Trim troubleslifts part way then stops

"I have 165 4 cyl Mercruser al

"I have 165 4 cyl Mercruser alpha 1xd (87 year) w/plastic tank, leaks bad in the area its mounted, hoses look good,
was working up and down fine except loss of oil
would have to refill each use, now I hold switch up to raise and it stops working after about a 6" lift (motor stops) but will work going down??
I need to raise it to replace the impeller Kit
....HELP!!"

"If your goal is to not fix th

"If your goal is to not fix the power trim at this time, lower the unit fully, disconnect the hoses at the hoist cylinders, lift the drive manually, then block it up to hold it in place while you do the impeller work. There are safety blocks available at most marine stores that clip onto the exposed hoist cyliner shafts. I have a set I use when I'm trailering on a long trip.

Are you using the 'up' button to raise it? If so, it should stop at about the 6" mark. To get it out fully, you need to use the 'trailer' button, which bypasses the limit switch."

There is a single screw and ga

There is a single screw and gasket on the bottom of the tank that comes loose and leaks. Tank may have a crack at the screw hole. There is a large "O" ring on the tank top. Get a new one from a large auto parts supplier; chain store won't have it nor will a boat dealer--he'll want to sell you a new tank for $50. I have a spare used tank only that you can have for the shipping cost. Email me.

"When you pull the reservoir o

"When you pull the reservoir off, inspect for misc cracks in the plastic walls. Mine had wall cracks at each of the four re-enforcement dividers, and a crack from the mounting screw area. Those bowls get more brittle with age.

I may buy new bowl later, but for now I cleaned bowl thoroughly, heavily coated both inside and outside of the four cracks with JB-Weld, then used JB-Weld to seal the bottom mounting screw hole completely.
I then used clear silicon caulk around the rim of the top opening (so it can be removed) with the old o-ring in place. I laid a 1/4" thick piece of plastic foam beneath the bowl to hold it snug against the pump base before mounting the pump to bottom of boat.
It has not leaked anywhere in two months of use, so unless age causes more brittle wall cracks I am in very good shape. If I reconsider, I would replace bowl off-season."