(39)83 Bayliner Ciera tilt motor stuck, Volvo Penta 280 outdrive-gctid803253

[Guest]

Looking for some help on this forum. I have an '83 Bayliner Ciera Sunbridge. The tilt motor stopped traveling up and down last season. I'm pretty sure it happened when I hit a rock, or a sandbar. So, the tilt motor is stuck in the retracted position. I have removed the allen bolts that attach the motor assembly to the transom from inside the engine cavity. I have also removed the out drive and (very carefully) tapped on the foot of the worm drive with a hammer and brass drift/punch. I have also been trying to gently tap a tie rod separator (pickle fork) in between the tilt motor housing and the transom shield from the inside. None of this seems to be working, the tilt motor housing is not budging. Has anyone ever run into this problem? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Just to clarify, this is not the motor trim. It is the volvo 280 outdrive, those do not have drive trim. It is the mechanical tilt motor that pushes a worm drive up and down.

[Amadaies]

From what you have posted it sounds like the housing is stuck. I would not use a pickle fork to try and get it out. Brake the housing and your out a few hundred buying a new one.

I would carefully heat the transom shield where the housing mounts and try to get it loose that way first using map gas. If that fails i would heat it and have a buddy tap it on the foot from outside until it broke free.

You can remove the electric motor from the housing by taking off the two screws holding it to the housing also and test it. Make sure it is a bad motor before going to all the trouble of removing it all when it could just be a bad connection or blown fuse.

[Guest]

Thanks so much for the response. I was thinking of using heat, but was a little hesitant to apply heat to cast steel. I did, however, read somewhere else in a different forum where a "pin" was stuck in a cast piece on a trailer. Someone replied to heat the pin to cherry red and then leave it alone for a few hours. The thought was that heating the pin (or in this case the tilt motor housing) causes it to expand and expands the cast material around it. Then by letting it cool on its own, a microscopic gap is created as the pin cools back down. Then, in theory, it would be easier to remove. I saw this a couple of weeks ago and have been stewing on if I want to try it or not. From your response, I'm a little more willing to try it. As to removing the electric motor before taking the housing out, I'm fairly confident that the motor is working and the worm drive is jammed. You can hear and feel the electric motor engaging when you lift up or down on the switch.

[Amadaies]

I would not heat it cherry red! You want to heat the transom shield only in the area of the tilt housing. I don't think map gas will get that hot anyway

[2850Bounty]

"Nauti Buoy" post=803345 wrote:
Thanks so much for the response. I was thinking of using heat, but was a little hesitant to apply heat to cast steel. I did, however, read somewhere else in a different forum where a "pin" was stuck in a cast piece on a trailer. Someone replied to heat the pin to cherry red and then leave it alone for a few hours. The thought was that heating the pin (or in this case the tilt motor housing) causes it to expand and expands the cast material around it. Then by letting it cool on its own, a microscopic gap is created as the pin cools back down. Then, in theory, it would be easier to remove. I saw this a couple of weeks ago and have been stewing on if I want to try it or not. From your response, I'm a little more willing to try it. As to removing the electric motor before taking the housing out, I'm fairly confident that the motor is working and the worm drive is jammed. You can hear and feel the electric motor engaging when you lift up or down on the switch.

[color]#bb0000 wrote:
Do Not use heat that would create Red Hot! [/color] [color]#000088 wrote:
Map gas or Propane is fairly safe to use.

The only worm drive affiar is within the clutch unit....( i.e., small carbon steel worm screw that drives a brass worm ring )

The brass worm ring is 1/2 of the spring loaded friction clutch unit.

The vice rod itself is a shaft with double Allen threads that is driven by the cast iron clutch component's female double Allen threads.

The vice rod is "keyed" to the housing bore as to prevent rotation.

[/color]

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[Guest]

2850 Bounty:

-Yes, that sounds about right that the tilt unit was up and, therefore, the vice rod was extended some. If memory serves correctly, I realized I was in shallows and tried to tilt to motor up while simultaneously trying to throttle out of said shallow area.

-The electric motor was operated subsequent to these events, so I am prepared for the possibility that the cast iron clutch component may be ruined.

-Thank you for the additional advice on technique to push the housing out of the transom shield. You used a statement, "with any luck"; if I'm not that lucky and I still can't get it to budge using the technique you suggested, do you have any other words of advice or wisdom for me?

-Thank you for the further clarification on how the entire unit is constructed. That's very helpful.

-I may take you up on your offer of replacement vice rod, or even the entire unit. My original plan was to get the housing out of the transom shield and take it apart on my workbench, see what needs to be replaced, and start looking online for good deals.