Air in Trim Tab Pumps
 

What is the best way to get the air out of the trim tab cylinders and pumps?
I'm running K Planes with Kiekhaefer pumps. I had the tabs off for some work that I was doing to the back of my boat. Not sure on where to add the oil to the pumps as it is displacing the air?
Any help is appreciated.

Full up full down cycling usually gets most of the air out.

Loosening lines at the rams can assist in getting air out.

Look at it from a gravity standpoint. Any trapped air in the rams will be at the highest place it can sit. Don't forget that you will have air trapped on the bottom side of the hydraulic piston as well as on top of it.

mcollinstin,
Where is the oil reservoir for the tabs and how do you top it off?
These pumps are not like the outdrive trim pumps which has the reservoir under the pump.
I've never had to play with the tab pumps. If I have to tare them apart to figure it out I guess that is what I will do.

The manual will instruct you to fill the resevoir with the proper fluid and then cycle the tabs full up then down a couple times checking the oil frequently. When the resevoir stops requiring fluid top up the air should be removed. Rick G.

The reservoir is ALWAYS going to be under the pump body.

I am not familiar with your pump setup, as my K planes as well as the others I have seen use the high speed Merc offshore style pump with the plastic reservoir under the pump.

But if you are running a different style, it will STILL have the reservoir under the pump. It may be a steel canster style reservoir but it is still a reservoir. There will be some sort of screw in plug at the proper fluid level. This is used to both fill and check the level.

Post pictures if you can't get it figured out.

One of mine got air in it too. It works better the more I use it, but each time out, I have to start all over again.

Here's what mine looks like.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...rim+pump+fluid

I have the same type of pump/resevoir on my Kplanes. The res is below the pump and is the black canister. there is a small plastic screw on top of the res. It is vented at the bottom and has a small dipstick on the end also.

Thanks Guy's I will look into this when I get two minutes.