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BF 200 trim tilt noise

Deuxgrenouilles

Contributing Member
My trim tilt has been making a gurgling noise, often at the bottom or top of the range. Motor is 11 years old 842 hrs. I read the shop manual section and a rebuild looks pretty daunting to me. I did see the procedure for bleeding air out of the system and I am thinking I could try that. 2 questions: Is this worth the effort? And how do you pour the ATF in to the reservoir with the unit still attached to the motor? Syringe?
 
If you tilt the motor all the way up, you can use a small funnel with a flexible tube. Or, attach a flexible hose to a small funnel. Fill reservoir to top. Close reservoir. Exercise the T/T several times all the way up and down. Repeat until the reservoir will not take in more fluid. This will typically solve the problem. As part of this process, closely inspect the ends on all of the hydraulic pistons. You will likely find one that is leaking.
 
I use one of these, squirt until the fluid runs back out the hole, put engine up and down a few times, repeat until it won’t take anymore.
 
All over the place on Amazon, likely at your local hardware place. Just search oil squirt can, I’ve had on for 30 years, also handy when using a drill press drilling metal, squirt exactly the right amount in the right spot.
 
Thank NSDON. I just ordered one.

All over the place on Amazon, likely at your local hardware place. Just search oil squirt can, I’ve had on for 30 years, also handy when using a drill press drilling metal, squirt exactly the right amount in the right spot.
 
The oil squirt can worked like a charm. I also performed the shop manual procedure for purging air:
1.Trim all the way up.
2. Check/fill fluid.
3. Slowly lower manually then wait 5 minutes.
4. Use TT to raise motor all the way up and wait 5 minutes.
5. Check/fill fluid and repeat

When I did this, the gurgling noise went away. Sadly, I also noticed that one of the lower rams is leaking just a tiny bit. This will be a winter project, although it feels pretty daunting after reading about it in the shop manual. Has anyone done this? Any advice?
 
if it leaks so bad your engine won't stay up then cap seals defiantly need to be replaced.
5 star marine sells replacements with seals and orings already installed on the cap so all you have to do take old cap off and thread new one
you will need to get gland nut tools that fit the cap nuts, I use air hammer to get it started loose but usually makes a mess of one of the holes on the cap seal, but I replace with new cap anyway.
 
Once cap off check condition of rams, its ok to pull them out. If pitted badly at the spot where engine is tilted full up try wire brush on dremel or 600 wet sand paper and polish it back up to prevent damage to new cap seal.
Keep the rams clean and coat with oil and they should go right back in. I use lower unit gear oil pump and empty the ram cylinders and replace some of the fluid but not so much that you can't get the rams back in. then put the trim caps on. Fill the system, follow procedure mentioned above.
 
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