www.iFourWinns.com

My drive lowered by itself over the winter. It's now all the way down. It's never done that before should I be concerned?

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2010 H190 4.3VP
Tow Vehicle:
2007 F150
Previous boats:
2009 H180 3.0VP
1996 Horizon QX 3.0VP

Ya!
Got a leak somewhere. If you don't have a puddle, the check valve in the pump is probably bad. $$$$$

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1999 180 Horizon LS 4.3 L GL Volvo SX
1994 Powerstroke
2002 Jeep Wrangler
not@work.gon
Happiness is an Empty Boat Trailer!!!

It's likely some type of hydraulic bleed that allowed your lower unit to drop over the winter. My old boat had some sort of bleed off that was slow and internal. By that I mean it wasn't leaking any fluid and it didn't really impact the operation. I used a trailering harness so it couldn't drop while traveling. First thing is to check your bilge to see if you leaked fluid. If so, it definitely needs to be checked out. If it's an internal bleed with no fluid leaking, it depends on your boating style as to how urgent the issue is.

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2005 FW Horizon 250
8.1L VP DP

I'll have to look for a puddle when I open it up.

Pump's only a year old. It's not the original. Wonder if it's still under warranty.

It took a while to come fully down. I noticed it early. It didn't happen all at once.

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2010 H190 4.3VP
Tow Vehicle:
2007 F150
Previous boats:
2009 H180 3.0VP
1996 Horizon QX 3.0VP

I could have the same problem, but will never know. I always leave the drive down during storage to relieve strain on the bellows. As far as transporting, I use a snap on safety clip on the hydraulic cylinders to prevent the drive from falling. There are mixed opinions on whether to store with the drive up or down, however the majority of opinions favor leaving the drive down. If you have a hydraulic bleed-by it can be determined by an on-water test. With trim setup for cruise, the propulsion force will try to push the drive further towards the full down position. If, after 15 to 20 minutes of steady cruise the drive position does not change, I wouldn't worry about it. Check the fluid, cycle the drive up and down several times, recheck and carry on.

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2001 Horizon 180LE 4.3 VP SX
2008 GMC 1500 6.0L Z71

I have an internal pump seal leak on the hydraulic system on my tractor......has worked fine for last ten years.....you will lose hydraulic power while pump not running...the degree will vary. On the boat I would look at repairing...you want the drive to stay up when going trailering...the tie straps are for safety only.

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http://i1339.photobucket.com/albums/o71 ... wqm355.jpg


08' H210SS
VP 5.7Gi

My '95 190 Horizon did that occasionally over the 18 years I had it. It was an internal leak that never was to the point of failing and leaving me stranded. I never did thoroughly trouble shoot and repair it because it did not leak and settle often enough to find. I always stored it with the drive up. I made some stops for winter storage from ABS or PVC pipe by splitting the pipe lengthwise and just off center (cross section more like the letter "C" that half a circle) so they clipped on and covered the exposed part of the trim cylinders when the drive is up. I saw that Cabelas has these for about $25.

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Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

I crawled into it today, connected the battery and raised the drive. It came up normally and seems to be staying up. (no fluid in the bilge or anywhere else)

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I'm just going to have to keep an eye on it.

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2010 H190 4.3VP
Tow Vehicle:
2007 F150
Previous boats:
2009 H180 3.0VP
1996 Horizon QX 3.0VP

I made some safety clips like the ones S.I. made and put them on when I trailer just to be safe. I can't even imagine the damage if the drive drops going down the road.

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1999 180 Horizon LS 4.3 L GL Volvo SX
1994 Powerstroke
2002 Jeep Wrangler
not@work.gon
Happiness is an Empty Boat Trailer!!!

It's trying to tell you to keep the drive down while in storage.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

It does help to make the bellows last longer. I take my drive off and store it in the garage so the pivot housing stays level all winter. I checked the bellows put on in 2005 and it still looks good. I think that keeping it up esp in extremes of hot and cold does stress the rubber more. The OMC/Volvo bellows for the Cobra/SX drives actually has one extra rib on the bottom that helps the rubber not get stretched out when its stored up.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Someone has already mentioned that the slow internal leak can be in the pump valve assembly.

I would also like to point out that it could also be internal leakage inside either hydraulic cylinder. If the O-ring around the "piston head" is leaking, then the trim will drift down with no external leakage. Only one side has to leak, since they are connected in parallel.

It is easy to rebuild the cylinders yourself if you can get (or make) a spanner wrench to unscrew the end of the cylinder. The cylinders and piston are sealed with standard o-rings.

As others have said, it is not a big rush if the leak is very slow and you do not have external leakage.

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"Knot Easy" 2000 Horizon 240 Volvo 5.7GS /SX
tow: 2017 Honda PILOT EXL-AWD
prev. boats:
'87 Chaparral 198CXL 4.3 OMC Cobra
'69 Jetstar 16ft Ski Boat, 115hp Yamaha
'68 Aluminum Jon Boat, 3hp Sears
'64 Water Wings