F 150 power tilt leak

[macdaddy]

I have a leak at the top of the main ram for my power tilt. It looks fairly straight forward to fix. However, if anyone has any suggestions before I get started I would love to hear them.

[rodbolt17]

buy the correct spanner tool and split open a length of AL tube to fit between the tool and the top of the ram.
lower the motor down on the tube and break the cap loose.
then lift the motor up and set it on the tilt lock.

[FabricGATOR]

Clarification request

Hi Rodbolt,

Just for clarification, are you saying to use the split tube to place, using the weight of the engine to apply pressure to the top of the pin spanner to stop the tool from slipping off of, or stripping the cylinder cap grip holes?

Or did I miss the point of the split aluminum tube entirely.

On the main ram shaft, does the inner piston unscrew from the main shaft to facilitate changing the cap o-ring seals and scraper?

SX150TXRY

Thanks!

[rodbolt17]

the split tube is indeed used to prevent the tool from slipping and stripping.
once the cap is off the piston can be removed from the cylinder.

from there its a simple matter of following the pictures in the service manual.

[FabricGATOR]

Genius.

That is a good tip. Lowering the engine onto the wrench with that tube to hold it in place. Genius.

Is that something they teach in Master Tech school or a solution that you came up with, bred from necessity?
Thank you.

PS: I've got both of my tilt locks disassembled and new bushings and roll pins in transit.

[rodbolt17]

necessity.
stuff at the school house typically comes apart every morning whether students are there or not.

they also don't teach how to drill out lower unit carrier nuts nor how to use oxy/acetylyne.

only use the engine weight long enough to brake the cap free.

[macdaddy]

so I have spent a week trying to find a spanner wrench that doesn't cost $100 anyone have any ideas?? I am not sure if there is a aftermarket wrench that will work or if I need to break down and get the Yamaha wrench.

[madharchod]

if you are a novice dont try that as RODBOLT has got many years of experience and it would be easier if you can borrow the tool from a shop for maybe 35.00 ,things that experience mechanics designed and use they tend to master it so be careful as if the tube slips you will get hurt

[rodbolt17]

the tube is used to hold the TOOL in place while you break it loose.
without odds are high your simply going to snap the tool pins and trash the cap holes.

not the first cap a customer has brought me to remove that I either had to cut the cap out or redrill another set of spanner holes.

factory spec on that cap is about 80ftlbs.

if you cant keep the tool dead FLAT on the cap it is a certain slip,pin breakage and cap damage.

just how life is.

I order spare pins 24 at a time,keep 12 in the shop and 12 with the secretary.
when I get her 12 I reorder.

[FabricGATOR]

I've been applying PB Blaster for a week now, trying to get penetrant oil to help my situation in anticipation of my upcoming repair.

Rodbolt, your replacement pins, are they for the Yamaha pin spanner tool or do you have a real tool by the like of Snapon or others? What does a master mechanic have in his toolbox?

[rodbolt17]

what a waste of PB blaster.
you do realize its an oring sealed cap?

I use the K&L or YB tool and order the spare pins from K&L.

[boscoe99]

If hydraulic oil can't get out PB Blaster or any thing else can't be getting in.

One other thought, don't try and remove a cap with the pistons fully extended. Hydraulic pressure will put a load on the cap and cause it to be more difficult to remove. Bump the system down a bit to relieve any pressure their may be within the cylinder before unscrewing a cap.

Another reason to use split pipe procedure.

[FabricGATOR]

I was anticipating much more of a wrestling match with my trim ram caps. And yes, I spilt some PB blaster, what a waste... I anticipated them bound with salt corrosion, but mine were in pretty good shape.

The tube on the spanner principle went fabulously. I cut a 6-8 inch piece of 3/4 electrical PVC and had a scrap of starboard that I punched a 7/8 inch hole in. I aligned my pin spanner, placed the starboard over the trim piston stub atop the tool, added the PVC then lowered the motor lightly holding the spanner onto the cap. Viola! I liked the PVC and starboard because it was soft and slippery.

I just really needed to change out the dust scrapper but did also replace the seal and the cap sealing o ring. Boscoe, I did have the engine on the tilt lock and retracted the trim rams after cracking the caps loose. I had about an inch protruding.

The second cap had expanded corrosion/salt between the cap groove and the scraper that made it rather difficult to remove. I ended up screwing the cap back on a few turns and then tapping the ram through with a piece of stout wooden dowel. Having the trim rams partially retracted allowed the fluid to extend the first ram when I eased the second into the retracted position and past the tight scraper.

I cleaned up the parts and corrosion (scribe, scotchbrite, PBlast, shop air) taking care not to damage the anodize as best as possible. There was minimal corrosion damage.

So here's where I hope I didn't screw the pooch. Realizing that the seawater/corrosion had gotten into the scraper groove above the seal, I applied a skim coat of quicksilver 2-4-C marine grease into the cap groove before seating the dust scraper. The seal and o-ring were lubed up with Dextron II, but I figured that seawater was going to get back in there and the Dex wasn't. Possibly the 2-4-C would give a barrier coat to inhibit the corrosion. Now, I'm concerned that possibly the grease will degrade the rubber scraper and I'll be doing this again in a season or two maybe sooner. Maybe I should have used some DowCorning-4 silicon grease instead. Or Dex. Or nothing.... The manual doesn't say to use anything.

I also put a light skim coat of 2-4-C on the very top of the cap above the o-ring and packed the spanner holes in the cap to inhibit corrosion there also.

MacDaddy, I didn't mean to hijack your thread, I just so happen to be working on a similar project, so I figure we can learn from each others experience and possibly my mistakes.

I hope one of these guys that we respect will reply with "that 2-4-C won't hurt that Vitron scraper and that was a good preventative step, well done" Again, I may be fooling myself.

[rodbolt17]

the ONLY lube to EVER put hydraulics back together with is hydraulic oil.
UNLESS the manual specifies otherwise.

folks ya gotta look at the CAP design.

some caps only have a wiper seal some have a wiper and an oring.
some have a wiper,oring and back up ring.
all depends on the design.
that dust wiper is simply that, its a dust wiper and wont seal against pressure.
if the cap has only a wiper its a non-pressure down design.
means fluid does not pressurize the piston down

typically if a cap with a wiper only leaks its due to the piston oring is failing.

but ya do have to admit the tube trick works, it will hold the spanner flat in place while keeping the fingers out of harms way.

[FabricGATOR]

the ONLY lube to EVER put hydraulics back together with is hydraulic oil.
UNLESS the manual specifies otherwise.

I understand about contaminating the hydraulic circuit, I've rebuilt many a cylinder, strut, dampner in my day. I did not get anything other than dextron II on the hydraulic side.

What I did was attempt to combat the reoccurance of the corrosion that forms under the dust wiper (what I was calling a scraper). It had expanded and was causing pressure on that ram as well as beginning of pitting in the wiper retention groove.

That being said, my experiment, do you think that the 2-4-C will affect the rubber of the wiper?

I didn't have a hydraulic leak or leak down of the cylinders, I just saw that the wiper had split and was all balled up with sections missing. Just tryin to do the right thing by my Yammy's

but ya do have to admit the tube trick works, it will hold the spanner flat in place while keeping the fingers out of harms way.

Oh ,yeah. That advice was priceless. My hat is off to you sir...

Thank you all once again for your experience and gifting that knowledge to us all.

.