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  1. Member
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    #21
    Yea, I think I just need to put a little M.A.N. into it to get that piston unscrewed from the tilt rod, but am just trying to gauge if I'm at risk of breaking anything if I do it. So I'm waiting for European's reply to my last question before proceeding. I'll probably call a couple merc shops too and see what they say.
    2012 Nitro Z8
    225 Mercury Pro XS

  2. Member
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    Lake Charles, LA
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    #22
    Don't be scared. It has to come off, no way around it.

  3. Mercury 3L/4 Stroke/Verado Moderator EuropeanAM's Avatar
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    #23
    I usually unscrew them with a strap wrench, have to be extremely careful here as it's very easy to nick or damage the rod OR the piston.

    Put the crosspin-end of the shock rod in a vise, makes it easier to disassemble.

    The "pin method" shown with drill bits is a workable idea, but it's also very easy to damage those passages (thus I'm very cautious about that method).

    Good luck- I'll pick back up when I return.


    Dual Mercury Master Technician- for Mercury Outboards, Mercruiser and Mercury Racing at European Marine in Greenville, SC.
    Still consider myself a "Marine Apprentice" after 47 years (learn something new every day).
    Mercury Parts, Mercury Outboards, Smartcraft & Accessories, Injector Service, TDR Reeds- BBC Sponsor

  4. Member
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    #24
    Thought I'd give you guys a little update. I went to Sears today to get a strap wrench and managed to get that piston off, it's amazing what the right tools can do.

    Hit another delay because the inside of the cylinder cap is scored to hell (see pic). So I ordered a new one. Took a little bit of time to track it down since the part has been superseded by the whole shock rod assembly which is 4x the price.

    00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190208110438824_COVER.jpg

    Nothing else appears to be damaged so that's good.

    Heading to Canada for some snowboarding this week, so I won't be able to finish up the job until next week. Hopefully everything goes back together smoothly

    Thanks for your help guys!
    2012 Nitro Z8
    225 Mercury Pro XS

  5. Member Rick H's Avatar
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    #25
    I'd be looking at that rod pretty close from the looks of the cap. Might want to mic it with a good mic that will tell you the story.

    Maybe at least polish it with some 1200 on a lathe.

    Steve McQueen "Le Mans"
    Own the Champ! Life Long Petty Fan!

    2003 ChampioN 2006 250 Merc. XB, Prop By Mark C.
    2002 Ranger Okeechobee Special EvinRude Ficht 90 / 9.9 4-Stroke GLAD to have a Get me to the Dock motor maybe!

  6. Member
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    Nov 2016
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    #26
    When I tried to buy just the upper seal at my local Merc dealer, they told me it had been superseded by a part that includes the seal, cap and pushrod itself. OVER $400 bucks! I bought the same spanner wrench you did, came in today, will probably take this apart on Monday and visit precision seals to see what they have that matches...

    Don't see how it could get that scratched unless the pushrod itself looks like heck. And really don't see why the pushrod would contact the gland body anyway, the seal is the primary contact point. Mine at least can be wobbled just a bit if you disconnect from the motor and pull left-right on the top of the push rod. Just like hydraulic steering has that same side-to-side play.
    2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
    2014 Mercury Pro XS 200

  7. Member
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    #27
    Yep, that's the same rod kit I was told superseded the part I needed as well. Was able to call around and find just the cap using the old part number at a marina down state for $104. I did find one online, but the site didn't really work so I gave up on it.

    The rod itself looks fine to me. No visible scoring, and everything is smooth to the touch. So I think I'm ok there.
    2012 Nitro Z8
    225 Mercury Pro XS

  8. Member
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    #28
    I can get the seal itself for about 10 bucks. Have to buy two as precision seals has a $10 minimum.

    I looked at your pic again and I really can't tell what I am seeing. Almost looks like a steel ring, then a seal (with what I guess is a spring in it) then another steel (or aluminum) ring. I guess I will have to wait until I get mine out to see what exactly is going on there.
    2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
    2014 Mercury Pro XS 200

  9. Member
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    #29
    That's the cylinder cap you're looking at in my last pic, specifically that's the center hole the tilt rod goes thru. Between the worn aluminum is where I took the oring out. Then there's one more seal you can't see.

    In total there are 4 o rings and 1 seal to replace in this whole shock Piston assembly.
    2012 Nitro Z8
    225 Mercury Pro XS

  10. Member
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    #30
    Finished the job on Friday, and everything went back together fine.

    No leaks after the first 24 hours, but haven't checked it since. I'm starting my next (and final) off-season boat project on Saturday so I'll give it another look then.

    One problem I did encounter along the way was I stripped the head of one of the bolts that holds the cross-pin in and grounds the trim motor by using the wrong size socket. So I reversed it out and got a new bolt from Menards which snapped off when I was putting it in. What's messed up is I wasn't even torquing on it, it broke with hardly any effort. I hated menards before, now I really hate them.

    Any idea how critical that tiny bolt is? There are 2 bolts that are supposed to hold it in, the one on the ground wire went in just fine. It was the other one that broke. They're like 10/24 x 1" bolts I think. I can add a pic if I'm not explaining it properly.

    I feel like it's probably fine since that cross-pin is held in by it's own cross pin, and the the bolt that I didn't snap off is holding the ground wire nice and tight. But figured I'd ask the question anyway, eventho I'm sure I won't like the answer
    2012 Nitro Z8
    225 Mercury Pro XS

  11. Mercury 3L/4 Stroke/Verado Moderator EuropeanAM's Avatar
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    #31
    That doesn't hold the crosspin in- the TRILOBE PIN holds the crosspin.

    The screw you broke off holds the Trim Sender in place (and keeps it adjusted). Must be replaced, strongly recommend using the correct hardware.


    Dual Mercury Master Technician- for Mercury Outboards, Mercruiser and Mercury Racing at European Marine in Greenville, SC.
    Still consider myself a "Marine Apprentice" after 47 years (learn something new every day).
    Mercury Parts, Mercury Outboards, Smartcraft & Accessories, Injector Service, TDR Reeds- BBC Sponsor

  12. Member
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    #32
    OK, got MINE off this afternoon. Finally had a chance to look at it. Here's what I found...

    1. Tri-lobe pin was straightforward to remove with a pair of diagonal cutters and some care.

    2. Cross-pin needed to be tapped out but did NOT require much force.

    3. Lowered tilt cylinder and removed end cap along with the pushrod/piston. Was surprised that the piston is all metal, where the piston in the old sea star steering cylinder was plastic / nylon.

    4. My pushrod was the type with a nut on the bottom. I removed that, the metal plate, and the check valves (noting where the RED spring was, although I am not sure that is important...

    5. My piston was NOT screwed/threaded onto the pushrod. It was just a snug interference fit. Couple of light taps with a wood block and off it came.

    I looked at the end cap and found three seals. One the large thin o-ring that provides a seal between the end cap (gland) where it threads into the tilt cylinder. A pretty "fat" o-ring inside the end-cap/gland, and then the wiper seal that is visible from the outside when the motor is tilted up.

    6. I am also going to replace the big o-ring that goes around the piston, and the really skinny one that sits between the piston and the metal plate that is the bottom of the check-valve mechanism. Don't think it seals much of anything but they are all 5 years old so I am planning on visiting precision seals tomorrow morning and matching up everything.

    And a final note. The inside of my gland / end-cap also looked rough, but the shaft does not contact it at all and still has a perfect mirror finish on it. That wiper seal (mainly plastic) and the big o-ring in the middle of the gland would make it nearly impossible to force the shaft over far enough to contact the inside anyway.

    Will give a cost report after I get back from precision seal tomorrow. I'm guessing about $10 which is their min charge...

    BTW this is for a 200 pro XS (2014) SN#2B090405. I have run the motor since I finished all the lower unit seals (about 1.5 hours of running, anywhere between 40 and 76 or so) and the fluid comes out looking just like it came out of the bottle. No water droplets, and no cream-look whatsoever.

    Looks like after my trip in the AM I will be ready for the rain to stop and the fishing to start...
    2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
    2014 Mercury Pro XS 200

  13. Member
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    #33
    Had a feeling that would be the answer LOL.

    Did a bit of reading on what this sender even does and it looks like it has to do with the gauge?

    I didn't even think to check my trim gauge and see if it's whacked out now. Either way, I'm not sure I have an extractor set small enough to pull that bolt out so I'll most likely have a professional do it. Then they can make sure that gauge is calibrated properly.


    Quote Originally Posted by EuropeanAM View Post
    That doesn't hold the crosspin in- the TRILOBE PIN holds the crosspin.

    The screw you broke off holds the Trim Sender in place (and keeps it adjusted). Must be replaced, strongly recommend using the correct hardware.
    2012 Nitro Z8
    225 Mercury Pro XS

  14. Member
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    May 2011
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    #34
    If you can center punch the threaded portion of the bolt, get some reverse twist drill bits and work up in size. I've done this many times and almost always the bolt body will unscrew on its own.
    _______

    Phil
    '09 Hewescraft ProV
    '09 150 Optimax


  15. Member
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    #35
    Correct. Sender provides info on trim angle to the trim gauge.

    Went to precision seals this morning. A complete set of o-rings in a plastic bag was under $10. Found I had a missing piece as well. The shock piston has a fat o-ring, but it should also have a thin flat o-ring behind it so that it can't slide back and forth. Leads to wear. Took about a half hour to get everything back together and installed. Have misplaced my tri-lobe pin (bought a new one of course) so am going to make one more look-around this afternoon and run back to the dealer if I can't find it.

    The kit had the "scraper seal", the fat o-ring that goes in the gland, the skinny o-ring that seals gland to cylinder, the o-ring on the piston + the flat spacer to make it fill the gap, and the skinny ring that goes around the shaft on the bottom of the piston to seal that pretty much non-existent gap. Have run it up and down several times to get rid of the squeaking bubbles, but still have to drive in the tri-lobe pin and then adjust the trim sending unit.

    Can't imagine why mercury now demands that we buy the entire tilt piston / gland / etc as a single part. This is a pretty easy repair that only cost me a little fluid, $10 for all the seals/o-rings, and a good spanner wrench which I wanted anyway.

    As far as the drills, get GOOD ones so they won't walk out of center.
    2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
    2014 Mercury Pro XS 200

  16. Member
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    #36
    Quote Originally Posted by OldTimer57 View Post
    As far as the drills, get GOOD ones so they won't walk out of center.
    Good point (pun intended), cheap drill bits simply induce aggravation.
    _______

    Phil
    '09 Hewescraft ProV
    '09 150 Optimax


  17. Member
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    Eaton Ohio
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    #37
    Tried to take the cap off with no luck. That thing is on there. Can you use some heat to get it broke lose?

  18. Member
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    LONGVIEW TEXAS
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    #38
    i have warmed them with heat gun , no torch
    .................................................. ...the scariest thing in life is the unknown ...................................

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