BF115 Tilt Trim Issue

Hello, I'm looking for some ideas on my BF115.
I've had it for 2 yrs. looking back it has seemed to be making an air bubble sound that has gotten worse over time. The last time out it was stalling on the lift procedure and then seemed weak. I looked up bleeding and adding fluid and got some TnT fluid to add.

1. I raised the motor using power and then took off resevoir cap. It took 3-4 oz. then hit level. I slowly released the manual screw to let it down slowly and a cup of chocolate milk came out slowly. (was I supposed to have the cap off while lowering or on?)

2. After seeing how much came out and its color I read that this indicates water in the fluid and read that some folks siphon out the chocolate milk using an oil sucker. I asked the honda mech. who didn't have a solid background but he said he's done the bleeding procedure and used it to burp out the milky fluid on purpose to purge it out of the system. He said he always leaves the cap on when he bleeds mercs.

After losing the initial cup of fluid the motor would reluctantly raise 2-3" then the trim motor would just whir. I repeated the adding of fluid, raising it with a cherry picker and letting it sit at least 10 minutes between. It took fluid each time but after adding several times the motor still won't raise very much 2" then quits.

Can I get rid of the milky fluid somehow that is stored in the rams without taking the unit off of the boat?
What's my next step? I had no visible leak around the seals.
Will my TnT ever function again? Getting worried here!
Thanks,
Esox

The milky fluid is probably fine - what you are likely seeing is a whole bunch of air bubbles infused into the fluid. The whole point of this process that I describe below is that the T/T seems to always lose a minute amount of fluid over time. If it is let go too long, you will get significant air in the system. That will turn the fluid chocolate-looking. It will gurgle a lot, and start reacting sluggishly, as you described.

The correct procedure is as follows:

Lift motor and lock in place with the manual flip lock.

Remove reservoir cap and fill to top. PUT THE CAP BACK ON THE RESERVOIR, TIGHT.

Lower engine with the manual release valve. (On my 225, it's a large slotted screw on the port site - I assume it is the same for yours, but check your owner's manual.) Since you removed so much fluid, you may need to initially lower the motor with your cherry picker.

Close the manual release valve.

Let engine sit for at least 30 minutes. (This lets the air bubbles accumulate in the top od the reservoir.

Try to raise the engine again with the tilt/trim motor. You may need to raise it manually the first couple of times.

Repeat the above process until you cannot put more fluid into the reservoir.

After you have completely removed all air, raise the engine again and thoroughly wipe down the exposed hydraulic pistons and inspect. They should be very clean and shiny with no rust, pits, or scratches. Exercise the T/T up and down several times then re-inspect the exposed pistons for any leakage. If there is leakage, you will need to replace the seals.

Thanks CHawk 25 DLX your solution worked! The manual leaves out replacing the cap before lowering with the manual screw. The TNT is working better than it has since I bought the boat. It took about 15 times of up and down most of them with the cherry picker assisting. In the end it took close to 16 oz of fluid. Do I need to check the fluid for water to avoid freezing within the assembly? It gets really cold here in the winter and I'd hate to damage it if there's the possibility of water in there. I'm all fresh water and the seals and ram shafts look intact. Thanks for donating your time to answer questions on the forum it makes a difference in the world!

I doubt if there is any water in there. If there were, it would likely accumulate in the bottom of the reservoir. So if you are really worried about it you might find a long extractor tube or pipette to pull some fluid from the bottom of the reservoir and let it sit for a while in a clear jar to see if any water appears in the bottom of the glass.

I went to water test the boat and while the tilt and trim was working the engine wouldn't start, spun but never caught at all. My depth finder indicated 'low voltage' probably to sitting for 3 weeks and all the tilting using the battery. It seemed to be cranking strong. Would the low voltage cause it not to fire? I also replaced the high speed fuel filter and gasket since it was in the water last. I cycled the key several times with out cranking and after a few tries remembered to prime the bulb. Repeated key cycling probably 10X w/o turning it over. It acted like the kill switch was engaged, no sign of life. Could it also be needing to replenish some fuel reservoir?

First thing to check is your "kill" switch. Make sure it is in it's yoke properly and exercise it several times. And yes, a low battery will cause it to spin but not fire up. If you have a booster pack or extra fully charged battery, attach that to throw some extra power to the battery.

If you previously drained the VST, it does take a bit of time for it to refill and pressurize. To do that quickly, turn on the key switch for about 15 seconds before cranking the engine. That lets the high pressure fuel pump fully charge up the VST and the fuel rail.

Finally, if none of that works, pull the battery cables and clean those and the terminals really well.

If you have a volt meter, read battery voltage while cranking the engine. If the voltage falls below 10.5 volts, it may not have enough energy to fire the plugs and injectors. Remember, the battery has to turn the engine, fire the ignition, power the injectors, power the fuel pump, power the field in the alternator and supply "ON" signals to all sensors and the ECM....all with no support until the engine reaches idle speed and causes the alternator to start charging.

A simple battery charge should alleviate the problem if that's what is happening.

Good luck.

Thanks guys, I had a chance to look at it and began with the fuel system hoping for an easy fix. Removed cowl and primed and noticed it was leaking fuel from the hose connector- no vacuum in fuel line. My dealer sold me both sides as you can't buy the round style any more- $46. Installed those and still wouldn't start. Removed the high pressure filter that I just installed and noticed it looked like the base of it was blocking two fuel passageways at the top of the housing. I left it out, screwed the cap back on to try it and it fired right up. My dealer sold me the wrong filter for my motor. When I compared them I noticed it was slightly bigger but not a lot, I thought maybe they changed the design. I'm looking for a site to look up part numbers by motor serial #. Could I get this filter cheaper from an auto dealer as its supposedly the same motor as an accord?

Don't know about that filter. But go to www.boats.net - click on Honda, then click on Outboards, find then model, then year (I think that's the sequence.) You'll find the parts diagrams and their prices for each item.

The number for the high pressure filter is 16911-ZY3-010 for all of the 115 and above.

If you asked your dealer for the high pressure filter, and they gave you the wrong one, take it back and get the correct one. Double check that you did not install it backwards....that can keep the motor from running.

Mike

Thanks Mike, I switched it around and it worked I appreciate your help. I had taken the old one off a while to putting the new one on and it looked like the hole went towards the spring but it goes towards the outside of the housing. This forum has been very helpful in the past two weeks. The speed of your responses and depths of knowledge have helped me get my boat back on the water!

Good deal! Safe boating.....

Mike

Another gremlin slayed (slain?)