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  1. Lou C

    Shift cable resistance, best lube point to possibly help?

    Best to use silicone grease for this because it doesn’t degrade the rubber. I’m in the same environment as you Charlie, moored in Long Island salt water May to Nov. I usually spray my bellows with Trilux anti fouling but it peels off. Still I get at least 10 years out of a set of bellows. I...
  2. Lou C

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Evinrude dealer
  3. Lou C

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    remember if they say it's a Cobra plug, the 86-93 models are the originals, but the 94-98 are the Joint Venture OMC/Volvo. And yes the 94-98 OMC Cobras are the same thing as the Volvo SX, just painted a different color (OMC = charcoal grey, Volvo = silver). So it all depends what year Cobra...
  4. Lou C

    Trailer bleeding brakes. Part 2

    Yes drum brakes have a self energizing effect and they can provide more braking force with lower actuator pressures than disc brakes on a surge system. The other difference is that drum brakes have very strong return springs to release the brake, vs disc brakes have the square seal in the...
  5. Lou C

    Trailer bleeding brakes. Part 2

    getting back to brake bleeding, the way we did it in the old days was to start with a clean clear bottle, and tape a plastic hose to the neck, with the end almost at the bottom of the bottle, and then fill the bottle till the bottom of the hose was covered in brake fluid. Then pump the master...
  6. Lou C

    Trailer bleeding brakes. Part 2

    lol a play on words… I will say that the surge drum brakes on my trailer (12” free backing) stop it really well.
  7. Lou C

    Do I replace the core plugs when engine is out?

    My mooring spot is usually 5’ deep at low tide & 12’ deep at high tide tide. Those are the kind of #s I like….
  8. Lou C

    Do I replace the core plugs when engine is out?

    If you have trouble getting it to drain then yes it makes sense to pull the core plugs & clean out the block. I try to stay out of shallow water just for that reason.
  9. Lou C

    Do I replace the core plugs when engine is out?

    Agreed as long as it was set up as a marine motor. Now on the other hand I’d very carefully inspect the oil pan and treat any rust spots with rust converter and then put a couple of coats of Rustolium on it… And what else? Check leak sources on your transom mount, exhaust Y pipe etc.
  10. Lou C

    Trailer bleeding brakes. Part 2

    Yep the ‘70 with manual drums took 2 feet to stop and the ‘71 with power front discs just took the weight of your foot!
  11. Lou C

    88 Capri Restoration (Splashed 08/2022)

    And I know what most will say, just pull out the OMC stuff sell it off and repower with Merc. I am not set up to be able to pull the engine myself and was able to rehab this engine with a top end overhaul in 2017. So until I need a new or reman engine keeping the OMC Cobra makes sense for now...
  12. Lou C

    Trailer bleeding brakes. Part 2

    that last point is what I was wondering about, I never had trouble bleeding the brakes on my trailer and the actuator is over 20 years old now, but I guess that can happen.
  13. Lou C

    Trailer bleeding brakes. Part 2

    Agreed on the benefits of disc brakes, while I still have drums on my boat trailer it goes in the salt water only 2x per year. If I were a trailer boater and had to dunk the trailer every time I used the boat I'd have converted to discs years ago. I grew up with both self adjusting and non self...
  14. Lou C

    Shift cable resistance, best lube point to possibly help?

    What I'd do (and have done) is disconnect the cable at both ends and measure the drag with a fish scale. I don't know Merc's spec but I know that on the OMC I have had all these years the spec is no more than 2.5 lbs, full travel in both directions. I bought a NOS cable as a spare and it had 4...
  15. Lou C

    88 Capri Restoration (Splashed 08/2022)

    Lol My garage kinda looks like that, but I have only one spare drive and one spare transom assembly. I already used the innards of the spare trim cyls to rebuild the old ones on the boat. My issue is salt water use eventually things just will not come apart. My original drive is working great...
  16. Lou C

    Trailer bleeding brakes. Part 2

    You really want to make sure that as the suspension cycles up & down the brake line won’t get snagged. I have bled brakes with the very simple Lisle one man brake bleeder kit with no problems and while my trailer has drum brakes I have also used this on disc brake vehicles as well. I’m wondering...
  17. Lou C

    Exhaust Manifold Question

    https://www.american-hi-tek.com/hi-tek-replacement-exhaust-manifolds/ Looks like the design got picked up by this company Price wise they are about double the OEM cast iron price but to me the concern is will they last 2x as long? They do give a 10 year warranty but you have to check the terms...
  18. Lou C

    Exhaust Manifold Question

    There was a company in Australia selling one piece welded stainless manifolds; these look great but I have heard of some failures (burn thru on the exhaust ports). The idea was to eliminate the elbow/manifold joint and stainless to reduce corrosion. I think the company is Hy Tec marine. As far...
  19. Lou C

    Exhaust Manifold Question

    I’ve had good luck with Barr. I have 5 seasons on my present set and I scoped them with a bore scope and they look fine inside, no sign of leaks or rust in the bottom of the manifold…Since I got the scope I added checking the manifolds to my end of season maintenance (compression test, oil...
  20. Lou C

    half closed cooling system for a 1989 4.3 liter cobra.

    Good to know, I guess that's why they are on the expensive side....
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