Hydraulic engine lift help needed

[mcswain1]

I blew a hose on my engine lift this weekend.  Any one know the brand and model of the lifts used?  How best to get at the parts in the lift box?  Where to buy replacement parts?  Any help or guidance would be appreciated!

Well I have the boat out of the water now and so I have answered this for myself.  I will describe the system for anyone else that might need the information.  This is the system on my 1992 Endeavourcat 30.

The hydrolic pump is a Mercury outdrive trim pump. (Mercruiser w/ Reservoir w/Oildyne Pump)  It has a plastic tank under the motor and pump.  The pump is located in the aft locker under the port side berth.  Check the fluid level when the engine mount is in the full down position.  The MIN and MAX markings are on the plastic tank on the left side and are hard to see.  You can feel the MIN with your finger and the max is just at the lip or seam in the tank.  If the fluid is milky you have a leak and water is getting in.  You can find replacement pumps on ebay, new and used.

The hydrolic cylinder is an OMC 984466 or 985660 T&T CYLINDER FOR MOST COBRA MODELS.  These have not been made since the 1990's and are getting rare.  You can still find some on Ebay.  You might think of getting one in case yours fails.  They are shorter than the other makes.

There is a bleed down valve in the rear of the helm seat locker.  It will let the engine mount down if your system fails.  Have rags ready, it makes a mess with lost fluid.  If you have bubbles on your hydrolic lines under the covering, your line is probably getting ready to fail.  It is fluid from the line making bubbles in the cover.

To remove the bolts to free up the cylinder I had to drill holes in the engine mount box and insert a 13' extension for the socket wrench.  Took a breaker bar wrench to free the bolt.  You have to jack up the motor mount almost as high as it will go because the cylinder comes out through the hole toward the transom.  The mounting bracket on the transom is in the way unless the mount is very high.

Hope this helps.

[bongo]

Hey,

This is great info!

Bongo is a '92 Endeavour Cat that I've owned since 2000. 

I was away from the boat for about two and a half months and when I returned last week, the skeg of my outboard was in the water. While she was in the yard (Pensacola) for a bottom job, I saw a drip on the lowest part of the rod so I too was thinking about posting a message re: how to do maintenance/replacement. I've wondered about it for as long as I've owned the boat since it's an extremely important component. And, how long is this system going to last?

Had I read your posting before now, I would have recommended contacting the factory as they have been incredibly helpful to me in the past.

I really appreciate your posting the info on the cylinder and pump. I had to replace the pump in 2001 after finding that the fittings were stripped and were badly leaking. Actually, the factory directed me to Bob's Machine Shop in Tampa. I've had no pump problems since.

I'm going to heed your advise and buy a clyinder since I'm not sure mine can be repaired. Can you give me an idea of what to pay and any specifications for the hoses/fittings/length? Also, I'm currious as to how difficult it was to remove and replace the hoses.

Again, thanks for the info.