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1996 Johnson Ocean Runner 175HP with Trim/Tilt Issue

B

bryanchatham

New member
Noticed at the ramp today that my motor no longer stays trimmed up. Specifically, I trim the engine all the way up prior to backing down the ramp, and by the time I am in the water, the motor has lowered itself down. You can visually see the engine going down.

I checked fluid, it is OK.

I checked the manual release valve, it is tight, and you can loosen it and the engine lowers even faster.

How likely is this just a bad manual release valve? The engine behavior - how fast it drops - is almost the rate when the manual release valve is loosened.

I looked at the parts diagrams, and there doesn't seem to be too many other options of seals to easily fix.

Anything I else I can check to isolate the problem to the manual release valve?

Thanks!
 
After studying the parts diagram it seems pretty easy, and maybe someone else can chime in.

Since I am not leaking hydraulics through any of the pistons, and my fluid levels are fine, I am going to rule out the piston seals.

So that leaves just the valve assembly, which is basically just two parts. The assembly and the manual release valve. I have read in other places that contamination of the manual release valve can prevent it from seating. So I am going to open it slightly, run the pump, and see if that clears the issue. If that doesn't, I am going to remove the valve all the way and inspect for any issues. Then I have to decide, do I just replace the release valve ($100), or skip that step and assume the problem is with the valve assemble ($400). There does not appear to be any serviceable parts in the valve assembly. So if a valve is broken or a check valve is leaking, then I have no choice but to replace.

I did run aground in sand this past weekend, so impact to the lower unit going about 15 knots could have been the initial source of this problem. Then again, I may have run aground because my engine didn't stay trimmed up.

Any ideas from people on whether I am approaching this correctly?
 
Updating on my end....


So I cycled the manual release screw a couple of times. Very tight. Eventually loosened up. Cycled the trim up and down. Tightened the manual release screw. Refilled reservoir. Now the engine stays up most of the time. So now I have an intermittent problem which is better.

After reading the manual, it says that you must cycle the trim up/down at least five times to remove any air in the system. So now I want to remove the air issue possibility. This weekend I am going to do five cycles of up/down, refill, up/down refill and see if this can get solved.
 
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