Mercruiser 3.7L 4 Cylinder questions

[Maclin]

Cobras of that vintage from Volvo/OMC Joint Venture might be a Ford based 302cid and as such not quite a sustainable combination. Look up the model designation. like GLxxx ot FLxxxx the F's are Ford based and have parts scarcity issues regardng the engines. The G's are GM based and are more sustainable. The Drives themselves are orphans but parts still available for the most part though different years can confuee the search.

There is a reason your search for an economical boat turns up these "brands" of items, they are hard to get rid of as a seller.

 

[Newbie@boats]

Yeah I can totally understand what you're saying he said the out-drive was replaced by his local marina, I definitely want to get another boat for sure, but if were comparing OMC engine with 470's which would you guys rather have :faint2:? The upside to this one is its newer and closer to me and the NADA value which doesn't mean much is 2K higher than the imperial I am looking at.

 

[bruceb58]

Stay away from the OMC Cobra too. That is not a joint venture Volvo/OMC drive.

94 is the first year of the joint venture drive.

 

[Newbie@boats]

Correct me please if I am wrong, from what I gathered online the ENGINE themselves are OK-its the OUTDRIVES which seem to be the problems? On the OMC

 

[bruceb58]

Correct me please if I am wrong, from what I gathered online the ENGINE themselves are OK-its the OUTDRIVES which seem to be the problems? On the OMC

Correct although when you get into some of the Ford engines, they are tough to get parts for especially the ones that are fuel injected. With those, it is almost better to junk the fuel system and go to a carb when they finally fail.

Manifolds are tough to find for the Ford engines.

 

[Newbie@boats]

Gotcha, Okay, This boat is the carb'd model, and the marina also replaced the risers as well.

 

[bruceb58]

But it's still the Cobra drive so stay away.

 

[Newbie@boats]

Yeah, I just got off the phone with him, he said 3 years ago he hit a rock and blew apart the out drive to insurance replaced that, its missing a cushion for the cuddy cabin, but he also said when if you hit the throttle fast the boat will stall out

 

[Maclin]

Stay away from the OMC Cobra too. That is not a joint venture Volvo/OMC drive.

94 is the first year of the joint venture drive.

Thanks Bruce, somehow still have '93 on my mind...

Definitely good advice on the OMC Cobras, "run away..."

And if anyone reading this ends up with one, DO NOT REMOVE THE BOLT HOLDING THE EMBLEM ON THE SIDE OF THE DRIVE!

 

[Newbie@boats]

Alright, so you guys pretty much have talked me out of a 470 and I decided not to let myself potentially fall into another nightmare situation again and BruceB58 made me think about the value of an '87 I think even $3,000 like stated previously would be to much or at least top top dollar for that boat. I am going to look at a 2001 Bayliner Capri 19.5 tonight with the 3.0L 4 cylinder

 

[bruceb58]

I am going to look at a 2001 Bayliner Capri 19.5 tonight with the 3.0L 4 cylinder

Bayliner got their quality problems under control by then, A lot wiser choice than the other boats. I would probably be looking for a 4.3 in that size boat though but depends on what you are going to do with it. For me, I use my boats in high altitude lakes so I always need to bump up one engine size.

 

[RenkenII]

I brought a 470 back from the dead 5 years ago. It has been a learning process for sure - but it's only marine motor I have even owned. It left me stranded with a regulator fire once - so my tip would be convert it now. Once you know the motor, it's just like all the rest. You do have to enjoy the work to keep it dependable for sure.