Page 43 - Lady Bass Digital Magazine Classic 2022

Tips for Regular Maintenance

Part 4: Trim-Tilt

We use our trim every time we use our of the engine.
boat. That mechanism works best when It is a good idea to have a catch pan on the ground to
the moving components are well lubri- capture any spills. The fill screw is the large screw located
cated. There are grease zerks or more on the trim-tilt piston. Use a large flat head screw drive to
commonly known as grease fittings. These avoid stripping. On Mercury motors, this screw is plastic,
need to be periodically lubed with marine so be very careful. It will take a good bit of pressure to
grade grease. It really is a simple process remove this screw, so press in hard as you are working to
that anyone can do. You will need plenty remove it.
of paper towels.

Once you locate each of the fittings,
press the nipple of the grease gun on
the fitting centered and begin to pump.
You can hear the grease moving. Look
where the motor pivots and when full,
you will begin to see grease pushed out.
At that point, move to the next fitting
and repeat. Wipe off any excess grease Once the screw has been removed, begin to fill by gently
that has been pushed out. On my squeezing the tube of trim-tilt fluid. Slowly fill until the
motor’s trim, there are three fittings on fluid begins to seep back out the fill hole. With the fill
the port side, one hole open, release the safety lock and lower the engine
on the starboard fully and raise it fully. Lock it back in place and fill again.
side and one on Repeat this process 3-4 times to ensure that the trim-tilt
the very middle is full, and all bubbles are out of the system. During the
arm just above the filling process if you see foam coming out, this indicates
transom. For the air in the system. If this happens, let the system sit still for
middle one above an hour and give the bubbles a chance to work their way
the transom, it is out. Insert the fill screw and tighten it down with the large
best to trim the flat head screwdriver. Raise and lower the engine a couple
motor down for more times to even out the fluid. If the tilt-trim does not
access. work, there is air in the system, and you will need to repeat
the fill to spill process until it works smoothly.
The Trim-Tilt Motor also needs to be checked, especially if
you are hearing louder than normal noise or if the move-
ment is sluggish or jerky.

To get started, make sure your boat and engine are as level
as possible. Raise the engine to access the fill port. Use the
built-in motor lock to protect against unexpected lowering
Lady Bass Anglers Association 41
Maintenance Tips- Part 4:Trim-Tilt