trim/tilt question

[OldTimer57]

2014 Mercury Pro XS 200, sn 2B090405

I have a question. Have worked on Merc motors forever, but I have never had a trim/tilt issue that was not a warranty fix (guess this shows the reliability of this component). I encountered an issue today and realized I had never had to fool with the trim/tilt stuff other than the occasional switch or relay issue.

When we left the ramp today, son noticed a very faint oil slick/film. Barely noticeable with zero wind blowing. I did a bit of testing and discovered it was not motor related (ie no oil leak in the power head, nor lower unit.) We could see it was coming from the trim/tilt area as it would disappear quickly and would only return when raising the motor. fast forward to returning home.

Started looking and sure enough, looks like the tilt cylinder is the source of the tiny leak. But as I looked at it looking to see if I could feel any oil, I noticed that the top of the pushrod connects to a cross bar that connects the pushrod to the trim/tilt bracket. And the cross bar was not centered in the hole, looking from the starboard side (I will try to attach a photo). I have never looked as this component other than the occasional check for fluid level, and such. But the hole this cross-shaft fits into has maybe 1/8" of slop which I am pretty sure is not normal. I assume there is a bushing that should be in that hole to make the fit tolerance reasonable.

So, question one, assuming this is correct, is this a platinum protection covered item?

question two is, assuming there is a missing/broken bushing there, would that little bit of slop be enough to let the tilt pushrod cock to the side enough to produce a very small leak? If so, would replacing the seal be covered since it appears to be damaged from the bushing being broken or missing?

Hope my explanation is clear.

[Savage]

It is common for the starboard bushing to fall out. Install a new bushing with Loctite 680 and it will never fail again. The missing bushing should not cause any hydraulic leaks.

[fishnfireman]

I don't know about the warranty.. But I have my doubts....As for the rest ^^ What he said ^^

[EuropeanAM]

Savage covered replacement quite well, and that should solve it. Make sure any engine support you use is "uniform" in it's supporting method.

Seals (and loose hardware) are not covered under Mercury Platinum Product Protection.

[OldTimer57]

Really would have been a moot point anyway. Bought the "bearing" as it is labeled on the merc package for about $6, installed as Savage suggested, took 5 mins total. With a $50 deductible for starters, this was easier anyway. Did look like the bushing was causing a very tiny fluid leak by allowing the cylinder pushrod to push a little to one side rather than remaining centered. Leaked a little bit raising it up and down (tilt part of cycle, not trim). After repair, no leaking I can detect...

This is a pretty sloppy design in my mind. Thing fits loose (split on one side of the "bearing"), no retention device (tilt sending unit covers it on port side), etc. But it is in and functioning, so I am ready to hit the river tomorrow if rain stays away.. At least it is not carrying any horrible loads...

[fishnfireman]

Had this same issue on my motor.
The pivot pin is designed to have sideways movement. which is why the bushing/bearing works its way out.
IMO it has to have some movement so it doesn't bind while raising and lowering.
I'm not sure that little bit of added movement from the bushing would be enough to cause a leak when it already has movement. But I hope for whatever reason the leak is gone.

[OldTimer57]

It doesn't take much at those pressure levels. When you get off the trim cylinders and use just the tilt, there's a lot of pressure. I'm expecting to end up replacing the seals, which doesn't look to be that difficult to do. Probably won't get to water test today as heavy rain is on the way...