New motor...6 hours...auto reverse either won't work or works VERY slow. I read some things about bad cylinders. I talked with Peck today on the phone from work and he wanted to know what the "washer alignment" looked like. He suggested unbolting the bolt with the cotter pin through it and try the reverse. He seemed to think that it just may be in a bind.

So, I wasn't able to get home in time to call before 5...well, actually, it was 5 straight up...got the answering machine. But, here's what I got:



No washer between bolt hex head and bottom plate.
Six washers between the bottom plate and ram.
No washer between the ram and top plate.
One washer between the top plate and nut.

The ram seemed to cycle back and forth with no problems/hesitation once off the bolt. The lower unit turned freely by hand.

Are the washers in the correct place or do I have another problem?


Secondly...Is it normal for the power trim to bleed down? If I leave it trimmed up, after a day or so, it bleeds down to the trimmed down position. Normal or do I have air in the line or something like that?

There was a batch of rams that had a seal leak by. Mine was having issues. Seemed that when it didnt want to go in reverse i would press the button to forward then back to reverse and it would work no problems.

Bart gave me a seal kit and it took me 5 minutes to take ram apart and replace suspect seal. 50 hours later and zero issues again.

NAJ,

It may have done something like that once. Forward, spins around no problem. It cycles off the motor forward/reverse no problem. Just waiting for somebody to tell me what the washer alignment is supposed to look like before putting it back together.

Also found three loose allen head bolts holding the cavitation plate on the lower unit. Anybody know what the torque value for these three bolts should be? They have lock nuts on them..so I would be surprised that they backed out. My guess is they are either supposed to be loose or they simply weren't tightened during assembly.

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The next time the reverse is slow or not working check the connections on the switch. Mine did the same at 16 hours. I found crappy crimps on all the connectors. They were the same on the power trim switch. After recrimping both work alot faster.My rig had the same problem with the trim bleeding down. It took a lot of working the trim up and down to get the air out of the system. My boat is a 2012 with 28 hours it and I have found a few problems that should have been done better before the boat was sold.

Highly likely air in the hydro lines are your problem with the trim.

When I got my motor the washer stack was same as yours in picture. Except there was one on top of shaft also. Done see where that would be a problem.

And on the cavitation plate and skeg get used to those nuts backing off. Locktite them and that helps some. Wait until you get in the mud and the vibration starts while trying to work your way out of thick stuff. Its like you have to tighten them up everytime you get back home. Do not leave them lose. They will woddle out holes in the alluminum.

Welcome to Prodrive buddy. You are already finding all the flaws.

My trim did the same thing. It was the wiring

i have never had the hydrolics bleed down on mine, but i did have problems with the trim like that at about the same amount of hrs. if it doesn't have a problem goin back forward check the switch by reversing the wires under the console. the terminal for the reverse wire on mine was bad, but when i put the reverse wire on other terminal it worked fine.

So, I put the washer stack like NAJ's rig...seems to be cycling back and forth pretty good for now. I'll keep everybody updated if it changes.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out. It is all standard stuff. Mine was the cylinder, but Peck replaced it straight away. No trim issues here. Same on the LU fasteners. They need a bit of attention. Unless your motor is equipped with the upgraded switches, they will be next. Your dealer should provide you with a replacement.

Talked to Peck today on the way home from work...until my cell phone died. He basically said as long as the cylinder arm is not in a bind when installed between the two plates. Just space out the washers so that it is not in a bind up or down.

Regarding my power trim sticking in the down position (think I talked about that in my review...three minutes or so out of the gate on the maiden voyage) he said the new switches have more silver in them and tend to be a bit sticky at first. Don't push switches all the way down...just enough to get them to move where you need them to go...up/down or forward/reverse.

He said there is probably air in the power trim and to give it some time to clear up. If it didn't, give him a call back.

The cavitation plate bolts...yeappa...keep an eye on them.

He was very helpful and seemed genuinely interested in what was going on with the motor.

New to this site and SD in general, but man what a review! I love the time and effort you put into your build. I have the same problem with being ANAL as you, but it works to my advantage "most" of the time. I love your boat and may design something similar with a different rear. I want a rear deck for fishing as welll.

Thanks for your time and effort in building and posting!

Thanks, Murf. Lots of great stuff on this site. Lot if good folks that can help you out from past experiences they have had.


Sent using Morse Code from my not so smart phone.