Replacing Mercruiser Trim Fluid

BillK2632

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Jun 25, 2009
2,899
Lake Norman, NC
Boat Info
2014 Cobalt R5
Engines
Volvo Penta V8-300 DPS
I know there is no change interval for the trim fluid, it's pretty much a maintenance free system unless you have a problem. Mine has always worked find, but this spring I swear it started making a different sound when trimming up - still works fine, but was a louder, raspy sound. Fluid level was fine, no leaks etc. So for kicks I decided to change out the fluid, easy enough, just used my oil extractor - took about a quart of fluid, i replaced whatever was in there with 10w40 conventional oil. The fluid in there was original, so 18yrs old and as I pumped the old fluid out, I could see a lot of gunk coming out with it, I presume buildup in the bottom of the reservoir. I don't know if some of this gunk is getting caught in the pump pickup and causing the noise or is it just my imagination and there is really nothing wrong. Anyhow, it's working, replacing the fluid was easy and cheap, I think I might do it again in a month or so to clean things out further. I would just pull the tank and do it that way, but it does not look like a quick / easy job to pull all that apart.

Just thought I would pass this along, there have been a couple of threads on trim fluid lately.
 
Oh no.

You do know if it's a Bennett Trim Tab system it should have filled it only with automatic transmission fluid (ATF)


Edit: Oops disregard. Thanks Strecker25.
 
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