Started having issues with my tilt and trim on my 2003 250 HPDI – VZ250 TLRB. The trim would drag and sometimes hang when it switched over to the tilt and occasionally would not come down and I’d have to use the manual release to get it back down.
I figure it’s a leak on one or more of the seals, although I found no fluid. I then repeatedly attempted to add fluid just to get it to work properly or at least better until I could address it fully. Many attempts and I could not make it work much better. As “luck” would have it, trashed my lower unit thereafter and bought a blown hpdi and swapped the lowers. Also swapped the trim unit (call it trim 2) and it worked property for a few months then started doing about the same as trim 1. Meanwhile I put trim 1 in the shop and limped along adding fluid to trim 2. Trim 2 will take fluid and improve, but the process is tedious and not long lasting.
Shop puts seals in trim 1 and I installed. Motor works great on the bench with full travel. On the boat, won’t attempt to lift or lower. Back to shop.
This time, they rebuild the pump. Installed last night. From the tilt lock it won’t do anything. Turn the release screw and lower till it touches trim rams. Still nothing. Lower all the way and now the motor will slowly trim about 2” of travel and gives up. Hit down and it won’t move. Hit up again, no movement, then down and it will trim all the way tucked and then repeat traveling 2”, hang and not move. A quick up, then back down and it will tuck.
OK, so the shop told me to try trim 1 and make sure it will work before I pay for the repairs…which was nice, but now they’ve made two attempts and rebuild a pump (who knows what that will cost and I was pretty sure that is not the problem, plus they could have robbed the pump from trim 2 if they would have checked with me.) and I still don’t have a trim that works right.
I’m convinced the problem is about $8 in parts and is some check valve or relief valve or something along those lines.
Any advice?
Wannabe...