F225 possible hydraulic problem?

christo15

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We have a set of two F225s on our 282 sailfish and after leaving the boat for a week and coming back one motor is always slightly further in the water then the other. It's like it doesn't want to stay up. Do any of you know the problem and what the pricing to fix it is? Much appreciated.
 

Willy-C

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The creepdown you are experiencing can either be the seals on the end of the hyd rod in the cylinder assy (more than likely this) or worn check valves/cartridges in the main housing

If it was mine I'd plan a teardown and reseal the hydraulic cylinders (all seals in head gland and on the end of the hyd rod)..if the oil looks anything other than super clean then plan on doing a double/triple flush oil change in the reservoir to clean it up after the repair work is performed...if it doesn't stop the creepdown then you'll need someone who is well versed in hydraulic pump/jack repairs....it's a very tedious job to find a hidden leakdown internally in those trim units

If you drain the oil at the start then it may give you a quick visual on on how healthy the hyd unit is, you don't want milky looking oil.... :evil:

Use OEM seal kits and parts if you can, local hyd repair shops may have the seals if not avail
 

christo15

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Dangit. I was hoping for an easy fix. What do you think the pricing will be for the repair?
 

Willy-C

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Changing the oil in the reservoir should be your first task, maybe by some strange luck it may clean out some contaminates that is causing the creepdown, if not it won't hurt and is not that costly

Best time to do this work is during some other downtime (winter ect) unless you boat all year long

Having creepdown sometimes is just an inconvenience, not a hazard

Not sure what the cost would be, I work in the hydraulic heavy equipment repair industry not the marine hydraulic repair industry......Worse case scenario would be to replace the trim unit with something reman exchange or new
 

seasick

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Before changing the oil, take a good look for leaks, especially around the rams. If there are leaks, the fix is doable but can get complicated if the end caps don't want to unscrew.
If you see no leaks, I agree it is probably a bad check valve and changing the oil may help. It is worth a try. Note that bleeding is necessary after a refill and for your safety, don't stand under the motor when tilted up, use the stops, keep your fingers away from all moving parts and read up on the steps to change the oil.

If the motors seem to tilt up differently, for example one stutters or goes up slower, you may have air in the system usually due to low oil. Filling and bleeding will help.
Good luck.
 

christo15

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One motor does stutter a little when it comes up. So would adding oil fix that?
 

seasick

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christo15 said:
One motor does stutter a little when it comes up. So would adding oil fix that?
THat is the first place to look. Add oil if needed and purge the system by raising and lowering the motor several times. If that helps, great. Then you would monitor the level over time to see if there is a leak. Check the oil level woth the motor raised all the way up.
 

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Raise them all the way, then flip out the mechanical supports, then retrack the rams fully.

No weight on the rams = no pressure on the system.

Rams retracked = less exposure to salty environment.

Brian
 

drbatts

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Have you replaced your trim seals yet? I don't know the hours on your engines, but I assume they are 2003's like your boat. My Yamaha mechanic recommended and changed my trim seals last year. I was not having problems but would see a little slick in the water around the brackets. He said it was probably the trim seals and that giving the age and use of my engines it was time to change them. I don't know off the top of my head if this was his recommendation or from Yamaha. Hopefully your problem is just low fluid level.
 

christo15

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We have 2003s with 350hrs. We've never replaced those so that could potentially be the problem. I'll take a look at it when I haul the boat to get it painted.
 

seasick

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ocnslr said:
Raise them all the way, then flip out the mechanical supports, then retrack the rams fully.

No weight on the rams = no pressure on the system.

Rams retracked = less exposure to salty environment.

Brian
In the early days I did that but now I just raise the motor and leave it on the rams. Each year I clean the rode and apply a very thin coating of marine grease. It takes a pretty long time and a decent amount of battery to lower the three rams all the way.
 

seasick

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drbatts said:
Have you replaced your trim seals yet? I don't know the hours on your engines, but I assume they are 2003's like your boat. My Yamaha mechanic recommended and changed my trim seals last year. I was not having problems but would see a little slick in the water around the brackets. He said it was probably the trim seals and that giving the age and use of my engines it was time to change them. I don't know off the top of my head if this was his recommendation or from Yamaha. Hopefully your problem is just low fluid level.

After he replaced the seals, did you stop seeing the slick on the water??
 

Legend

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I had one engine stutter on the way up and slip down on sitting. Turned out to be low on fluid - easy fix when out of the water - good luck
 

drbatts

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seasick said:
drbatts said:
Have you replaced your trim seals yet? I don't know the hours on your engines, but I assume they are 2003's like your boat. My Yamaha mechanic recommended and changed my trim seals last year. I was not having problems but would see a little slick in the water around the brackets. He said it was probably the trim seals and that giving the age and use of my engines it was time to change them. I don't know off the top of my head if this was his recommendation or from Yamaha. Hopefully your problem is just low fluid level.

After he replaced the seals, did you stop seeing the slick on the water??

Yes, slick was gone.
 

seasick

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drbatts said:
seasick said:
drbatts said:
Have you replaced your trim seals yet? I don't know the hours on your engines, but I assume they are 2003's like your boat. My Yamaha mechanic recommended and changed my trim seals last year. I was not having problems but would see a little slick in the water around the brackets. He said it was probably the trim seals and that giving the age and use of my engines it was time to change them. I don't know off the top of my head if this was his recommendation or from Yamaha. Hopefully your problem is just low fluid level.

After he replaced the seals, did you stop seeing the slick on the water??

Yes, slick was gone.
Thanks for the reply. It seems that you have a reliable mechanic!