Dock Holiday

Hey guys, I need your help.

Just installed a brand new trim pump for the outdrive.

When I pulled the hydraulic lines off the old pump to remove it I forgot that the outdrive was in the up position and all the fluid came out as the drive came down.

Pulled the plastic tank, drained and cleaned it out completely.

Reinstalled the tank to the pump, mounted and wired up the new pump and filled the tank with fresh power trim/steering fluid.

The drive was VERY slow to go up and down, but I assumed that it needed to fill with fluid and prime itself.

Finally the drive went all the way to the top, at which point the fill tank needed move fluid and got topped off.

But the drive will NOT come back down. The pump seems to run great, but the drive is up and will not move.

The cap has been off the tank this whole time to allow any air to exit.

The only other thing I did to the new pump was remove the two hex shaped fluid returns that screw into the bottom of the pump and that dump back into the tank (they are next to the pick ups that have the filters on them), and are held with a jam nut. The new pump had hex spacers under them that made them extend down too far, so I pulled them off and removed the spacers. They have a spring and ball up inside them. I measured how far they extended out on the old pump and screwed them back in till they were at the same length as the old pump. One is actually about 1/8 inch longer than the other. Could I have a problem there with the ball and spring?

Any help is very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Dock

Tinkerer

it is probably air locked.
what I usually do is remove the rear mounting pin so the rams can go in and out without raising the drives ( and the rams - so it traps air )
Then run the rams in and out a few times untill you can hear that all the air is out.
It sounds to me like you may have some air in the pump.
You may have to crack a hose or two loose to get it to move.

Dock Holiday

I agree, pretty sure it is air locked.

Great idea on removing the pin on the rams. I'll give that a try.

Any other words of wisdom from anyone?

Falcon

With the drive all of the way in/down, tap the trim switch up to relieve trim in/down pressure. Remove the trim in/down line at the pump and stick it in the reservoir cap opening. Plug the open port in the pump. Trim up, watching the fluid level. Don't overfill as the level is set at the trim in position and drops at trim out, just avoid sucking air in the pump. When all of the way out, reconnect the trim in line and trim down.

These 2 way pumps just reverse the motor direction and the returned oil gets cycled back to the pump rotors. If it wasn't for the different volume of oil on each side of the piston, it wouldn't bleed out air at all. It's easier to avoid getting air in and avoid the foaming up of the oil. Plugging the port on the return side and routing the oil back to the reservoir forces the pump to pull clear oil from the reservoir, not the returned air/oil from the other side.

Having fun!

Dock Holiday

Oh yes, we are having fun!

9:40 PM and it is still 93 degrees out there!

Got the air lock problem resolved, thank you very much.

It cycles up to the full up position and back down, but with the same problem I started with.

AT A SNAILS PACE.

Man it is slow!

The starboard drive moves from full down to full up in maybe 5 seconds. The port drive which I have been working on takes 20 to 25 seconds to make it from full down to full up position.

Guess I wasted my money on the pump and the time spent so far.

Must be an electrical problem. There is a big difference in the sound of the two pumps from one drive to the other. The fast one sounds like it is on steroids, and the new slow one sound weak.

What should I check next?

Thanks very much.

Falcon

Are you sure you got a Bravo drive trim pump (I am assuming you have Bravo's)? The trim rate on the Bravo pump is much higher than an tab, outboard, or competition (Merc 6) pump. The basic pump looks the same, same motor, same reservoir(s), but the actual internal pump is available in different output volumes and the pressures are set different. If this isn't the problem, check your main power cable and grounds. Available voltage/current can affect the motor output.

Dock Holiday

Well, guess what?

I called the guy today that shipped the pumps because of some minor differences and he told me that they were #6 pumps and what changes to make, that they would work in my application with the bravo drives!

Yes I have Bravo's.

I cannot believe this, it has been a real pain!

So it sounds like I got the wrong pump. I am half a mind to trade the pump off the starboard which is working correctly to the port and just see if it does work properly before I start chasing anything else down.

Guess I'll be on the phone in the morning.

Thanks very much Falcon.

Dock

Lmarth

Dock Holiday- You couldn't be in better hands than with Falcon. His help this last Spring was invaluable as I struggled with a Trim Pump issue.

Dock Holiday

I greatly appreciate his help and the other responses.

He hit the nail on the head, it turns out that I was shipped pumps for the #6 drive in error. Just one of those things that can happen.

The dealer called me after seeing this thread and immediately took care of the problem and has the right pumps on the way.

It is a valuable learning experience.

Thanks everyone.

razor1115

Aside from all the stress and bangin' your head against the wall, wha a GREAT dealer! Sounds like he was more than willing to make everything right. It's that kind of service that draws attention, AND BUSINESS!

Good luck boating, Doc