Flower Power's Guide on How Not to Change a DP-E Trim Ram

[2068]

...
Joined
19 Sep 2002
Messages
18,113
Visit site
Please note responsibility for any minor injury, major injury, or temporary loss of conjugal rights due to being covered in ATF fluid lies entirely with anyone foolish enough to try this for themselves.

Next time, VolvoPaul can do it (but thanks for the advice, VP).

1.) Remove the sterndrive
Best Practice: Yes, remove the sterndrive. Pins, hoses, gaitors, shift cables: all must go, and take care, these things are heavy.
Do Not: Just remove the lower trim split pins / securing pins, and jury-rig something quite dangerous with an old mooring line thrown over a snap davit. Remove exhaust bellows and water intake hose at the drive end.

IMG_3134.JPG



2.) Undo the hydraulic pipes with a 10mm spanner.
There is also an earth strap, secured to both pipes with a clamp. Undo with two 8mm spanners.
Best Practice: If the nut at one end of end of a pipe is stiff, try the other end of the pipe first. If that undoes, you can "walk" the closed loop of the ring spanner along the pipe to the other end. The tape was added to stop water getting in (raining :()
Do Not: Round off the pipe nuts by being heavy handed.

IMG_3135.JPG



3.) Depending on which side needs doing, you might need to remove extra parts.
On my S28, the airbox had to come out.

IMG_3136.JPG



4.) Can I introduce "Le Extracteur". 10mm socket at the end. Last section needs to be a bit flexible.
"My God" I hear you say, why would you need such a thing?
Well, if you are 12 years old, incredibly thin, very strong, with abnormally long arms, you might not.
For the rest of us:

IMG_3137.JPG




5.) Le Extracteur goes here:

IMG_3138.JPG




6.) What you are aiming to do is undo a locking bolt that stops the trim pin from sliding sideways. It's not the only thing stopping the trim pin from sliding sideways.
10 years of corrosion and a load of crud is also part of the equation. But if you can't remove the lock bolt, you are goosed.

Image1.jpg


Huzzah!

IMG_3139.JPG



7.) Now get yourself a grease nipple from an Auto Factors, and a new plastic plug thingy from a VP dealer.
Best Practice: Simply accept that part number 940194 is no longer in production, and never will be.
Do Not: Get into pointless arguments with Volvo Penta dealers about continued parts production for older engines.

IMG_3140.JPG



8.) Extract the old plastic plug with a 5mm allen key.
Best Practice: Rotate the old plug smoothly out of its thread.
Do Not: Gouge out the old plug in twenty pieces with a fine screwdriver because it got stuck and the hex thread rounded off.

IMG_3141.JPG



8.) Screw in the grease nipple, attach the grease gun and PUMP.
Nipple does not have to be mega tight, it just has to be grease proof. Not death proof.
Get a grease gun that can exert a bit of welly and SQUEEZE!
What's that? The pin is not moving?
SQUEEZE HARDER WITH THE GREASE GUN.
Imagine trying to mint David Beckham's testicles into coins.
At some point, resistance gives, grease appears, and you have either just broken your Transom Shield or freed up the Trim Pin.

IMG_3142.JPG



9.) Zip back inside, and use suitable tools to wiggle the trim pin further out.
It won't come all the way out, but enough for the trim cylinder to be removed.
Best Practice: Have a helper smoothly remove the trim cylinder as you pull the pin.
Do Not: Allow the trim cylinder to fall to the ground, scaring a small dog nearby.

IMG_3145.JPG


IMG_3143.JPG


IMG_3144.JPG



9.) Now you can install the new trim cylinder.
Again, a helper is useful at this point to hold the cylinder in roughly the right place, as you push the pin from the inside to secure it.
I greased up the pin too, just in case it needs changing again in another 10 years.
Very carefully reconnect the hydraulic pipes.
Don't forget the earth strap.

Best Practice: Use your frozen fingers to screw in the hydraulic pipe nuts for the first few turns. Support the cylinder without the hoses on a bit to get the pipes/nuts to line up. Then use a small 10mm spanner to tighten, when you are 100% sure the pipe nuts are happy in their threads.
Do Not: Get heavy handed with the pipe nuts, cross the threads, and have to buy another trim cylinder.
Do Not: Forget the earth strap, and allow your very expensive trim cylinder to fizz away.

IMG_3147.JPG


10.) Home stretch.
Use "Le Extracteur" to put back the lock bolt on the trim pin inside.
Put back the exhaust hose, inlet hose, and any other bits you had to remove.

IMG_3148.JPG



11.) Finality
Reattach the lower trim pins, and split pins.
Raise and lower the outdrive FULLY maybe 5 or 6 times.
Wait overnight.
Raise and lower the outdrive FULLY maybe 5 or 6 times.
Top up the trim reservoir with ATF.

Best Practice: Use new split pins on the trim pins.
Do Not: Drop the split pins in the cat food bowl as you walk the parts out of the house, because the small plastic bag has a hole in it.

IMG_3149.JPG


12.) Pour yourself a large drink.
You deserve it.
 

Mr Googler

Well-known member
Joined
11 Apr 2008
Messages
5,492
Visit site
Great report and thanks for taking the time. I have just got home myself from putting my big outboard back together from complete take down....and it still works. Wonders never cease :) :) :)
 

oGaryo

New member
Joined
28 Nov 2008
Messages
8,200
Location
Boat (Southampton)
Visit site
Impressive stuff David an excellent read, really enjoyed it and hope I don't need to do the same anytime soon, all 4 RAM s were replaced by the previous owner (at great expense) last February. The VP dealer couldn't get the pin out so they have to hacksaw the rams off, ouch!
 

[2068]

...
Joined
19 Sep 2002
Messages
18,113
Visit site
Thanks for the hilarious write-up, and well done on the tricky job. How long did it take?

Cheers
Jimmy

It was not project managed in a professional way.
There were many cups of coffee and Cornish Pasties.
... it took most of today, and 1/2 day head scratching last w/e.

.
 
Last edited:

FalconSteve

Member
Joined
17 Apr 2012
Messages
370
Location
Basingstoke, boat Torquay
Visit site
thanks for sharing your adventure ;-) it is good to know I'm not alone with seemingly simple jobs turning into big problems. I definitely learned a lot from your experiences, we should all appreciate our marine engineers more don't you think? the do not bits made me laugh in sympathy :)
 

[2068]

...
Joined
19 Sep 2002
Messages
18,113
Visit site
You can change the seals if the shaft is still in good condition.
But if the shaft is scored/pitted it's not so easy: new seals over a pitted shaft will get eaten up.
 

oldgit

Well-known member
Joined
6 Nov 2001
Messages
27,527
Location
Medway
Visit site
......and you will be doing it all again at some point in the future cos you may have noticed in passing that there are TWO of them there rams............Been there done that.
Ps. Some of the scars on your hands almost disappear after a year or two.
Outdrives .....Work of the Devil.:):):)
 
Last edited:

oGaryo

New member
Joined
28 Nov 2008
Messages
8,200
Location
Boat (Southampton)
Visit site
Can said scoring / pitting be prevented by keeping the drives fully down (into the minus numbers on the trim gauge) whilst not in use so no shiny bits are exposed to the elements?
 

[2068]

...
Joined
19 Sep 2002
Messages
18,113
Visit site
...keeping the drives fully down (into the minus numbers on the trim gauge) ...

That helps prevent scale build up, which can knacker the seals, so Yes, it helps.
But on mine, the problem area was a couple of inches further up, so it's probably just a time/usage thing.
The old one is still in the metal recycling at Fishery Lane, if anyone wants to do a post-mortem?
 

Peanuts

Member
Joined
13 Jun 2005
Messages
711
Location
Poole
Visit site
I have to say thoughly enjoyed reading your post, life in the real world. One little trick I have learnt is to not remove the cylinder although you will need a peg spanner to remove the end cap and withdraw the ram assembly and replace with a serviceable item. Of course if the internal bore is damaged then you have to replace the whole as you did.

You can now understand why VP was not available to change it for you, I believe he was having his hair done that day - lol (sorry Paul couldn't resist it!)
 

CharlieAlpha

Member
Joined
16 Jun 2010
Messages
646
Location
Andover Boat:Gosport
Visit site
Thanks FP, I have a feeling I'm going to have to replace a ram on my S34 before long as when on the plane my port leg gradually starts decreasing in numbers, in only about 1 number per 5mins so I'm lazy now and set it to +2 and move it back out when its got back to 0 or -1. It might be just the seals but knowing boats it will need a new one/pair. But lets hope it last until next christmas as the legs are due their next major service then (major done every other year).
 

volvopaul

Well-known member
Joined
1 Apr 2007
Messages
8,731
Location
midlands
hotmail.co.uk
I have to say thoughly enjoyed reading your post, life in the real world. One little trick I have learnt is to not remove the cylinder although you will need a peg spanner to remove the end cap and withdraw the ram assembly and replace with a serviceable item. Of course if the internal bore is damaged then you have to replace the whole as you did.

You can now understand why VP was not available to change it for you, I believe he was having his hair done that day - lol (sorry Paul couldn't resist it!)

Down in sof with jtb, were both having our hair done!!!

Fp, glad to hear my by phone txt manual did the trick.
 

benjenbav

Well-known member
Joined
12 Aug 2004
Messages
14,837
Visit site
FP: Thanks for a great read.
... incredibly thin, very strong, with abnormally long arms...
...absolutely sums up the design spec for a marine engineer.

For years, until I moved to Lymington, I used a chap who had been recommended to me to fettle the engines. He did a great job for a fair price. But, for one reason or another we had never met for the first five or six years during which I used his services.

I had assumed he was as thin as a whippet but with arms like an orang-utan and must have said something of the sort to a mutual acquaintance...who started laughing.

I asked why and he told me that my engineer was built along even more generous lines than I am.

I'm 16 stone and whilst I'm not a complete salad-dodger, even my best friends don't confuse me with a racing snake.

"How on earth does he get into those tricky spaces?" I asked.

"He's got a lad who does that" was the answer. ;)
 
Top