - the tilt cylinder should never get fully depressed without the trim cylinders also doing so (which likely happens passively as you actuate the tilt cylinder), so you've got the got the system all goofed up. Normally the trim cylinders would be essentially doing the work with the tilt cylinder along for the ride until you got passed the trim part of the motion - most likely there is no way for the system to recover from that position without some manual intervention because when fully collapsed the tilt cylinder isn't supposed to actually do any work in the extending direction, all it does is hold enough vacuum to keep the engine from jumping up in reverse.

[bobthebuilder]

Do you think once it gets mounted back into the mid section it can be reset by doing certain things or does it need to be taken apart completely or what is the procedure to get it straightened out? I have a Mercury Shop Technicians manual.. not Sealoc or Clymers junk but a Factory manual but it leaves out anything to address this issue??

[specboatops]

BTW thinking about what you did there - the tilt cylinder should never get fully depressed without the trim cylinders also doing so (which likely happens passively as you actuate the tilt cylinder), so you've got the got the system all goofed up. Normally the trim cylinders would be essentially doing the work with the tilt cylinder along for the ride until you got passed the trim part of the motion - most likely there is no way for the system to recover from that position without some manual intervention because when fully collapsed the tilt cylinder isn't supposed to actually do any work in the extending direction, all it does is hold enough vacuum to keep the engine from jumping up in reverse.

Couldn't you bleed the system to get it working correctly again ?

[leaky]

Couldn't you bleed the system to get it working correctly again ?

My first idea I posted is to loosen the pressure relief screw and he ought to be able to pull on it to get it extended, I think that ought to work, or otherwise, like you point out the second thing I posted was to find a drain or part that could be removed to relieve fluid & pressure.

It's also possible with something like a c-clamp and block of wood you might find putting a little pressure on the trim cylinders pops the tilt cylinder out.

Jon

[rock]

That would be my first step.

Rock

[Go Time]

Will the tilt ram go up now if you operate the system in the up direction? If so, you don' t need to do anything but push in the trim rams while running the tilt ram in...the trim rams should recede. They depend on the tilt ram to push them in when in the midsection assembly.

[bobthebuilder]

Well I tried to push in the trim rams while running the tilt ram in and the trim rams will not give at all like they are froze in place but the tilt ram runs in and out smoothly with not strain on the pump motor but when it hits bottom or I even tried a deep socket wedged in to keep the tilt ram form completely collapsing but the motor goes into a bind or straining and the trim rams still do not move.. Something happened to it during removing it from the clamp of the mid section.. I was going to use my mid section (fresh water motor) The ram is fairly new or appears to be in pristine condition but the swivel and clamp I removed it from is salt eaten pretty bad.. event he steering arm is frozen and will not turn.. rusty.. Anyway I got to get it back working maybe tomorrow I will do some more experimenting on it. Thanks guys for input but I have seen this before and figured someone out there knows exactly how to correct it. Your input is greatly appreciated..