2012 SHOWA Trim/Tilt Unit Leaking from Ground Screw Hole?!

[DanielR]

I have had some hydraulic fluid leaking from the unit that leaves a "sheen" behind the boat. I have had both trim sub-assemblies replaced, as well as the tilt sub assembly and the reservoir/o-ring. After leaking again this weekend, I removed the unit and repeatedly dunked it in water to see if I could find the culprit. I finally have, but this is something I've never seen. The unit is leaking from the ground bolt/wire hole.

From what I can tell, there must be a microscopic crack in the housing. Just thought I'd offer advice to someone else about testing their unit in a bucket of water before buying parts and wasting precious time. Housing cracks are a little out of the ordinary, but they take a ton of stress so good luck if you're working through the process.