jbdykes

iTrader: (1)

Went to go boating Sunday and the engine hatch wouldn't open. Got a slight (2-3 inches) of upward movement, then it stopped. Subsequent attempts moved the hatch only 1/4 inch of so. When I toggled it to down, worked fine. The blower worked and the engine started right up so it's not a battery issue. Any advice on what to do or am I now going shopping for an actuator?
And is there any experience out there on how to get the engine hatch up if the acuator has gone bad? I could remove the hinges perhaps, but the actuator arm would still be attached.
Thanks in advance for any assistance.

turbofox54

Did you try lifting it up as someone pressed the up switch? They usually will come up with some assistance. Prolly looking at a rebuild or new actuator. I'm in the same situation right now on my actuator.

madbouyz

I had this happen once with an actuator that really had very little use on it , and in the end needed total replacement .
The big 'but' though is that when we rigged the boat we anticipated this happening even if it was just dead batteries . What we did , and I strongly advise the same for anyone with an electric screw actuator , is to spot weld the nuts for the bolts that through bolt the clevis to the hatch to the underside of the clevis.
This way you can just pop a socket on the heads of the bolts on top of the hatch and undo the clevis and it will drop away from the hatch inside the engine compartment and then you can just open the hatch manually and take care of all the needed repairs ,
It's already saved us once and I'm so glad my brain functioned properly for a change and I thought of it before we needed it .

jbdykes

iTrader: (1)

Thanks guys! Checked with Donzi as well and they said the same thing. Hit the switch and pull it open. And that's a great idea on re-rigging the acuator. I'll work on that when I replace it.
Really appreciate the responses!
Barry