Milky white substance in trim pump reservoir

i have a mercruiser 1994 alpha

i have a mercruiser 1994 alpha one 3.0L i/o and noticed a milky white substance overflowing out of my trim pump reservoir this summer. I syphoned as mush of it out as I could and refilled it with fluid and it's now pink (color of trans fluid was red) and somewhat milky. do I need to drain the fluid and replace it? does this mean I have a water leak and what is the common cause? Do trim rams need to be replaced? how do I drain the fluid form trim system?

"John:

There is water intru

"John:

There is water intrusion somewhere on the OD. It could be as simple as a loose hose fitting or a leaking cylinder seal. Find the leak, fix it and flush the trim system w/fresh fluid. Take a paper towel and wipe each hose along its length, each fitting and cylinder ends looking for fluid stain. Inspect the hoses for wear. If you want to do the work yourself get a manual or download a free manual. Do a search above on free manual download. Your computer will need highspeed network and 2 gigabites of RAM memory; it will take up to 1/2 to 1 hour to download."

"Definitely water getting in.

"Definitely water getting in.
With the boat on the trailer, try running the drive up and down a few times. YOu should see the leak easily.
First suspect is the ram end seals with any boat over 10 years old.

Rod"

"Thanks for responding! I'

"Thanks for responding! I've had boats for awhile but am not very mechanical, so some direction helps. Question: would you replace the rams or rebuild them? They are pretty expensive, even used, and I've seen the kits to rebuild them."

Rebuild them. Contact a local

Rebuild them. Contact a local truck hydraulic service shop and get a labor price from them; you supply the kits.

"You can change the end cap se

"You can change the end cap seals yourself. No special tools required.
Check the rams closely for any scoring. If scored, consider new, as just replacing the seals will not stop a leak in this case.

Rod"