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  1. Lou C

    Won't shift into gears. somethings seems stuck.

    I use Mercruiser High Performance gear oil. Yes post pics when the drive is off...
  2. Lou C

    Won't shift into gears. somethings seems stuck.

    Unfortunately there is not a "simple" answer to your question. 1st yes make sure there is oil in the unit, you check from the top dipstick, most Cobras hold approx 2 qts of gear oil. Next if you cannot shift the unit by hand keep in mind that a dog clutch outdrive should not be shifted with the...
  3. Lou C

    Impeller housing overheating

    Ok you have some symptoms time to put them together and make sense of what is happening. Burnt up spark plugs, and an engine that won't take a load, sounds like very lean fuel mix. First thing go back to basics. You may have a rusted and or sticking anti siphon valve, that would explain the...
  4. Lou C

    Part Identification and Schematic Help Needed

    I've owned mine 19 years. The medallion was long gone when I got it. Because I had the factory shop manual from the beginning, I never made the mistake of unscrewing that while winterizing lol. Never had a problem with it. You don't have to take the drive apart, just have to take it off, which...
  5. Lou C

    5.7 1987 OMC shuts off at Low RPM

    You have a Rochester Quadrajet. There's a lot to know, its a fairly complex carb. Resources: https://cliffshighperformance.com/ https://www.carburetor-parts.com/ the cleaning is the main thing especially the ilde air tubes. read up on this. just removing the air horn is a bit tricky, you have...
  6. Lou C

    4.3 OMC Cobra Overheating at times

    Ok the blades do flip like that not to worry. What does the wear plate look like? If it’s smooth and not grooved you might get away with not replacing it but that’s not the right way to repair really. If you don’t have a new gasket for the housing then what you can try is to cost the old one...
  7. Lou C

    Looking for bare engine block with pistons

    Looking great Westie! Just finished up some fiberglass work in the ski locker on mine, going to try to get it in the water this week.
  8. Lou C

    5.7 1987 OMC shuts off at Low RPM

    For example on boats with lousy corroded battery cables you can get an engine stumble just from using the trim system, it draws enough current that it can drop your system voltage enough to starve the ignition system. I had this on mine when I first bought it. Dumped all the crappy wiring when I...
  9. Lou C

    4.3 OMC Cobra Overheating at times

    You’re not cooling at low revs. The impellers do wear you can’t really see it unless you pull it out. If you pull up silt or sand it will score the wear plate which also reduces pumping volume. I have had nearly the same boat almost 20 years and I usually change the impellers every 3/4 seasons...
  10. Lou C

    Impeller housing overheating

    the two piece conversion is a manifold+elbow+90* exhaust pipe & hoses....pretty much the standard Volvo Penta set up used from 1994 all the way up till yjey dded cat converters. It will fit the Cobra perfectly. Firts 2 pics are my conversion last pic shows how it looks from the back side. I used...
  11. Lou C

    5.7 1987 OMC shuts off at Low RPM

    if it drops low enough to starve the igition system yes.
  12. Lou C

    Impeller housing overheating

    In most cases yes especially when you put a load on the engine. However as I said these OE OMC one piece manifolds are somewhat prone to clogging of the outlets because they are on the small side as you can see by the pix I posted. Running on the water hose is not a test of this you need to run...
  13. Lou C

    Mercruiser 4.3 Delco Distributor Question

    Yep the marine Prestolites I have (got 2 spares) all have screens in them. This prevents fuel vapor that gets inside the distributor from causing an explosion or fire. Same as a backfire flame arrestor.
  14. Lou C

    Help with water in oil

    Or even the cyl heads could have rotted through. In any case if the water in the oil is addressed right away the short block may be salvagable. That's what I did with mine.
  15. Lou C

    Part Identification and Schematic Help Needed

    Correct, you never have to remove that plug (that was formerly under the medallion) to drain water, all that is accomplished by removing the plugs on the pivot housing, one on port side (that always should drain water from the water passage in the drive and the raw water hose going through the...
  16. Lou C

    Help with water in oil

    Yes both HGs can fail at the same time if the engine had a bad overheat in the past, which then would let water in the cyls depending on where the gasket blew. The water in cyls would then cause the sticking valves. The water in cyls can also be caused by a leaky rusted exhaust manifold and/or...
  17. Lou C

    Best aftermarket trim sender

    If Sierra makes one I'd try that. What I found on the Cobra units is that the shaft that turns the potentiometer gets sticky and sticks in one position, a little bit of back and forth movement and lubrication with Boeshield or similar and it works fine again. Before condeming the one you have...
  18. Lou C

    Impeller housing overheating

    You gotta get the temp gauge working but for now get an IR temp gun and use that to measure temps. Check: Intake manifold right under stat housing, should be about 10-15 degrees below the rating of the thermostat (standard is 160). Top of exhaust manifolds (elbow section) Mine were usually about...
  19. Lou C

    1992 Mercruiser 4.3 w/ balance shaft and 1 piece rear main seal swap to newer year Vortec.

    The Vortec intake gaskets for sure are different as is the torque spec.
  20. Lou C

    Distributor Cap Needs Frequent Replacement

    Does the design of the engine cover allow water to drip down around the back of the engine? If so try to channel water away from the distributor. I change mine every year due to salt water moorage & salt air....
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