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87' 225 Johnson TnT Issues

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CptBap912

New member
Hi guys I'm new to this forum, but I frequent others and I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what is wrong with my power trim.

So here is the problem, My motor will trim up just fine with no issues, But on the way down it bounces hard and when it does not bounce it just goes into a free fall until it hits the two smaller slow trim rams. I have tried to bleed the system and add fluid ( Was not low on fluid ) I assume i'm getting air into the system somehow , but there is no water leaking into it because the oil in it is clean.
I noticed the metal line going from the reservoir to the large trim ram has a corroded bolt on the side going into the trim ram, but the line is still snug and not letting water in. Can anyone tell me what the function of this is , and could this be causing the issues I'm having?

Here is a pic of the bolt I'm referring to.

Powertiltboatissues007.jpg


Thanks in advance!
 
I've been standing by waiting for someone else to jump in here as I do not recall ever seeing what I'm looking at in the picture above on a 1987 225hp Evinrude/Johnson PTT assembly. Normally there is a curled fluid line at the bottom of the center "tilt" cylinder and one in the side of that same cylinder near the top portion held in place by a retaining band.

It might be better if you back out a bit so as to have a picture of the entire PTT assembly.

The jumping/jerking motion in the down mode is usually caused by scoring within the center "tilt" cylinder that causes the piston head to grab into it on the way down.

The "free fall" problem is caused by one of the steering tube retaining nuts being too tight, or the tube rusted at some point. This results in the engine, which normally drops due to gravity, jamming in the up position which in turn causes the "trim" rams to start redrawing. After the "trim" rams are all the way in (withdrawn) hydraulic pressure on the "tilt" cylinder starts to force the engine down... and as soon as that happens, the engine usually drops down to the "trim" rams which are forced back out by the reverse hydraulic pressure of the falling engine.

If that sounds complicated..... Hydraulic pressure does not force the engine to drop in the down mode. Rather hydraulic pressure is released within the tilt cylinder that allows the engine to drop due to its weight and gravity.
 
Thank you for your reply I will go take a better picture of the Monday. What would you reccomend to try and fix this problem? Short of buying a new tilt and trim set up this motor has been in saltwater it's whole life so it has some bad corrosion on the trim assembly.
I made a video of the motor going up and down but I'm not on a computer at the moment I will post it as soon as I can , maybe that will help also.
 
I'm with Joe on this. The tilt tube is sticking, I had the same issue on my 150, but in my case I caused it. Trying to get the steering cable off, I tightened one of the large nuts, and tightend up the tilt tube. I guess you can try loosening off the tilt tube nuts, and spraying the tube and pivot points with a penetrating oil, see if that loosens it up.
 
Corrosion products ( the white powder you see ) has likely built up over the years.----------The white powdery stuff you see is aluminum oxide.----------Oxygen has joined with the aluminum to form this powder.-----Any where you have those plastic / nylon bushings is where the corrosion products have jammed the works up.----It is quite a job , but removing the trim / tilt system and removing those bushing in order to scrape out this powder is the best / longest lasting repair.----You might want to start this with removing the tilt tube and it's bushings to scrape out the powder.
 
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What do you mean by tilt tube? I assume it's where the motor pivots? The steerings not tight or anything. And this may sound dumb but where are you seeing white powder or oxidation in the video?
 
That rod holds up the motor..so yeah, the motor will have to be supported. And it's not going to be that easy to get out. Think about it, it's tight enough to stop the motor from pivoting down..so it's gonna be stuck in there good!!
 
CptBap912 said:
Okay I did a little research online and figured out what you guys are talking about.
Part #47 in this drawing is what I think it is
http://www.marineengine.com/parts/johnson-evinrude-parts.php?year=1987&hp=225&model=J225TXCUB&manufacturer=Johnson§ion=Midsection

When I go to remove this rod will I need to support the engine with a hoist of some sort or does this rod not hold any load? Assuming that I can just take the rod out, lube it up and hopefully it will free up my issue.
Click to expand...

Normally one does not need to go to all that trouble to free the steering tube (#47). Simply loosen one of the retaining nuts a half turn or so, then with a piece of 2x4 or whatever and a good size hammer, belt the swivel bracket (#1) to one side or the other. In the past, in many case like this, that is all that was needed.... then grease the unit properly.
 
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