2000 Yamaha Saltwater SX150TXRY trim tilt problem

[Rhangrea]

My 2000 Yamaha Saltwater SX150TXRY trim & tilt piston needs replacement. My mechanic says it is frozen and needs to be replaced. What does it cost part and labor?
The boat is a Gulfstream 232GT with bracket and twin motors.
What can I do to prevent this problem in the future and how does this happen?

It was purchased last year and towed from East coast to California. It lives on trailer and I wash my boat after every trip. It worked fine on my last trip 2 weeks ago. My hydraulic steering did needed new seals last year, and I did not check the ram carefully. I wash it myself just to make certain everything is washed completely.

Any insight into repair and future prevention would be appreciated.

 

[seasick]

There are three pistons on that assembly. The cost depends on what needs to be replaced. A complete replacement trim and tilt assembly runs almost $2,000! That doesn't include labor.
Repair kits for the pistons run about $200 each. So if a seal is bad, that's good but if the cylinder is bad, well that's bad. Labor can run a few hundred and up depending on your local rate and how frozen parts are.

Your problem can be caused by many things, water in the trim fluid, air and moisture in the trim fluid, galvanic corrosion of the unit either internally in the cylinder walls or on the piston shafts, contamination of the fluid by who knows what or as stated, bad seals. You didn't mention any leakage so I would think it is not the outside seals but rater internal issues
Examining the piston surfaces can tell a lot about what is going on, especially corrosion and pitting. If you have excessive erosion of anodes, it is possible that you have a galvanic issue and that can attack the tilt pistons.

Each year, I clean the piston shafts (fully extended) and wipe on a thin coat of marine grease. Although it is preferable to store the motor with the pistons retraced, that is a bit of a pain during the normal season since you have to raise the motor onto the safety stops and then retract the pistons which takes longer than you would like and uses a lot of battery juice.

 

[Rhangrea]

thanks seasick, i guess there was a small leak, more of wetness. the price is outrageous as any boat parts ;(
my mechanic found small leak and some corrosion on piston, so he told me that the pistons need to be reconditioned then he calls and says the seal was frozen and the housing got destroyed in the process of removing the seal. $800+ for part and another $800+ for labor. two weeks go by and no calls.
so i dropped by the shop, he shows me he found another frozen piston on trim/tilt pump and he destroyed that part also to unfreeze it. he says he will call me back with cost, and another week goes by. its been in shop for 2 months.
the boat may have had frozen parts but it was working fine. it was in for annual maintenance. i purchased boat last year from a boat yard with annual maintenance record and an independent survey.
is it common to not give you estimate before work begins or start to remove parts? and is it common to replace part even if it is working?
my guess is that the trim/tilt piston and the pump could have worked for few more seasons before it actually stops working, since it didn't have any operational problems. now i am faced with bill for $1200 annual maintenance, $2000+ motor trim/tilt housing replacement with 4 reconditioned ram pistons, $??? for motor trim/tilt pump, and whatever they replaced. is this a typical annual maintenance scenario?

 

[seasick]

"Is this a typical annual maintenance scenario" ?

I sure as heck hope not.
Trim / tilt failures seem to be one of the more common problems at my marina but that is true for I/Os. Outboards seem to have fewer issues. As mentioned, two things can ruin your tilt pistons: galvanic action and water/air in the system.
Regular maintenance should include a check of tilt fluid levels and inspection of the piston shafts for leaks, stains, discoloration and corrosion.

I hope it all works out.

 

[Rhangrea]

thanks seasick.
i will be visiting the shop again today and will share how it develops.

 

[Rhangrea]

I was pretty upset, so I waited until I can be calm. It took me 2 weeks, LOL.
The shop was still back-ordered on parts. I told them that they should have notified me and got work authorization before trying to remove frozen but still functioning parts. Especially on second time within days after first incident.
They offered to give me a discount. The final bill had full MSRP on parts and some discount on labor, but it was much better than the verbal price they gave me before. I found many discounted part price on Internet from major Yamaha authorized sources. Others boat owner friends have told me to work with the shop as they are one of few authorized dealers for Yamaha and Grady in my entire coast
I agreed and picked up the boat.

 

[seasick]

You did the best thing. I am glad it has been fixed. For storage, I coat the piston shafts with a very thin application of marine grease, appied with a rag. I then retract the pistons all the way.
Enjoy your boat.

 

[Rhangrea]

Thanks seasick. Your response above was very helpful factually and therapeutically :goodjob
Few good pelagics aboard soon will help me forget this quickly! 8)

 

[srex]

Looking for a facility to rebuild/exchange a tilt/trim system which I removed from
a 2002 225 4-stroke, in the New York area?

 

[srex]

Looking for a facility to rebuild/exchange a tilt/trim system which I removed from
a 2002 225 4-stroke, in the New York area?

 

[Fish Tank]

Just about any Yami shop should be able to do this but get it done ASAP before the spring rush. Not sure where you are located but give Surfside 3 in Mattituck a call. I know over the winter they will do odd projects like rebuild trim/tilt assemblies and they might have one ready to go. At the very least they can give you a quote to rebuild it once they see what the issue is, and since you removed it you have already saved that labor cost.