CMC trim units, anyone use them?

[phatdaddy]

i am working on my dads bass boat i inherited and the trim went out. it is a 96 mariner 40hp with the single ram unit. i can find no one who can fix them. motor is fine, it its the hydraulics. local merc dealer says the best bet it to trash the unit and install a cmc unit.

just wondering in any one has any experience with them?

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=147764&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=50366&subdeptNum=50415&classNum=50418

[spareparts]

If its the single ram unit, there are parts for them, they are indeed hard to find, but they were used on a number of model engines, give me a pic and a serial number and i'll see what I can come up with

As far as the CMC units, they do the job, but they are kinda clunky

[phatdaddy]

http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo214/gls216/trimunit.jpg

spare, this is the unit. i have 3 donar units from similar models and the all do the same thing, motor turns and fluid moves , but no ram movement.

[spareparts]

did you check to make sure the release screw was closed? Did it sound like it was pumping or did the motor spin kinda high speed? Does the ram try to move at all?

[phatdaddy]

release screw closed,motor sounds like it's pumping & ram moves slightly, then stops. movement is not smooth, almost like it is starving for fluid. resevoir is full, filled with the motor tilted all the way up. this unit set up for about 2 years with no movement, i suspect some of the seals got hard and are letting the fluid bypass, but everyone i talk to says these units are almost non-serviceable, except motor failure.

[kamikaze]

Phatdaddy:

If Spare can't help you repair/replace (which would be my first choice). I run a CMC PT130 on a 1972 OMC 60 HP didn't have trim/tilt from the factory CMC products are pricey new. However I have found that they are built extremely well. I would recommend looking for a used one on CL, just make sure you get the wiring harness/switch with it and you should be good to go. There hard to kill even in saltwater. The PT 130 and the smaller version (unsure of the number - PT35??) use they same hydraulic piston assembly but the eternal framing is thicker on the 130. I wouldn't be afraid of pickup the larger version as it will extend the usefulness of it later (resale) and only adds a couple of pounds difference (all aluminium construction) so it real doesn't make much difference in weight.

Kamikaze

[tsubaki]

I've got them on two different boats, one's a 50 horse and the other a 70 horse. Ain't had any problems and one boat sits in the water all year.
Check places like Bass Pro to see if the price is a little better or even online after calculating shipping. Seems I bought one from Cabelas and the other from our area Bass Pro.

[garagenc]

Phat
If Spare can't help here's what I did

My volvo hyd cyl's were leaking, I took mine to a good local hyd shop. My shop does nothing but repair hyd rams.

Mine had to pull mine apart measure what was there and look for them in a catalog book.

Volvo doesn't make a replacement kit for mine.

Hope this helps

[csvencer]

Any chance this will work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/POWER-TRIM-TILT-Unit-1994-Mercury-Mariner-40-HP-Freshwater-Used-/390378432043?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessories_Gear&hash=item5ae45e262b&vxp=mtr

-Svence

[spareparts]

not trying to insult any ones technical ability, but I always try to cover the basics first.
sit the unit upright and run it up if it will go(blue to positive, green to negative), if it doesn't, unscrew the fill cap(keep the unit upright) and add fluid( I use an oil squirt can with 10W30 in it), if it will take fluid, keep adding it till the ram starts moving, once its moving up, cap the reservoir and run it up as far as it will go, then run it down, you may have to add some pressure to get it to go down(keep the motor running in down direction, green positive, blue negative), if it keeps moving, stop on the upswing and add some more fluid, cap it and keep going. if it will not move in either direction, remove the motor/reservoir assembly(the f our gold colored bolts in the pic) and check to see if the shaft is twisted off, or the coupler is broken, while you have it off, check the screen in the pump for blockage, let me know if you find any extra parts inside the reservoir.

[phatdaddy]

thanks guys, seems if i have to go cmc, they are a quality product.
cv, i actually looked at that one this weekend on ebay, but i am leary of a used one, like i say, i have 3 others doing the same thing.
garage, i don't think it is in the ram, it moves free when removed from the block and goes up & down when air is applied.
spare, i did most of above, except when i added fluid i used merc power trim fluid, which is quite a bit thinner than 10w30. do those units use a different fluid?

[spareparts]

pull the motor off and check the coupler, if the shaft coupler is broken,then its an easy fix