1995 115 HP Mercury Outboard Trim 'n Tilt Repair

Detailed video on how to replace the o-rings in the power trim 'n tilt on a 1995 115 HP Mercury outboard.
This video took me a few days to compile and is a little choppy because of the cuts and merges. The detail is complete but post any questions.

[@jameswhippy4614]

I completed my o-rings renewal on my 1995 115 Mercury with ease all thanks to your great video. Thanks Rich!

[@richward2288]

I'm glad I could help. Congratulations on getting it done.

[@jasonwhite7024]

Massive thank you for posting the video. You gave the confidence to do this on my own with a 2007 Merc 115 and everything was essentially the same. Thanks so much!

[@richward2288]

You're welcome, Jason. I'm glad I was able to help out. It was a daunting task but I did find someone else to help me out. I used that information, added my own refinement and created the video. It's one of my most popular. 🙂

[@jamesstokes8015]

Thanks for the video Rich. I have the exact same trim n tilt on a 2004 Mercury 115 outboard. I was able to complete this repair by using your video and advice from multiple friends. I purchased the exact same oring kit and gland nut wrench, but was unable to remove the bottom piston with the tool and pins provided and ended up using drill bits pushed through the holes on the wrench and set them with the allen screws which gave me a lot more bite when trying to remove the bottom piston. I also used a safety strap anchored above my work area to support the motor just in case it came off the stand while working. Great video with a lot of information. Thank you for taking the time to video your repair!

[@richward2288]

Glad to be of some help James. Yes, that bottom piston was a doozy to remove. I almost had to go the way you did and on the last attempt it came loose. I have not had any further leaks or odd noises from trapped air. It has performed flawlessly. I make these videos for myself as well as others. If I ever have to do the repair again, it's well documented. :-)

[@tommajor6861]

I am having trouble removing the pin at the top of the piston shaft. Does pry out with various siz/shaped screw drivers and pry bars. Any suggestions?

[@tommajor6861]

Sorry, I meant to say pin does NOT come out with normal prybars, etc.

[@odellmac2134]

I have the same motor, 1995 merc 115 hp, and your videos help me more than I can express. Thank you for this information and post all the repairs you make, you're a good instructor.

[@richward2288]

Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad I could help you. I have another video coming up in a few weeks on replacing the stator and switch box (power pack). I'm waiting on yet another rev limiter. My stator quit on me this year and I replaced it. I'm back on the water again. More help for those who need it :-)

[@BritishAirwaysCaptin]

Your video helped me with my rebuild of my 2018 115hp. Everything was identical still. Thank you for taking the time

[@richward2288]

Hi, BOAC :) Glad I was able t help you. Mine is still going strong, no problems. Hope you get great service out of yours

[@howardnutt771]

Hi Rich again from down under🙃, Thanks for your advice on pressure relief valve. Still had a few funny sounds on trimming up.With motor trimmed up as you said-Released pressure relief valve.. on second turn out motor came down. Tightened pressure relief valve while down. Then trimmed up and down.. worked perfectly.. no funny noises and holds trimmed position.🙏🏻 Thanks so much Rich .. Happy Christmas and New Year!🎉 You’ve made me a very, very happy camper 😂 As you said we are coming into summer here, so we’ll see how the 30year old Merc goes .. weather is a bit wet but calm .Hope you can enjoy your winter.

[@tonydl1221]

Hi Rich, just wanted to thank you for sharing this video. Being a hands on kind of person my self and with your video and advise I was able to take care of my trim which is the same as yours. I ordered the same seal kit I also ordered the same gland wrench which I sent back because instead of a 1/2 inch I got the 3/4 inch one. with the help of a friend I was able to make my own and instead of an adjustable one I made two to fit just right, feels darn good when you finish the job and everything works just right as if a professional did it. Anyway again thank you ! By the way my tilt motor appears to be the same as yours the square type with three wires if I'm not mistaken, anyway its kind of acting up but still works and I really don't want to install a new one with the two wires, I think I'm going to have to replace my carbon brushes and possibly the gasket, I've looked and looked and I cant find parts or a how to video on line so if you have any information on this I would appreciate it very much. Take care !

[@richward2288]

Hi Tony, glad my video was able to help you. If your motor is making a funny noise then maybe you still have air in the pump fluid. I had to bleed mine a couple of times to get it all out. I bought this motor new and according to the Mercury online parts catalog I have the 3 wire wiring. I assume positive, negative and ground. There is a kit that includes that wire and other parts, but I can't find it, says no longer available, either number. Go here and put in your serial number: www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/parts-and-accessories/parts-catalog It will bring up some options for motors, select yours then look for the Power Trim area to get the part numbers. Then you can search for them. I found a kit for mine on Amazon but they want $1002. I think you can get an entire motor for that price. Good luck in your search, I'm happy I was able to help with the piston assembly O-rings.

[@tonydl1221]

@@richward2288 the piston worked great 100% thanks to you, what my motor is doing seams like a brush problem because sometimes when I go to lift or down nothing happens and by tapping slightly on the motor it works again, I've read somewhere that the brushes are starting to stick. I'm almost sure I can find brushes but if the gasket tears I don't know what Ill do. I found the replacement motor for it part number 824051 its a two wire motor but the relay and harness come with it for the conversion . I'm told that the original which is what I got works better than the replacement that's why Ill try and fix it, if I wind up tearing the gasket or not being successful then Ill get the replacement. Amazon has the 804051 motor and it goes for $ 150.00 and up. if anyone out there knows where to get parts for this original motor please let me know. Thanks Rich !

[@richward2288]

@@tonydl1221 It does sound like either the brushes are worn and not making a good contact or there is dirt/corrosion somewhere in the assembly. The gasket you're talking about (are they the ones that goes between the bottom/top of the motor and the case?) you can just get some gasket material and make a replacement, seal it up with some Permatex Ultrablack 82180. (Great stuff). The OEM Mercury part for mine is $900 but I think that's the entire assembly, motor and all. Sometimes you can go talk to the guys in the repair shops and they can give you some info. You can try the iBoats forum, post a question there. forums.iboats.com/

[@tonydl1221]

the gasket I'm referring to is the one on top of the motor I'm sure its one of those square O rings ( if its of regular gasket material kind well it would be easier to make one ) the one that goes between the motor and the pump does seam to be an O ring that I can get, it might even be the one I have left over from the piston kit. anyway I'm pretty sure I will be taking it apart and try and fix it, I heat to put it back on my boat and have the motor go out on me completely, the hardest part of resealing the piston has been taking that darn pin out, I'm 75 and not as agile as I used to be, I would dread having to back banging on that pin to get it out again jaja. anyway if worse to shove Ill just use some of that Permatex I'm sure it will keep the water out. you know a long time ago my stator went out on me and The people at I boats forum helped me out with that, I had forgotten all about them thanks for reminding me.

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

Great job Rich, Thanks for the plug👍 Tim

[@richward2288]

Tim, I never could have done it without your help. I am eternally grateful for all the details.

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

I just watched your entire video. I even picked up a couple new things from it. One being how to remove the air bubbles. On mine the more I ran it the better it got but I like your method to get them out quicker. I'm working on a Bosch hammer drill right now putting it back together. Allot of assembly and detail. I think you will enjoy it. Part 2 assembly will hopefully be out this coming Friday. Stay tuned!😁 Tim

[@richward2288]

Getting the air bubbles out was one of the harder things to do. When I reassembled, even though I used the tilt several times I just couldn't get the motor to go up very much. When I reinstalled the tilt sending unit on the motor, that helped. (D,oh!) Each time I got the motor to go up I opened the nylon screw valve to let the motor come down on its own. That seemed to squeeze out the most air. I'll check out the hammer drill video. :-)

[@stinkitup]

I know this has been around a while but just sorted my tilt trim on my 125 merc...Rich your vid made it very easy thanks!

[@richward2288]

Hi Ryan, glad my video helped you. I'm happy you're trimming and tilting again. 😎

[@stinkitup]

@@richward2288 yep nice and smooth now. That top wiper seal just fell apart. Cheers and God bless.

[@davidwoodfield1329]

Hi Richard, my 1990 Mariner 115hp ELPTO outboard tilt ram is leaking. Have just ordered overhaul kit from local Mercury dealer. Your KZbin video is very helpful👍 David Tasmania Australia

[@richward2288]

Hi David, hope all is well down under. I'm glad my video was able to help you. Mine is still going strong, no leaks. I hope you have the same luck.

[@nddhmj]

GREAT VIDEO!! Most comprehensive video I’ve found on KZbin. Thank you!

[@richward2288]

You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to help. Mine is still going strong, no problems. :)

[@davidc7406]

Still waiting for water pump install video on your mercury lol so I can learn you are very self explanatory . Thanks again for your info on the my tile and trim issues.

[@richward2288]

Hi David, thanks for the kind words. In 2021 I struck a rocky area and damaged the lower unit so bad it had to be replaced. I'm afraid there won't be a water pump video any time soon. 🙂

[@chazwhiting6141]

First off. Excellent video! I watched it many times over in preparation to do my motor. Mine is a 2012 4-stroke 60hp Bigfoot. I wanted to share a few things from my experience that others may find useful. First off, you can only get the small orings inside the pistons from 5 star marine. Before I saw this video I had already ordered the kit from mercury. It came with only the 3 large orings that are on the outside of the pistons. Then I ordered a more comprehensive kit from mercury that I thought had absolutely everything, including all orings for the motor assembly (for $137!). It still only had the 3 outer piston rings then about 40 others for the motor. The 5 star marine website catalog is very difficult to navigate and it didn't even list a kit for my motor. But I called them and they were very helpful. I also ordered a stainless steel pressure relief valve which they said could be a point of failure in the future. The first challenge I faced is that on my particular motor, the trim motor and piston assembly doesn't swing down so you can access it like this video. Mine has very little travel. No way you could get the shaft out. I had to drive out the pin holding it in and remove the whole thing to work on it. But my cable is extremely short and I didn't want to disconnect the cable from the motor because it was fished underneath the motor in a very tight space. No way I would have ever gotten it back through there. So I had to build a table at just the right height to set the trim assembly on to work on it. To get the memory piston out, I did use the trim up button to fire it out, but i fired it into a 5 gal bucket with a bunch of rags to catch it without damage. When torquing the shock piston to 90lbs, my gland nut wrench slipped and bent the edge of one of the holes that holds the spring. I was able to file it down and it didn't seem to affect anything but be very careful. I found it best to torque 10lbs at a time starting at 40. When torquing the black screws, one of the sheared right off in the hole! I panicked! But I took it to my local machine shop and they were able to remove it without damage for $65. As far as I know you can't get these screws from mercury, but the shop was able to identify the exact screw I needed. M4, .7 thread pitch, 10mm long, panhead, t20, stainless. I called around everywhere local, even specialty fastener places. No one had this. The only place I found that had it was boltdepot.com. Here is the exact screw (just not black): boltdepot.com/Metric_machine_screws_Star_drive_pan_head_Stainless_steel_316_(A-4)_4mm_x_0.7mm?Selected=22317 Lastly, I have the official service manual for this motor. The order of re-assembly in the video is not quite correct. The manual clearly says, lubricate the memory piston and push all the way to the bottom of the cylinder first. Before adding fluid. I used a 1 inch pvc pipe to do this. It slid right down. Then fill with fluid 3in from the top. Then push the shock piston assembly through the fluid until it starts to come through the relief hole. You really have to push hard. Then fill the cylinder, on top of the shock piston, to right below the cylinder threads. Then screw down the cap and torque to 45ft lbs. Then fill from the fill cap on the trim motor (doesn't need much). Following this procedure, I had no issue bleeding air at all. It worked first try. No funny sounds etc... I think doing it the video way results in a non full cylinder and you have to work the air out and slowly replace it with fluid through the fill cap. I would definitely go with the official mercury way. Hope these details help someone. I was helped by a few comments from other people. Again excellent video and saved me a ton of money vs getting this done at a shop or sending the whole thing to 5 star marine!

[@richward2288]

Hi Chaz, thanks for your comments and details. When I did this I didn't have the service manual (I do now). I found several videos but the one I reference in my video helped me more than anything. He provided the very detailed layout of all the parts. I didn't have much to go on and I really wasn't sure that it was my problem. Happy ending, however, because it still works just dandy. Again, thanks for you watching and your comments.

[@johnever3226]

thank you Rich ,, i have to do this on my 1995 Mercury black max 200 ,, i will follow your steps ,,, great video ..

[@richward2288]

You're welcome and good luck. I was nervous starting out but it turned out to be not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The noise after reassembly scared me but what I got it bled out it was quiet. It's over a year now and no problems.

[@henrygonzalez1201]

wow I have learned so much thank you Richard.

[@richward2288]

You're welcome, glad I could help.

[@Techniclay]

Thanks man! Your a great wealth of information!

[@richward2288]

Glad I could help

[@mikeboston421]

well done, nice vid and explanation, thanks for sharing, at or around 1730 to get the 'bottom piece'(bottom piston) loose you can as an alternative take drill bits and put 2 into the holes then use a screwdriver shaft between the bit shafts to twist the piece off, to loosen it

[@richward2288]

Good tip Mike, thanks. As long as the drill bits are a good fit in the holes. The gland nut tool with a socket driver and tape over those pins did it for me. I liked the tape, figured it would cushion the edges. I was afraid I'd damage the edge on one of those holes. It was new ground for me. Proceed with caution. :-)

[@mikeboston421]

@@richward2288 ya for sure the gland nut tool is great, when i did mine i was naive enough to think the tool they had in the manual would work, it was completely useless and i bent it so i couldnt even return it, two arms joined at one end and pins on each of the ends of the free arms, had someone build me a tool to get the cap off, way more effort required then i could ever have imagined but hey hadnt been touched in 20 yrs, a buddy just cut a chunk out of a 1/4 inch thick 1.5 foot x 1.5 inch steel bar, to fit around the piston and added some well placed pins and voila it worked to get the cap off

[@richward2288]

@@mikeboston421 always good to have buddies that do metal working.

[@mikeboston421]

@@richward2288 just a mechanic who looked at the problem and came up with a simple idea, had a drill press for the pins and cut the chunk out with an angle grinder, looked like crap but worked just fine, anyway great vids, you're helping out lots of people, wish i had this when i did mine, lol,

[@thomasshutowich7915]

Thanks Great tips Getting all the air out of the system took the longest time what a pain but got to done Thanks

[@richward2288]

It took me about 8 or 10 up/down sessions, but I didn't open the pump motor area, just the piston. In the service manual they have a bench method where you remove the cylinder from the bracket, create your own immersion tool out of an old, large coffee can, fill the can with fluid, immerse the piston/cylinder and then move the piston up and down the tube to fill it. It looked like a lot of hassle and even the book said it was a drawn out affair. Glad you're able to get it bled. Mine has not even hinted of a problem, still works like it was new.

[@thomasshutowich7915]

New problem developed after new seals installed motor sinks back down from full tilt up position in a matter of a minute or two.which seal do you think holds the motor in position. I did something wrong. 1995 mercury 200 hp black max Any idea what to look for? Thanks.

[@richward2288]

The memory piston holds the motor up until you trim down. Did you replace the large O-ring on that? How about the manual trim release, the nylon screw on the right side of the motor bracket, is it screwed in tight? Is the O-ring on that nylon screw good? Trim all the way up, lock, check fluid level. Close fluid fill and release the motor lock. Loosen the manual screw so the motor comes down again. Tilt up and see if it holds. Maybe some gunk got in the manual screw seal area.

[@thomasshutowich7915]

Cannot get that memory piston to come out gets all the way to the end and fluid comes out all over but it will not pop out. I'm going to try compressed air next.No O ring on the manual trim release you have to take it all the way out before air comes out.Going to give it a third try if it doesn't rain tomorrow. Thanks

[@richward2288]

In the manual they say to use Lock Ring Pliers (Craftsman P/N 4735) or (Snap-on P/N SRP4). If you have removed the entire piston/cylinder from the mount you can use compressed air in the center O-ring hole. There is a caution about compressed air, to invert the piston to several shop rags or towels to absorb the impact and not damage the piston

[@marlon5656]

how did you maintain the engine raised if you took it of the main ram. i have a 96 135hp the the motor just spins and spins, a local mechanic told me that the shaft in the motor broke so it just spins. i just do have a way to get to the rear allen key screw on the tilt motor.

[@richward2288]

If you mean how do you keep the motor raised while working on the trim, on the left side of the motor is a lock mechanism. I demonstrate this in the beginning of the video at 00:40. Raise the motor, turn the knob to raise the lever that holds the motor. When you are positive the motor is locked in up position you can work on the power trim. I'm not understanding about the motor spinning. Do you mean the pump motor runs but doesn't lift the outboard? Can you lift the motor while using the trim? Have you checked the fluid level? Maybe low on fluid or maybe air in the fluid. This happened to me. The trim motor would run but the outboard engine would not lift. I had to help lift with my hand while using the trim motor. Make sure you have fluid in the pump reservoir.

[@howardnutt771]

10:38 Hi Rich Thanks so much from Australia.Had a real adventure trying to pry out shear pin! Found out from Shannon marine here that by punching through sender pivot pin will break /shear pin .. Rev1 Tried to shear pin by hitting main pin .. now back to pry bars😢Hope this helps .. I’m now waiting for parts from Amazon. Thanks again .. 5:23 Only at step 1.. Kind regards, Howard

[@richward2288]

Hi Howard, how's things down under? You guys are heading into spring while we've got the furnace going 🙂 I'm not quite understanding about the shear pin. Do you mean the pin removal (pry out) at about the 2 minute mark or the shock rod pin removal at the 3 minute mark? The first pin needs to be pried out. I used a screw driver to move it a little, then a chisel to get it the rest of the way so I could pull it out. The second pin holds the shock rod and comes out fairly easy. It just needs to be tapped with something so as not to damage it. Make sure the motor is supported on the kickstand so it doesn't fall on you.

[@howardnutt771]

Hi Rich, Thanks so much for your reply and help! Yes that’s right. The screws on the trim sender screws sheared off The trim sender itself fell apart in my hands. Regarding pins .. For me both were a nightmare.. Trilobe pin and the “shaft” I have a 1994 90hp mercury. Both pins seized ! Finally ,with bolt buster , Inox ,wd40 and an assortment of pry bars Trilobe pin came out 🙏🏻 The mercury rep mechanic told me that the Trilobe pin was a shear pin .I did try just hitting from port side and it didn’t shear 😅 The “shaft” was also totally seized. Tried ALL ways , heat ,as above loosening lubricants , then hitting with flat punches.Looked locally for various types of pullers and pushers including portapower to no avail. Finally, I found a steering bearing, clamp G clamp online. Cost me $45 Australian and was here in two days! I got a mate to come and help me hold the clamp in line while I was able to put a socket inline the right size on the port side And clamped against the starboard side of the transom bracket on the motor. I had a breaker bar half inch socket on the G clamp with an extension! With One loud bang the shaft moved. Continued to to push out shaft using this method until shock rod just fell down ,out! I disassembled and reassembled with new o rings as you kindly advised-same supplier you recommended. (I had to replace three ht screws holding the ball bearings . All torqued to spec.as your advise / service manual.) (Forgot to say my memory piston was difficult to remove .. purchased lock ring tool online to get out.) (shaft had been shimmed in place by someone? No wonder it wouldn’t come out. All parts back together except sender. Trim refused to lift. Read somewhere to check relief valve condition in full up position So removed and cleared. After several lifts up with trim up pressed and refilling reservoir each time was able to gradually refill cylinder and get hydraulic pressure back. Ok on trim down , but a bit of a compressed noise when on lift . However is holding in all positions. Definitely for me not plain sailing for me as a mechanical job.You can see it’s taken me a month and half working on and off. But like you Rich .. I’m a happy camper , thanks again for your help. Thought others might be interested too👍

[@richward2288]

WOW! What a story, Howard. I feel for you that you had that much trouble. Sounds like your motor is stored outside and/or you use it in salt water. I'm fortunate to have mine garage kept, but then I can't take it out without traveling 1.4 hours to get to a lake. I guess it's like plumbing. The really hard part is getting the old stuff off. I'm simply amazed at what you went through. I bow to any mechanic. I am only mechanically inclined and I come from the school of hard knocks. In days of yore a shear pin was a brass pin that went through the prop shaft and prop. Hit a rock and the brass pin sheared off, protecting the drive shaft. Rubberized props have replaced that. For my memory piston I just pressurized the system and out she flew, across the garage floor. Someone else posted in here that they had a hard time as well. I don't see how the trilobe could shear off from any operation. To me it looks like it's purpose is to make the pivot shaft turn and rotate the sending unit when you trim the motor. Without that pin the sending unit wouldn't work properly because the shaft wouldn't rotate properly. I was fortunate enough not to have to open up the pump motor side of this gizmo. I did have air in the system when I finished but I would just lift by the skeg as I used the pump to help raise the motor, lock it in place and check the fluid. Close that up and take it off the kickstand, open the bypass nylon screw to let it down. Raise it up again, lock it, check fluid, unlock, lower with the bypass screw. I did that about 10-15 times and it has removed all the bubbles. It's been working like new since I made the repair. You had a tough time, for sure, but now now you have made the repair and should be very proud for all the work you did. I'm glad my video was a big help for you.

[@kevinrobins1192]

Took me hours to get the upper pin out. Finally got the engine angled just right to punch it out from the back side. Don't think those are sheer pins. They are intended to pry out. Might try stainless bolts with locking nuts next time.

[@CRSwint]

Hi Richard - the tilt system on my 2015 Merc 90 HP ELPT CT 4S goes up fine but will not stay up - it drifts down intermittently (that is to say sometimes it stays up - maybe related to cooler temps) very annoying. Reported when new (inwarranty) and dealer “couldn’t find any issue” . Do you think this is an o-ring leak. No signs of external leakage. Thanks

[@richward2288]

I'm not getting notified when someone replies to my videos, sorry for the delay. The memory piston sits below the shock rod and top piston. It has one large O-ring on it. I would guess that this O-ring is allowing fluid to get by and your motor to settle.

[@mikekochanskifishing5811]

I have a 135hp black max on an 87 boat. The trim slowly bleeds down (roughly 10 to 15 minutes from full up til it bleeds back down on its own). Any idea if the seals you replaced in this video would help me or is that a different seal? Thanks. Good video.

[@richward2288]

Several people have posted here that replacing the seals solved the problem with the motor dropping down. It solved mine from dripping fluid on the floor and from having to manually lift the motor to put it on the motor toter. Use the Mercury Parts Catalog site to locate your seal kit and do the repair. It's a lot cheaper than paying someone else or replacing the hydraulics. I found 5 Star Marine on Amazon that had my kit but there were kits from Mercury dealers as well www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/parts-and-accessories/parts-catalog

[@JEFF81571]

Great video with attention to detail. I do have a question. When putting the memory piston into the cylinder down to the fluid which is 3 in from top of cylinder, do u push the memory piston down until the bottom of it is just touching the fluid, or do u submerse it in the fluid until fluid is at top of piston? Thx

[@richward2288]

You can go only down to the fluid because fluid cannot get past the "O" ring. That's the purpose of the memory piston, to hold the shock rod in place. I think I had a problem getting the memory piston down to the fluid. It's pretty tight.

[@brianc1309]

Hey Rich, I’m thinking of buying a 17 foot Boston Whaler with this 1995 Mercury 115 outboard attached. Guy says the motor still works great and has low usage, is this motor pretty decent? Anything else I should know? Thanks!

[@richward2288]

Hi Brian, sorry this is such a late reply but I don't recall getting a notice about it. I hope all went well for you. My 1995 115 Merc has been a very good motor. It's needed very few repairs and the only one I didn't do myself was to replace the voltage regulator, which is pretty simple. I store my boat and motor in my garage so even at 25 years old it's in excellent shape. The only problem has been the oil reservoir low oil warning alarm. The magnet separates from the float. Mine is an early model so no hope of repair and had to replace the tank, which was hard to find. Otherwise, no major problems.

[@robl6570]

Hello great vid. One question after moving up and down a few and have air you lower and open the valve on side to release then repeat if necessary till smooth.. Thanks.

[@richward2288]

When you have the motor on the kickstand and you check the fluid level, if you see foam on top then you have air in the line. A bubble or two isn't bad but a lot is not good. Here's the method I used to bleed mine. I bought a set of cheap ketchup/mustard squirt bottles and used one for fluid. I emptied and cleaned the bottle when I was done. You may need to repeat this 3-4 times to get the air out. 1. Motor on kickstand, check the fluid level (I lower the trailer nose all the way to make filling easier.) 2. Replace the fluid fill cap, open the manual valve 3. Cautiously lower the motor (it's heavy) down 4. Close the manual valve, raise the motor up to the kickstand by hand and/or with the tilt. Go to step 1 until the sound of the motor is normal, no foam on top of the fluid and you can tilt up the motor normally

[@ericbogenhagen1153]

This was exactly what I what I was looking for! Bought a new to me and first boat this year with 1995 125 Mercury on it. Trim motor and ram assembly look like new condition. But, mine was beginning to leak past the top wiper as well. Replaced all seals in the cylinder and I believe I have bled and filled it all properly. Some small brief gurgling noises going up (not sure if it's motor brush noise) down is fine for the noise. But my trim will not apply pressure going down anymore. Can only trim down when I'm idling in the boat. Cannot get the trim motor to apply downward pressure on my motormate transom saver. It will just come to a rest on it. I've tried googling and checking all comments on this video, but can't seem to find a fix. If anyone have an idea? please share...trim up under load is good, but cannot trim down under load now like it used to. Thanks guys!

[@richward2288]

Do you hear the motor running when you trim down? In your garage, did you raise the motor up then let it down using the nylon bleed screw on the right hand side of the transom bracket? Be sure to check the fluid level after doing that. If the motor is running I think you have air in the lines. You may have to open it up again and check your installation. If all else fails, call your local Mercury mechanic and ask them about your problem.

[@ericbogenhagen1153]

@@richward2288 yeah, it runs up and down. Feel like I have bled it with the nylon screw at least a dozen times. I'll try opening the whole cylinder again and putting it back together. Thanks for the insight Rich. Keep up the good work on youtube!

[@richward2288]

@@ericbogenhagen1153 I wish I could help you out more. That's the first time I ever rebuilt one. Your local Mercury shop can probably answer your question.

[@ericbogenhagen1153]

@@richward2288 Rich, after thinking about this for quite a while I figured the only explanation was there must be something inside or broken in the motor, or stuck valves in the motor. So I ended taking apart my motor and fluid reservoir. Low and behold, finger nail clipping size pieces of plastic that had stripped off of the fill plug were inside! Then I went further and took apart another piece connected to the base of inside the fluid reservoir that holds the valves and a couple more spring retained ball bearings in place. And found more plastic tangled up in one of the springs and in the seats of one of the bearings. Gave it all a good cleaning, put er back together, and voila! Now the trim motor actually pulls down. I figure before it must have been allowing pressure to release just enough that the weight of the engine would move the ram downwith gravity. But like I said. Only when the boat was in neutral at basically no speed. I couldn't find anywhere on the internet of anybody having this problem. Always seemed to be a burnt out relay or trim motor. Must have pulled in that plastic junk in when flushing the whole system to replace the cylinder seals because I never had that problem before. Thanks again for all your help with the video! I know this assembly almost completely inside and out now, thanks to your video giving me the confidence and know how of how to get into it. No fear in the future of tackling problems with the tilt trim. Thanks a bunch Rich! Couldn't have done it without you

[@richward2288]

@@ericbogenhagen1153 Most excellent! Sometimes you just have to dig deeper into these things to find the answer. I appreciate you posting your solution so that others can benefit from it.

[@davidc7406]

Thanks for the video. My is 1995 mariner 125 hp. I noticed you have the yellow plug. Will my take the yellow plug also. My right now is black plug.

[@richward2288]

Mine was black but the replacement was yellow. I don't know if there is any difference but other than the color they seem to be the same. I use the Mercury parts catalog and it shows the part number for the yellow as replacement for the black.

[@jividenpower8195]

If the tilt and trim works, and holds the motor up on land. But the motor drops down during acceleration in the water, and raises up in reverse. What would you say the issue is?

[@richward2288]

Sounds like the O-rings to me. In the water you're under power, putting more stress on the pistons. On land it's just the pistons raising and lowering with no other power pushing on them. The O-rings are weak, particularly the ones on the memory piston, which holds the motor in position after trimming.

[@jividenpower8195]

@@richward2288 Thanks!

[@TheMitchelPayne]

I did this but did not put fluid before the memory piston. Can i fill it and work it up and down without taking the piston back out?

[@richward2288]

Sounds like you're doing the re-assembly and forgot to put fluid in the cylinder before putting in the memory piston. Is that right?

[@richward2288]

The manual says you need to put the fluid in before the memory piston. Instead of trying to use hydraulic pressure to get the piston out (which they recommend against) you can buy, beg or borrow a tool to extract it again (Hopefully you applied fluid to the new O-rings first). In the manual they say to use Lock Ring Pliers (Craftsman P/N 4735) or (Snap-on P/N SRP4). If you have removed the entire piston from the mount you can use compressed air in the center O-ring hole. There is a caution about compressed air, to invert the piston to several shop rags or towels to absorb the impact and not damage the piston. There is an alternative to putting the fluid in first, but it's very complex, including building a retaining tool to hold the assembly and you fill it with it with fluid. It's 3 pages of instructions. Both methods are getting air out of the system. not having fluid in the cylinder means you will have a lot of air. I suggest that it might be easier to take the piston back out and put the fluid in. I don't know what would happen if you didn't. I'm not a mechanic, maybe you can call your closest Mercury service department and ask them.

[@terrywilson1813]

My trim will work fine sometimes then other times won't ....do I just need to replace the trim motor? My fluid level is fine

[@richward2288]

Hi Terry, I'm not a Mercury mechanic but if your fluid looks good and the level is OK and you are having problems with tilt-trim then the motor could be an issue. Wiring connections between trim motor and battery could also be an issue. Have you tried checking all the connections back to the battery for corrosion? What are the symptoms when the tilt doesn't work? Grinding or dragging motor? There are more seals in the motor area that I did not have to replace. If you motor sounds OK then I would suspect you have seals leaking inside the motor area of the trim. You can go to the Mercury parts website and see a breakdown of the seals and seal kits / parts. You will need your Mercury's serial number, then go to: www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/parts-and-accessories/parts-catalog

[@terrywilson1813]

Rich Ward thanks for the reply I ended up tracing the lack of power to a bad solenoid on the trim motor that controls the down position. Swapped the two solenoids and identified the problem

[@travisbaker4482]

Thanks so much for the great video Rich! I have the exact same motor and am in the process of the rebuild. I have the main piston out and allls rails replace however I couldn’t get the memory piston out. I though maybe there was not enough fluid and filled the reservoir to try and push it out with the pump motor but it still sits a half inch or so from the top. Any advice on how to get it out? Thanks again.

[@richward2288]

What does the motor sound like when you press the tilt up button? Is it struggling? Maybe gurgling? Is any fluid coming past the memory piston? If the main piston was able to lift the motor then it should have enough pressure to pop that memory piston out. I'm thinking you may have air in the pump. You may have to reassemble and bleed the air out. Can you get the main piston back inside and push down the memory piston again? Then check the fluid level in the reservoir

[@travisbaker4482]

Sounds like that’s the case (air in the cylinder). At this point, seems easier for me to just save the seals and do it again if I ever have problems with the memory piston. Most of the o-rings seemed pretty good except for the two at the top which were cracking (and where the leak was) . Thanks for the good advice and for the quick response.

[@richward2288]

@@travisbaker4482 To bleed, raise the outboard up, turn the manual release screw (nylon screw on right side of transom bracket) slowly counter-clockwise and let motor down. Close manual release screw, raise outboard again, lower using manual release screw. Raise motor again, lock motor in up position using lock on left side. Check fluid level (it will have some foam). Replace fluid if low. Continue this bleeding technique until the motor doesn't make any odd gurgling sounds.

[@travisbaker4482]

@@richward2288 This helped a lot- I followed your instructions exactly in order to work enough oil in. I never did get that memoryy piston out so I was unable to fill the cylinder with oil-but using the technique you described, i was able to work in enough fluid to get it working smoothly again- thanks a million!

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

Hi Rich, Just watched this video again. The money we saved on doing ours compared to a shop or replacing the entire unit$$$

[@richward2288]

Hi Tim, Happy Thanksgiving Yes, we have saved ourselves quite a bit of money. I get a lot of views and comments on the power tilt video, even from people with different sized Mercury motors. I have made several videos now; power trim, stator and switchbox replacement, rev limiter, remote throttle, starter motor repair, fuel pump rebuild, carburetor rebuild, and assembling the brake actuator on the trailer. I think it's safe to say we've saved a boatload of money. 😂

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

Happy Thanksgiving to you and family as well. I'll check out some of your other videos over the holiday. Not sure if you have watched any of my other videos? I do more than just outboards. I just picked up a vintage 1964 Honda 90. Very cool little trail bike. Really in good condition.

[@richward2288]

@@TimsWorkshopTJY I had a '74 Honda CB200 in 74-76 I think. Times got tough and I had to sell it. I miss it but never got into riding again. I'll check out your videos

[@EldyValLeapaldt]

Just watched the video and it triggered a question as I'm about to install an o ring kit in my Mercury 175. I'm trying to understand how things work. Is my assumption correct that the purpose of the o ring on the memory piston, as well as the o ring on the assembly that screws on to the bottom of the shock, is to prevent any oil from getting past the o rings, and entering the cylinder that houses the shock rod? I'm talking about the cylinder that you pour atf fluid into 3" from the top. I'm thinking that that cylinder should not have any oil in it if the o rings are doing there job correctly. Thank you for your time.

[@richward2288]

I read the various explanations in the service manual and they are pretty complex. I can give you a guess on how this thing works but I'm not an outboard mechanic. Fluid is above and below the the bottom piston, the one on the shock rod and also the memory piston. The O-rings form a seal to maintain pressure in both areas, depending on the required trim/tilt. Bottom piston has several BB sized balls with springs. (See video at 15::22) These allow fluid to flow past it if you strike an underwater object, to allow fluid from above to enter the lower area and force the shock rod to extend when you hit an underwater object. When the pump is energized (trim up) it puts pressure on the fluid and that pressure pushes the memory piston up to the shock/bottom piston. Push the trim button down and the pump reverses drawing fluid back to the reservoir and allowing the memory piston to drop, which lowers the pressure and the shock rod and bottom piston to drop. Let go of the trim button and pressure above and below the bottom/shock piston, with vacuum on the memory piston keep everything in place and the motor stays where it is. I hope that gives you a general idea of how it works

[@EldyValLeapaldt]

Thank you Rich, I'll give it a try. Guess if I don't have the seals I need to fix it I'll have to order more parts. My kit came with 3 seals.

[@richward2288]

@@EldyValLeapaldt Did you order the Mercury kit? It should have all the seals you need, including the ones for the pump motor.. Go to the Mercury parts site with your motor's serial number and look in the section for the trim parts, get the kit number and search for it. You can probably get it on Amazon www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/parts-and-accessories/parts-catalog

[@cdebacaa1]

Great video thank you! I just finished mine same year and motor. Question I have is, did you open the fill cap to bleed air in both the up amd down position?

[@richward2288]

Never open the fill cap in the down position. It's under pressure. Only open in the up and locked position. There is a tilt lock on the left side of the motor near the lube point. Maybe you mean the release valve screw??? I raised the motor then opened the release valve screw slowly until the motor was down. Closed the valve, raised the motor, locked it with that tilt lock, opened rhe reservoir and checked fluid level. Foam indicates air in the system

[@richward2288]

At the beginning, you can see how to use the tilt lock. You always want the tilt lock engaged If you open the fluid fill cap because when the motor goes down it compresses the fluid. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGK6kGOZgchkp9k For bleeding, start the video at this position to understand how I did it. Watch it all the way through before starting kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGK6kGOZgchkp9k

[@cdebacaa1]

Ok i didn't think you had opened the fill plug in the down position. So my next question is by opening the bypass valve to slowly lower the motor does that allow the fluid to fill in the reservoir?

[@richward2288]

​@@cdebacaa1 Opening the bypass valve allows fluid and air to bypass the pump and return to the reservoir. That is my understanding. If you were at the lake and needed to raise your motor manually you would open the valve and raise the motor by lifting at the skeg until high enough for trailering, then close it again (motor toter in place). With that bypass valve open you can raise or lower the motor my hand. Just be careful :)

[@jessebayn9771]

How do i know if pump is bad? My cylinder goes up. But really slow down. And it dont go up fast all the time. I already checked fluid. It's full. Pump whines fast but slow moving. And i noticed alot of tiny bubbles in lube.

[@richward2288]

I'm not a Mercury mechanic but I'll give you my thoughts. :-) The bubbles are from air in the system, probably from the pump trying to trim but o-rings are allowing air to enter. If it's slow going down I would also suspect the o-rings. After I replaced my o-rings I had to bleed the system of air. Whenever I ran the pump I would get those air bubbles. You probably have bad o-rings but there are also parts that can wear out. The kit I purchased had all the seals for the cylinder pistons and one for the motor cover. Fluid was coming out of the top of my cylinder so I know it was leaking past the piston o-rings and the tilt was not going all the way up, but it would come down. I did not rebuild the motor/pump part of the trim assembly. Try this, see if it helps. Raise the motor up, you may have to help it by lifting at the skeg. Lock the motor with the locking device on the swivel bracket (bracket that clamps the motor to the transom). Check the fluid level, close the cap. Release the locking device. On the bottom-right side of the swivel bracket, through the access hole, is a nylon flat tip screw. Turn counter-clockwise to release the fluid in the cylinder back to the reservoir and the motor will go down. This also purges air trapped in the cylinder. Turn the the nylon screw clockwise to close the valve and trim the motor up as far as it will go. Check the fluid level. Trim the motor down. Do this a couple of times if it makes any unusual noise. This should purge air out of the system. If it does and the problem returns, then you have bad o-rings in the cylinder and/or pump-motor assembly that need to be replaced. The Mercury parts catalog was very helpful to me in knowing the part numbers and assembly. Go to www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/parts-and-accessories/parts-catalog and open the catalog, then put in your serial number. It will show the parts breakdown.

[@jessebayn9771]

@@richward2288 i have the exact same motor as you.

[@jessebayn9771]

@@richward2288 i have a motor exactly like yours. So it will be really nice to look at your video when rebuilding. Thanks.

[@jessebayn9771]

So i lifted motor all way up. Then let pressure out by turning screw. I did it 3 times. And same result. Goes up somewhat. But goes really slow down. So i will take apart and replace seals.

[@bassassassintv6025]

Hey I have a 94 115 mercury like the one you have. On mine it will trim down but when I go to trim up it begins to wine and wont go up. I have raised it all the way up pulled the plug on the resivor, heard air come out, and then added tilt/trim fluid, worked the motor up and down, then put the plug in, then work it up in down. I repeat those steps two or three times and it starts working fine, however the next day at the lake it wont tilt or trim. What are your thoughts?

[@richward2288]

Hi, I'm not a mechanic but I can make some guesses. It sounds to me like you are losing fluid. Mine was leaking onto the garage floor so quite evident I had a problem. After filling it up and taking it out again it worked for a while, then started doing the whining noise. Do you have to add fluid when you raise it up and open the plug? The fluid should be right at the lip of the opening with the motor full up and locked. If not, that could be the reason you're getting air in the system. But then it means you're leaking fluid. So you need to remove the trim / tilt tube and replace the O-rings. You will need the gland nut wrench and O-ring kit. Afterward, make sure you get the air out of the system. Good luck.

[@mikeboston421]

its slowly losing pressure, you need new orings internally, just like shown in this video, you've come to the right place, do what Rich has shown you here

[@greauxpete]

Key moment at 5:51 AMPRO T70566 Gland Nut Wrench used to remove caps

[@JerryEHamby]

Dose that unit trim the motor when you're running the boat??

[@richward2288]

Hi Jerry, thanks for viewing the video. Mercury calls this trim and tilt but it's all one function. Whether you're on the ramp and you're tilting the motor up - down, or if you're on the water and trimming the motor a little bit up or down for better performance. There's one motor and one hydraulic unit that work together to accomplish this.

[@JerryEHamby]

@Rich Ward Love that old Ranger

[@mattbrening1795]

Great video! I'm rebuilding a 1996 power trim with the black drain plug. It had a very slow leak down with no signs of exterior leakage. I found a good sized nick on the memory piston gasket, assuming it the culprit. But I noticed there's a roll pin and very light duty spring that looks alil outta place on the bottom of the shock rod. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[@richward2288]

There are 5 pins, springs and balls in the memory piston. Is that what you're seeing? In the video at 15:15 I discuss these and take them out.

[@mattbrening1795]

@@richward2288 Yes already got those 5 springs and balls out from the bottom side of the shock piston. But this is on the top side there's another machined hole that has a roll pin and spring underneath it.

[@mattbrening1795]

Just got the roll pin back in seated where it appears it should be. It holds a much lighter spring and post/ball bearing behind it just like the other 5. I'm assuming that this whole setup is why they call it a shock rod. The memory piston stays exactly where you set the trim and the springs on either side of the shock rod allow fluid bypass incase of a motor strike. Very interesting design unlike and other hydraulic cylinder I've delt with before. One other quick question, does anyone know of the black and yellow fill plugs are interchangeable?

[@richward2288]

@@mattbrening1795 The replacement for the black plug is the yellow plug. I bought one, using the superseded part number. Apparently at some point there was a difference, not in the plug but in the trim device. If you look on the Mercury parts site with your serial number (www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/parts-and-accessories/parts-catalog) it has 2 sections for the trim-tilt; black or yellow plug. But if you order a replacement you get the yellow one. I got one because I thought it was where the leak was, on that O-ring, but it wasn't, so now I have a spare. I'm still not understanding where that other pin and spring are on the memory piston. It's been some time since I did my repair and I don't recall all the parts. The parts catalog shows only the complete assembly. You can't buy many of the individual parts. In this other video kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHjOZaGAjap8erM at 11:38 Tim goes into great detail about the reassembly of the part with the 5 balls & springs. I don't see a 6th set that goes in the top. But maybe yours is different than mine. I'm not up on the functions. I guess when the pumps pushes fluid into the tube it forces the memory piston up and raises the motor or reverses and pulls it down. These 5 little balls-springs can't be much help if you've hit something. I had a strike last summer at about 25 mph and had to have the prop and lower unit replaced. I had a friend who ran his 150 Mercury up a bank and you can see the furrow the motor plowed through the dirt on the shore, but the motor did eventually go higher.

[@mattbrening1795]

@@richward2288 thanks for the info! I'll have to check out that video

[@OGRH]

Hey man, great job with this! I appreciate you putting this video up I will be doing a 92 black max soon so I will download your video for future reference. I was just listening to it while straightening up the garage... regarding that torque wrench... if you want a snap on quality torque wrench from Harbor freight that will not disappoint you, check out their line called “Icon” I have the two larger wrenches, but I do not have the one that does inch pounds yet, that one I will pick up soon enough! It’s a lot of money to spend $100 all the way up to $150 at Harbor freight, (sometimes they go on sale) but check out their comparisons on KZbin against snap-on which is if I’m not mistaken a $600- $700 tool! These I have a feeling, will not be available pretty soon, so you should strike while the iron is hot! premium quality tools for a do it yourselfer & well worth it!!

[@richward2288]

Glad you found it helpful, thanks for the tool tip.

[@OGRH]

Rich Ward for sure I’ll be in touch regarding the rebuild and let you know how it went, it may not go smooth but it’ll get done right no matter what. I’m hoping for the former! With your quality video though I’m sure things will cruise right along!

[@OGRH]

Rich Ward by the way here’s that video, after watching it I really couldn’t see not spending the money unless I just couldn’t afford it! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZzCgGiLZrmssJo

[@team-emilie]

Hey Rich. Great video...just what I was looking for. I have tried to find those o-rings for my trim, but everywhere they say that I have to buy the whole shaft. That is crazy expencive. Where did you buy the o-rings from. Was it a kit? Best regards from Denmark :)

[@richward2288]

Hello Team Emilie, wow! Denmark! I feel special today. :-) Thanks for watching my video. I bought the o-rings on Amazon.com. I will try to put the link here: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0793JNY6R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It says no longer available, but Mercury has a similar kit. Go to the Mercury and put in your serial number, then look for the Power Trim system. They will list a parts kit. Search for that number. For a 115 Mercury made in Belgium, with the black filler plug the kit is part number 813432A3. There are other seals, I don't know what you need. www.mercurymarine.com/en/us/parts-and-accessories/parts-catalog

[@richward2288]

Team Emilie, here is the part number from Amazon:Five Star Marine Rebuild kit Mercury Mariner Trim tilt 1988-2006 813432A3 FSM001 Here is their website: www.trimandtilt.com/index.html

[@team-emilie]

@@richward2288 Thank you very much. Really appriciated 👍🏼👍🏼🤩

[@mikeboston421]

@@team-emilie if that didnt work, go to an industrial seal supplier/warehouse in your city and take the old o-rings and the pieces they fit on and they'll help you find the ones you need so you dont have to buy a whole o-ring kit when you only needed 3 or 4

[@ajjj1850]

Rich, I have the same year and size outboard. Luckily I stumbled across your videos and I am rebuilding the tilt trim now. Appreciate the attention to detail in all your outboard videos. By the way, my motor keeps burning up the switchbox. Have you heard of this issue or why it could be happening? Thanks again, AJ

[@richward2288]

I have not had any problems with my switchbox. A number of years ago I had the voltage regulator send out high voltages and burned some wires. Voltages were up to 20 volts. Have you checked the output on your regulator, 14 volts should be peak? If you have a fish finder/GPS at the console there should be a readout for your voltages. I also had the rev limiter go bad, shorting out on the engine block. Otherwise, I don't know what it could be. Does the switch box just go dead?

[@richward2288]

Here's a link that might provide additional information: forums.iboats.com/threads/can-faulty-stator-kill-a-new-switch-box.407277/

[@ajjj1850]

Rich, Thanks for the reply and link. I have replaced the switchbox twice now. With a new switch box the motor immediately runs well then after a couple uses starts running rough, then intermittent spark, then no spark. Very odd issue. I have seen the link you sent me before...and noticed they mention any voltage coming back on the kill wire(black/yellow) can kill a switch box. Redoing all the wiring now to ensure there are no shorts. Thanks for your help.

[@richward2288]

@@ajjj1850 when I was trying to find a problem in my wiring I disconnected the kill switch wire for a day long trip. It didn't help so I replaced the rev limiter, which fixed it. But I've not had a switch box go bad. Not yet, anyway. (Knocks on wood). My rev limiter was grounding on the block, causing a fraction of a second full drop in power and a beep from the warning horn. It was really odd and happened only above about 30 mph

[@ajjj1850]

@@richward2288 I think I figured out the issue. The fault seemed to occur once the engine warmed up then intermittent spark would take place..this made me suspect it was an electronic issue. I inspected the Rev Limiter and the potting was cracked on the back as you described. Once I disconnected the rev limiter the engine fired right up and the switchbox i thought was bad worked fine. Ordered a new limiter from Crowely. Thanks again for the help to include the other videos for your Merc 115HP 2+2....keep them coming!

[@knicol33]

Going to be doing this rebuild shortly. What did you use to hold the Shock Rod in place to be able to unscrew the Bottom Piston without causing any damage?

[@richward2288]

Starting at 15:33 in the video I show you how I did it. In a nutshell, I used metal duct tape wrapped around the pins in the gland nut wrench. The tape added padding to protect the edges of those holes. jamesstokes8015 commented below that he used drill bits in those holes.

[@knicol33]

@@richward2288 Yes, I saw that, however what is holding the other end of the shock rod in place while you loosen the bottom piston. Did you just hold it by hand, or did you put a large screwdriver threw the other end of the shock rod where the pin goes to get leverage? You mentioned it being very difficult to pry loose.

[@richward2288]

@@knicol33 Look at the video for time: 17:29. You'll see I have it vertical in my bench vise. I wouldn't insert anything metal in the connector. It might scratch it. If you have to put something in there use a wooden dowel, but a bench vise would be best. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGK6kGOZgchkp9k

[@knicol33]

@@richward2288 Thanks! I totally missed the bench vise.

[@richward2288]

@@knicol33 Easy to do. I made these so I could reference them myself. Good luck with the rebuild. Several people have found it useful

[@davidc7406]

I put new o rings in my last year I am now having a issue with my going down but not up I check fluid it was good and bleeding a little air out but still same problem. I was thinking maybe i should check the o rings in the piston. My question was if maybe you can answer it for me or your thoughts. Do the steel balls have have to go back in the same hole they came out of. When I did my I did not notice that they were different sizes to me they seemed all same size so just them a steel ball in each hole. Thank you.

[@richward2288]

In the video at 16:47 you can see the balls, springs and triangular pistons. They are all the same size. In the Mercury online parts catalog they do not show them. You probably have to buy the entire shock rod kit, but if you have them then you're okay. If you can trim down but not up then you either have a bad O-ring, air in the fluid or a bad pump. If you replaced all of the O-rings on the shock rod and the power trim will go down but not up and you don't have any leaks, then you don't have hydraulic pressure. A bad pump is possible but I would suspect air in the hydraulic system or maybe a bad O-Ring. When you assembled, did you put the 3" of fluid in the cylinder before putting in the shock rod assembly? (38:05) When there is air in the system you can hear a strange sound from the pump, a higher whining pitch. Bleeding: Put the motor up on the kickstand (00:33) to take pressure off the hydraulic system. Open the hydraulic fill plug (black or yellow) and see if there is any foam on top of the fluid. If so, you have air in the system. Fill with fluid to the bottom edge of the filler threads, put the fill plug cap back on and tighten but not over tighten. Open the manual hydraulic relief (00:55) a turn or two and cautiously lift up the motor, remove it from the kickstand, slowly lowing it down. If it doesn't go down you can slowly turn the manual valve open. Close the manual valve, raise the motor (use the trim but you may still have to help it go up) and put it back on the kickstand. Open the fill plug and check the level, add more fluid if necessary. Replace the plug, open the hydraulic relief, remove the motor from the kickstand and slowly lower it to the ground. Close the valve, raise the motor to the kickstand and check the fluid level. You may need to repeat this 3-4 times to get the air out. 1. Motor on kickstand, check the fluid level 2. Replace the fluid fill cap, open the manual valve 3. Cautiously lower the motor (it's heavy) down 4. Close the manual valve, raise the motor up to the kickstand by hand and/or with the tilt. Go to step 1

[@davidc7406]

Thank you for your help I will try to bled the air out. The way you suggested

[@richward2288]

@@davidc7406 When you check the fluid level, if there is foam on top that is an indicator of air. Also, when you raise the motor the sound of the pump should be the same all the way up. If the sound changes to a high pitch and the motor hesitates to go up, that is another sign that there is air in the system. When you replaced the seals last year, was it working okay when you finished? When you raised the motor the sound was always the same? If you still have problems after bleeding again you will probably have to replace the seals again. Did you use the Mercury seal kit?

[@howardnutt771]

Finally got tri-lobe pin out with much prying.. severely seized in there

[@derekdriver251]

So how would I get the bottom piston out when mine won't build any pressure going up?

[@richward2288]

If yours won't build any pressure then you probably need to repair the pump first. I didn't have to repair my pump. It worked but the piston wouldn't raise the motor or hold position. In my case the O-rings on the piston were worn but my pump was okay

[@derekdriver251]

@@richward2288 I did repair it. The trim seems to work down but up never builds any pressure at all even when not hooked to the engine. It won't even raise the bare cylinder rod.

[@richward2288]

@@derekdriver251 Down is really just letting off the pressure in the piston. Have you removed the piston rod? On the bottom right of the transom bracket, through the bottom hole is a white nylon screw. This lets pressure off the cylinder. Is that closed? (right turn). When repairing the pump motor did you add fluid again? You may just be low on fluid. If the piston rod is still in the cylinder, reconnect to the motor and see if you can raise it. You may need to lift by hand. If the pump is running when you press trim and you can raise the motor to the kick stand, check fluid level. If fluid is foamy you have air in the pump and/or cylinder. There is a tool that is used to pull out the memory piston. It may be in another reply to someone. Let me know if you want me to look it up

[@derekdriver251]

@@richward2288 I can unscrew the release screw and lift by hand. Even when I tighten it back the engine will just free fall. Pump is full and running in both directions

[@richward2288]

@@derekdriver251 If the nylon screw is closed, the lift rod and top piston are assembled in the cylinder and connected to the motor and you can lift or lower the motor, then you most likely have fluid getting past the memory piston in the bottom and maybe the O-rings on the top piston. Have you replaced the top O-rings? Before you started the repair, would the pump raise the motor at all?

[@bonushoagie]

great video. I just completed the same job however the trim does not want to put the motor back up. Think Im having issues with air. I can lift the motor and trim it and it will go back up. How many times should i be doing this. It sounds horrible and am I causing damage. Should i have a cap open to release air? Please help

[@richward2288]

Sounds like air. Jump to 52:15 in the video for bleeding. You want the trailer nose down so you can put as much fluid in the reservoir each time. Motor should be up on the kickstand (left side device to hold the motor up) when you open the reservoir cap. **Add fluid** until it's at the edge, put the cap back on, lift the motor using the trim or possibly manually by holding it on the skeg and lower it. When the motor holds position, slowly open the manual trim release screw (nylon) on the right side of transom bracket to let the motor down. When down, close the valve and raise the motor up to put it back on the kickstand. You may have to help it by raising it by the skeg. On the kickstand, check fluid level again, **add fluid** if necessary (you may see bubbles in the fluid). Take the motor off the kickstand and lower it down by opening the manual trim release screw again. When down, trim it up again and put it back on the kickstand. Check fluid level. You will have to repeat this multiple times to get the air out. Each time you do this the sound should become more normal again. I think it was 5-6 times for me and again after I had it out on the lake for a morning fish. **It's important to check and add fluid (if necessary) each time you raise it up and put it on the kickstand.

[@maximo-imp]

Hi. You need a workshop manual to build a 1980 hp 175 V Mercury engine (V6). Would you be so kind as to send it to me? From already thank you very much.

[@richward2288]

I don't sell anything, I just post videos of work I have done on my equipment. If you Google what you need you should be able to find a seller.

[@gboat77]

Great video, but if you buy the wrong gland nut wrench good luck, the teeth on most are not very long and rounded on the end, any kind of serious pressure and the teeth slip right out of the cap holes. I guess thats why a see a lot of guys making their own.

[@richward2288]

I got mine from Amazon and it fit very well, no problems. A good guess, to be sure 😃

[@gboat77]

@@richward2288

[@gboat77]

what really worked well was getting two metric steel screws that screwed right into the mercury tool, then i used a stone wheel grinder to take off just the threads on one screw at a time sticking out of the tool, this took the stubborn cap right off, it worked so well i had to pry the cap off of the tool when it was off.

[@christopheregersett2158]

nice video like to get a copy of that picture with the seals & o-rings

[@richward2288]

Which picture? What's the time in the video?

[@richward2288]

On my laptop (WIN7) if I press the PRNTSCR button it takes a picture of the screen and puts it on the clipboard. Go full screen find the spot in the video you want, pause the video, press the PRNTSCR key then paste into a document or picture editor.

[@christopheregersett2158]

@@richward2288 thanks very much!!

[@harcosparky]

It would have been nice if we could have seen what you were doing. Not sure how I feel about your knee and floor! LOL

[@richward2288]

When you're working alone you can't always get a good camera angle. That area of my garage doesn't have much space. No place to position a tripod. Sorry, did my best.

[@LukeMAXM]

Get those o-rings off of your wife’s doillie!

[@LukeMAXM]

A doillie is the fabric on your kitchen table, my wife would have freaked out a bit!!

[@richward2288]

@@LukeMAXM I'm guessing you're having a bit of fun with me and not serious that you're thinking that paper towel is a doily. My wife would kill me (at least once) if I brought that stuff into the house. :-)

[@richward2288]

@@LukeMAXM AHA! In looking through the video today, looking for something else, I came across where you saw the doily, starting at 10:30. I had forgotten that was in the video. When I create these I don't always look at every scene. That is the doily on our living room coffee table. I needed a clear area to make the video. It was all clean stuff, no fluids or grease anywhere... but we won't tell the wife anyway. :-) Sorry about being so late to reply. KZbin stopped notifying me for a while when someone would comment on my videos. They seem to have fixed that now.