Power Tilt/Trim Woes...

[YoungClayB]

Hey guys...I bought a 1995 Sea Nymph with a 50 HP 2 cycle Evinrude with power tilt/trim a couple of months ago. When I first got the boat, the power tilt/trim worked fine, but on my second trip to the lake, it started having troubles raising the motor. I was hoping that I was just low on fluid, but when I took a closer look, the cylinder was covered in fluid. I called my local marine shop and they said that a seal had blown; I paid around $250 bucks to get it fixed (70 bucks for the seal kit and a couple hours labor at $85 per hour :shock: )

So again, on my second trip to the lake after getting the tilt/trim fixed, I am having the same issue. Initial symptom was the same as before: motor would go down, but needed assistance going up. Once I got the boat back on the trailer, I looked at the cylinder and it was again covered in fluid.

I am hopeful that the marine shop will fix it without charging me since I just picked the boat up from the shop last week, but you never know.

I guess my question is: Whats going on here? Are the tilt/trim systems really this prone to failure? Or am I just having a streak of bad luck. Is there anything that I could be doing to cause this? I dont think its my fault, but 2 failures is starting to make me wonder.

Thanks guys.

 

[ben2go]

Are you pulling(trimming) the motor in while running at speed?Maybe hit an under water object.Bad pump or faulty pressure relief valve.Just guessing.Hard to diagnose without having my hands on the system.

 

[Zum]

Should be able to trim it while running so as long as you didn't hit anything can't see it being your fault.I'd tell the mechanic as soon as possible.

 

[ben2go]

True.Should be able to trim in while at speed.

 

[bassboy1]

Take it back to the shop. Seems as if they messed up, and if they are reputable, should make you right.

 

[Specknreds]

I had a one do the same thing to me a couple of years ago. I replaced the seals twice before realizing that the shaft was scratched and pitted. It would eat the seals after a couple of cycles.

 

[YoungClayB]

Picked my boat up this morning...the shop didnt charge me anything

I asked the mechanic what happened and he said that he just didnt seat the seal well enough the first time...oh well, we'll see how long it lasts this time around

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

sounds like a good honest mechanic