1989 OMC Outdrive Noise?

R

RMcwill

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Apr 9, 2008
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I have a 1989 OMC sterndrive in a 5.8 l 200 Horizons Four Winns. I've had no trouble with it but the last couple of seasons I've been noticing a noise or vibration that can be minimized or mostly eliminated if you adjust the trim while on plane. There is also a small noise or vibration while idling in neutral at the dock. I've always maintained the drive changing the oil each year and greased the fitting for the gimbal bearing. My question is how do I tell whether this could be a problem in the drive with such things as the gimbal bearing or something else? Basically does anybody have any troubleshooting techniques? At some point somebody told me they get their drrive pulled each year and have the Gimbal bearing checked and greased. Is that a good idea?

Thanks!
 
Boatin Bob

Boatin Bob

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Sep 24, 2001
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1,858
Re: 1989 OMC Outdrive Noise?

That is a great idea, also if you haven't been pulling the drive then you haven't been greasing the u-joints which could be your problem. You will need to pull the drive to check them and the gimbal bearing. While it's off it's also a good time to check the drive shaft bellows and clean any crap out from around the shift bellcrank area...the list goes on.
 
Lou C

Lou C

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Nov 10, 2002
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13,056
Re: 1989 OMC Outdrive Noise?

I would say any sterndrive unit should be pulled yearly and have the bellows, u-joints, and gimble checked. It should be done at the end of each boating season, because if there is water in the bellows you don't want it sitting in there rusting stuff all winter.
To have a shop do this is not really that much labor, depending on what they find. On my Cobra, I check the bellows, make sure the gimble rotates freely, check the u-joints for play, and clean out the cavity where the shift cable comes out of the pivot housing, since if this area gets crudded up with deposits it can make the shifting stiff. You also want to check to make sure the seal around the drive shaft where it comes into the upper gear housing is not leaking, that will leak oil in the bellows and run the drive low on oil. If it all looks good I grease up the gimble while turning it to make sure the grease gets to all the rollers, grease the u-joints, clean out the cavity where the bellcrank is and grease that up with triple guard grease, and then reinstall the drive.

If you are going to do this yourself you need a manual, there are steps on line at www.crowleymarine.com ,go look in product support and they have the actual removal/install steps for the Cobra, right from the OMC Shop Manual. If you have the old style bellows they can be tricky to reinstall. Mine has the new one (larger in diameter) and it just took a little finessing to get it on. It's also highly recommended to check engine alignment with and alignment tool. I have one made by Sierra that works with Merc Volvo and OMC. Be careful if you do remove the drive they are heavy! I built a stand to make it easier.
I think a shop could to this in 2 hrs or so depending on what they find.
 
R

RMcwill

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Apr 9, 2008
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Re: 1989 OMC Outdrive Noise?

Thanks for all of the good information. It appears I've been really lucky not doing some of this yearly maintenance. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
 
bruceb58

bruceb58

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Mar 5, 2006
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30,588
Re: 1989 OMC Outdrive Noise?

When you pull the drive, make sure you also check the alignment. I found in the past that making sure the alignment is good also minimizes vibration.
 
bruceb58

bruceb58

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Mar 5, 2006
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30,588
Re: 1989 OMC Outdrive Noise?

When you pull the drive, make sure you also check the alignment. I found in the past that making sure the alignment is good also minimizes vibration.
 
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