What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

[ColaTM]

I ran accross this picture of someone's OMC Cobra outdrive. I have circled (in red) the "plug" or whatever it is that I am asking about.

I am concerned because this looks like an avctual plug of some sort whereas my own OMC Cobra outdrive has this hole open and water flows out when running.

Thanks for any help!

 

[jriegle04]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

what year is yours? this one is a 85 i think and it isn't showing that. http://www.crowleymarine.com/brp_parts/diagrams/31263.cfm

 

[ColaTM]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

The picture is reportedly of an '88 which is the same year as mine.

Thanks!

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

I could be wrong but isn't that what's left of the Medallion. And if you unscrew that there's something on the other side that drops to the bottom and is a PITA to retrieve.

 

[dubs283]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

that plug should not be removed

to get it back in you need to pull the drive

there is a small plate with a threaded hole in it that goes on the inside of the drive that the plug threads into

getting the plug to thread back into the plate can be tricky, but eventually you will get it

I think OMC put a plug there to aid in draining for winterizing, it is just a casting void in the drive, it serves no purpose to aid in cooling the engine

 

[Don S]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

There should be a decal over it so it doesn't show. If you do remove it and the plate drops, you will have to pull the drive, get the plate up there and put the screw back in. From it's location, I always figured it was there to prevent water flow from eroding the aluminum casting on the inside. But no one really knows for sure.

 

[danond]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

That plug is not for winterizing. To make sure everyone reading this thread knows:

Do not remove the round Cobra decal, and do not remove the screw behind it.

 

[bradb7888]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

I recently bought an 88 bayliner with an OMC outdrive and it has a different looking plug in there. It seems the previous owner pulled it out and tried to silicone it back in. If I use the muffs, water shoots out from that plug. Should I get it sealed up permanently or will it be fine how it is?

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

my own OMC Cobra outdrive has this hole open and water flows out when running.

If that hole is left open you will not have full cooling water flow thru the engine/and exhaust system.

You run the risk of engine overheats at high power settings and/or your exhaust manifolds & risers running hotter than normal since they're not getting full flow.

Close the hole with any suitable permanent plug.


Regards,


Rick

 

[ColaTM]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

Ah, there it is...Get it fixed! is the sentiment.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Wallywit]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

Well I did it! I took it off and now I can't put it back for the reasons you gave. Can someone please tell me what I should do now? I am pretty handy if I know what to do and how to go about it. I hate to take it to the mechnic for this but if someone says that its better in the hands of a mechnic then I will do it. By the way, this is my first boat its a 1990 Seaswirl Cuddy 22' with a cobra 5.7 and OMC outdrive, love the boat.

Thanks in advance

 

[Don S]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

that plug should not be removed

to get it back in you need to pull the drive

there is a small plate with a threaded hole in it that goes on the inside of the drive that the plug threads into

getting the plug to thread back into the plate can be tricky, but eventually you will get it

I think OMC put a plug there to aid in draining for winterizing, it is just a casting void in the drive, it serves no purpose to aid in cooling the engine

You will also have to take the drive off, turn it upside down and shake it to get the plate down to where you can get to it so you can re-install it..

 

[framie]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

i have made the mistake of pulling that plug thinking it was a drain plug and i was wrong. you must remove outdrive to reinstall.

 

[dlp123]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

yep i made the same mistake the other day but was able to get the screw back in without removing the outdrive i took a small screw driver and some rtv silicone put 2 good size drops on the metal plate using the screw driver to line the hole close to where the screw lines up let it tack up put the screw back in place lesson learned on that one. mine a 91 4.3 cobra outdrive hope this helps.

 

[Don S]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

yep i made the same mistake the other day but was able to get the screw back in without removing the outdrive i took a small screw driver and some rtv silicone put 2 good size drops on the metal plate using the screw driver to line the hole close to where the screw lines up let it tack up put the screw back in place lesson learned on that one. mine a 91 4.3 cobra outdrive hope this helps.

You can't see or touch that plate with the drive on the boat, let alone put sillycone on it. It's inside the water passage cast in the drive

 

[dlp123]

Re: What is this on the OMC Cobra upper unit?

i got lucky then i poped the plastic cover piece out that had a o ring behind it which left a 1 inch hole thats how i was able to get to the square metal piece that the screw threads in to.my drive my be different then his tho im still learning on these omc cobra outdrives