lowering outdrive on my mercruiser I/O

[richardz]

I just had my 86' 20ft SVC Stingray 260 hp mercruiser I/O winterized. The problem that I have however, is that I cannot lower my outdrive when I brought it home. Financially I cannot bring it back to my mechanic to have it fixed this fall. He says most likely the solenoids are stuck. Does some know how I can lower the outdrive temporarily for the winter? Thanks for you help.

[fatlazyless]

I'm an outboard guy and don't have much experience with out-drives, but if it is like any outboard and it probably is, it should have a large panhead style screw, about a #12 or #14, that is recessed into the side of the outdrive. By turning the screw a little bit with a large flat screwdriver counter-clockwise, the outdrive should slowly lower itself just like a floor jack for a car with a hydraulic oil screw control.

You can now send me fifty dollars for this advice!

[RLW]

Are you sure they just didn't disconnect the battery as that is a task that is done by most marinas for winterizing. We even take ours out and put them in the house and trickle charge them a couple times during the winter. http://i39.tinypic.com/keuuzc.gif

[richardz]

The battery is still connected. I was going to remove it and put it on a trickle charger, however I needed to lower my outdrive first, unfortunately something must be wrong electrically with the trim/tilt pump. I was hoping there was a way to lower the drive manually.

[Wolfeboro_Baja]

What about separating the hydraulic trim cylinders from the outdrive and lowering it by hand? You'd probably want to put a block of wood under the skeg for support to prevent ALL the weight from hanging on the bearings.

[NoBozo]

Double check that the battery connections are indeed making GOOD contact with the battery posts. The best way to do this is to loosen the battery post clamps, then rotate the clamps back and forth on the posts to clean the connection. RE-Tighten the clamps and try to lower the drive again.

The best way to lower the drive manually is to remove the "cross bolt" in the aft end of the lift rams. It's about 8 inches long with a nut on each end. Just remove the nut from One End of the crossbolt and withdraw the long bolt. Use a piece of wood..like a piece of 2x4 to hammer the bolt out the other side until you can withdraw it with your hands. Hold the drive up while withdrawing the bolt so the drive does not DROP when the bolt comes out. As soon as the bolt is out, the drive can be lowered by hand. :look: NB

EDIT: There is no such option (as suggested in post #2) to lower the drive. If you remove the large screw in the side of the drive you will just lose drive lube oil which has nothing to do with the drive lift system.

[Blue Thunder]

What about separating the hydraulic trim cylinders from the outdrive and lowering it by hand? You'd probably want to put a block of wood under the skeg for support to prevent ALL the weight from hanging on the bearings.

To expand on the above...loosen the chrome nut (9/16ths wrench) on one side or the other that the trim/tilt lift pistons attach to on the outdrive. They are identical on both sides. Unscrew the nut and slide off the big washer. Grab the outdrive by the skeg and wiggle it while trying to pull the shaft that goes through from the other side out. You might have to tap it with a hammer and a block of wood to get it started. Once that shaft is out you can lower the drive all the way down. THE DRIVE IS HEAVY so be ready.

BT

Sorry NoBozo, I duplicated you. I didn't hit the send button soon enough!!

[Just Sold]

There should be some grounding wire(s) bolted on the out drive and inside on the thru hull housing and engine. In the past I have had corrosion at the out drive grounding connection point. A simple backing out of the grounding bolt and cleaning the metal with a wire brush can correct the problem.

Last time it happened to me was on the last day out while I was trimming the drive underway. It stuck in the up trim position. The boat was a 1989 Four Winns.

[Skipper of the Sea Que]

... I cannot lower my outdrive when I brought it home. Financially I cannot bring it back to my mechanic to have it fixed this fall. He says most likely the solenoids are stuck. Does some know how I can lower the outdrive temporarily for the winter? Thanks for you help.

Cleaning and checking contacts as NoBozo and Just Sold suggest is always a good idea.

If the solenoids or what I would call the out drive trim motor is "stuck" it may still draw some power from the battery as it tries to move. You should see a slight dip on your dash mount voltmeter when you engage the lower switch if the trim motor tries to work. No sound but a small noticeable power dip on the meter. The result should give you some clue.

IF the motor does not draw any juice (no voltage dip) then there may be a blown fuse - check your manual for the location of the fuse for that circuit. Lastly, while you are looking at the wiring diagram see if there is an additional circuit breaker for the motor trim which could be located in a hard to get to place in the engine compartment behind the engine on the transom (on the other side of the stern drive). If that breaker is tripped you can push it to reset. If the trim motor is drawing too much current and trips again you could try to hold the breaker button long enough to lower the drive down and look at troubleshooting the problem before next season (in that case it probably needs a new trim motor).

Sometimes, during servicing, they can hold the motor trim button too long resulting in overheating and popping a circuit breaker or fuse.

Disclaimer: I'm no mechanic.

Good luck and keep us informed of your findings and resolution.

[NoBozo]

When the motor was "winterized", the boatyard would have had the drive Down while they ran the engine to Fog it. SO: When they were done, they would have raized the drive with the Trailer Button so you could tow it home. Since the drive is now UP, everything worked when they were done. The LAST place I would look for a problem would be solenoids..etc.

Check the battery connections FIRST. If THIS does not solve the problem....post back with what you have observed.

BTW: If you disconnect the lift rams from the drive...DO NOT activate the drive TRIM or TRAILER buttons until the rams are mechanically reconnected to the drive. :) NB

[Tomt]

I had a similar problem when I took the boat out for the winter. Started the boat at the slip put the drive down as I left the marina, when I got close to the ramp the drive would not go up. Long story short the battery connection was just good enough to start the boat but would not raise the outdrive. Once I tightened the connection it worked fine.

[MRAB2]

Fixed yet?? If no, call me @ 603-651-9727

[richardz]

I was able to lower the drive by removing the cross-bolt between the 2 cylinders and outdrive. Just in time time too, the temp. dropped to 20 degrees the last few nights and any existing water in the outdrive could have frozen and possibly split the case. I appreciate everyones help and comments. I am glad I signed up to become a member on Winnipesaukee Forum.

[RLW]

They tell me that if it was serviced properly there should have been antifreeze in the drive unit so it would not have frozen. I'm glad that everything worked out for ya and http://i44.tinypic.com/1499wms.gif to the forum.http://i34.tinypic.com/v653rd.gif

[NoBozo]

They tell me that if it was serviced properly there should have been antifreeze in the drive unit so it would not have frozen. I'm glad that everything worked out for ya and http://i44.tinypic.com/1499wms.gif to the forum.http://i34.tinypic.com/v653rd.gif

The outdrive is self draining when in the vertical position. Also, it is highly recommended to always keep the outdrive vertical, so as to keep the (expensive to replace) rubber bellows in a "relaxed" position, or it will take a set that is not conducive to long life. :look: NB

[Irrigation Guy]

Seems you found a way. Another way if it is the solenoids, is to jump the terminals, this is also a way to troubleshoot it to find out if it is indeed the solenoids. Usually one solenoid for up and one for down, they are mounted right on the trim motor.