Alpha 1, piston bolt, check yours out.

[lake-inn]

Just wanted to share this tidbit. Went to check the starboard drive on my 268 the other day and noted that there was a lot of play in the trim cylinders. The drive moved back and forth about 1/2" when pulled on. Well I tried bleeding and it did not help. So I bought a couple of rebuild kits for the cylinders and proceeded to remove and install new seals. What I found was quite interesting. The starboard cylinder had fallen apart inside because the bolt that holds the shock piston onto the cylinder rod had backed out completely. The port side was almost there and hanging on by a few threads.

Anyway, these bolts are supposed to be put on with Red loctite, and they were not. Has it been that way for almost 25 years? I don't know. Anyway, it is a simple check for your alphas. Just grab the front end of the drive and pull back. Should be solid as a rock. Hate to think what would have happened if the second bolt had backed out.

 

[manny4608]

Thanks for posting, I'm going to be checking mine in the morning.

 

[MileHi270SR]

I was taking my props off on my b3 the other day and noticed on both of the rams, the inner shaft moves in and out about an inch. My first thought was seals and bleeding until I read this. Does this sound like the same issue as yours? Is this bolt accessible on the outside or do I need to take the cylinders apart to tighten? Thanks