DuckSouth.com

2003 50HP Johnson 2-stroke

So I took my boat to a place to get a skeg repair job. I asked them to go ahead and replace the water pump while they had the lower unit off. Get the boat back and the motor won't trim up. Motor runs but gotta manually lift with trim motor running to get motor up. (Not the relay)

I check the fluid on the piston and it seems good. Top it off just to be sure. Lower motor all the way down, then back up (still requires lifting). Now it takes a bit more fluid. Go through this process of lowering and raising then filling several times and each time it takes less fluid to top off. Soon the thing is working like normal, requiring no help to raise motor.

BUT now when motor is left in the raised position there is some bubbling and leaking around the extended trim piston. I'm watching it now and there's s slow drip.

Questions:
Is it possible that the shop repairing the skeg could have accidentally caused this? Seems unlikely.

Is the leak due to some type of seal failed around the piston? Or could it be that I overfilled the reservoir?

Anyone else care to elaborate a little more?

Most likely the same thing that caused you needing the skeg repaired caused your trim leakage. Not much you can do except replace. If it's not leaking to bad you may can just fill every now and then to get by but sooner or later you will have to replace. Check you relief valve to make sure there's no leakage there also. On that single ram system not much you can do but replace. They fill with motor trimmed all the way up. Not unusual to have to purge 3 or 4 times to get all the air out of the system if it's gotten low.

Took it to Dusty at Performance Marine in Columbus. He was very familiar with the trim system on that motor and said it was common for the seals on the ram rod to be wearing out (motor is 11 years old). He replaced seals and put heavier fluid in, now it's good to go. Boat has been running for 2 years since skeg was damaged so it wasn't that. I asked him if the repair work could have had something to do with it. He said 99% chance that it didn't, just a coincidence. He's seen a lot of those engines. Good guy and I recommend his work. Didn't charge me an arm and a leg and I know it wasn't an easy job to replace those seals. Doesn't take long searching the problem to know those trim units have caused many a mechanic a cuss word or 2.

Dusty knows his stuff and is reasonable in his pricing. He does all our work I can't do myself. One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. I've known him and his parents since he was a teenager.

Will (his Dad) took our motor in during duck season a few years ago. I glanced a floater with the prop and bent the prop shaft. Took it in after the hunt........he called me about 3:00 that afternoon and said, "your motor is ready." I didn't know you could straighten those shafts.

They've kept us going in tight situations for years.