fluid

1956olds

Well-Known Member
SILVER Sponsor
Oct 31, 2009
3,455
michigan,saginaw bay
Boat Info
1992 370 ec
Engines
twin cummins 6bta's 300 hp
Rl80 pathfinder radar/chartplotter,SH 2150 matrix vhf w/ais
quicksilver 8
I have bennett tabs on my boat ,just wondering what fluid to use in the reservoir and how they should be filled for proper operation.I dont have the manual but think they need topped upand dont want to overfill or underfill.Thanks Glen
 
ATF or Merc's power trim and steering fluid.
 
Ha! I didn't even look to see what subforum it was in. I just looked at "new posts" and thought I could help. Although I did forget to answer his question of "how". Guess I should refrain.
 
Make sure you fill when the tabs are completely up.
 
Use any type of Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) only. Don't worry about the exact brand or type - it will all work, and can even be mixed. To add fluid, remove the Lexan cover on the HPU, locate the "filler stack" in the left front corner of the reservoir. There is a round plug sealing the filler stack. Remove the plug and add fluid to the full line on the reservoir. Note: Add fluid only with the trim tabs fully retracted (up). If your reservoir does not have a full line, add fluid so the fluid level is about 1 inch below the top of the reservoir with the trim tabs fully retracted (up).

We have a "filler spout" that screws onto a quart bottle of ATF that makes filling easier. If anybody wants one, just send me your name and address in a PM and we will mail it to you, no charge.

By the way, I love it when others answer questions here too :) So no worries there!

Tom McGow
Bennett Marine
 
Last edited:
Tom - good to hear from you again!

Question for you on the fluid types... years ago (probably more like a decade...) I was talking to someone from Bennett and we were discussing fluids. The Merc Power Trim/Steering fluid came up in the conversation. This stuff is supposed to mix with anything. I would not use it to fill an entire system since it would get quite costly, but the discussion centered around having this onboard since it can mix with all types of hydraulic fluids. With how you worded your response to Glen, I just wanted to know if anything "new" has been found out and that this Merc fluid would be specifically bad to use?

Glen - to add some more info to all the input above... if for some reason (it really shouldn't be, though) the system is low enough that you think you might have air in it, the 'bleeding' process is simply operating the tabs a few times fully up/down since it self bleeds.
 
Hi Dennis!

Actually we do not know anything about the Merc fluid :). We do know that ATF will not harm any of the seals, O-rings or plunger faces in the system and that is why we recommend that it is the only fluid to use. We just want to be sure that the system will always work properly. We do not test other fluids since ATF is pretty easy come by.

Glen, here is a link to the owners manual if you want to print it out and keep it on the boat http://www.bennetttrimtabs.com/pdf/ownIcon/owners_manual.pdf

Tom
Bennett Marine
 
Thanks, Tom. I wish I could remember who I was that I talked to, but you know how that goes as you get older... well, at least I do! This is something that has come up at various Merc events/training, too. BUT, I understand where you're coming from and can't officially recommend anything if you haven't tried it out. Thanks again for the input.
 
Thank you everyone ,I checked out the short video tutorials from bennett also.These seem easy to troubleshoot so i am thinking since i am on the hard and the pump is so easy to get to i may test them for leaks and possibly replace the seals in the selinoids and rams.I am in heated storage so i could drill a few holes in the ice in the fairway and set a couple tipups while i am at it ,mabey catch a walleye for dinner.Perhaps next year will be good for automatic tab controls.
 

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