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  1. Lou C

    Tuneup question

    The marine distributor caps I use always have a rubber gasket not used on the automotive version and as noted the plug wires are longer to clear the bulky water cooled exhaust manifold. I like the AC marine spark plugs because they are very corrosion resistant I have never had one rust even in...
  2. Lou C

    Batteries status after winter storage

    I've been using Deka group 27 dual purpose lead acid batteries for a long time and I usually get about 7 years out of them.
  3. Lou C

    Batteries status after winter storage

    I charge them when I put the boat away and maybe once or 2x over the winter if there's no snow on the cover. Then before re-commissioning I charge them again.
  4. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    lol...my ebay spare....here in the salt pond they don't last forever...
  5. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    this is the underside of the pre Vortec 4 bbl intake, notice how the water passage is only up at the very front under the thermostat housing, the Vortec intake has a much bigger water passage under there. Maybe more places for water to hide....
  6. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    The OMC Cobra service bulletin came out way before the VP one did, a few years at most after the Vortecs came out. Can't find it, website where it was no longer has it listed. So who knows, it may be a rare occurrence depending on the angle of the engine, etc.
  7. Lou C

    Gimbal bearing.

    The price difference isn't even that much. We have this boat almost 20 years, bellows has been changed 2x once in 2005 and once in 2016. The OEM ones are only like $60 for the Cobra. I use OEM whenever I can for the bellows, impellers, fuel filters, etc. The price difference is really...
  8. Lou C

    Gimbal bearing.

    On the Cobra I’ve used the OE bellows & have gotten 10+ years out of them with the drive stored down. That’s about when you start to see small cracks beginning to form in the folds. That’s a sign the rubber is getting stiff and is due for replacement.
  9. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    Found it! It’s in this forum…posted by DonS…in 2014….
  10. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    I wish I could I looked & looked. Buttt…..if you look at the underside of the pre Vortec & Vortec manifolds (cast iron versions not alu) there IS a difference. The water passage seems to extend under the carb mount area on the Vortec whereas it is only right under the thermostat on the pre...
  11. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    On the pre Vortec the intake drained when you drained the block & disconnected the big hose on the front circulating pump.
  12. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    on the newer vortecs that is true, I'm not sure what changed in that water passage to make that plug a necessity.
  13. Lou C

    carter mech fuel pump

    glad it worked out!
  14. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    When you removed the plugs, did you probe the block and manifold drains? They can get clogged up with rust flakes and not drain. That block holds approx 2-3 gallons of water all by itself, each manifold can hold about a half gallon depending on the style of exhaust. On my old 4.3 they used a 90*...
  15. Lou C

    OMC Cobra 4.3 block interchangeable? Help

    https://www.rapidomarine.com/default.aspx?p=/casting_numbers_43.aspx https://www.rapidomarine.com/default.aspx?p=/engines262.aspx more info on casting #s and changes.... as far as manifolds.... all 4.3 blocks use the same exhaust manifolds, but the intakes are different for the pre Vortec (12...
  16. Lou C

    OMC Cobra 4.3 block interchangeable? Help

    is that the casting number (back by the bellhousing) or the GM serial # (up on the front right hand side of the block? You go by casting numbers for the identification of changes in the engine series, the serial number won't really help figure that out. There were a lot of changes in the 4.3, a...
  17. Lou C

    Pasty oil coming out the valve covers

    Yep sms that’s not just a little water but a LOT.
  18. Lou C

    Happiest Day of Ownership !!!

    yeah, the outdrives....just installed mine, this year is slid right on with no bad language needed for persuasion...got lucky lol. Just pulling the drive and doing the maintenance every year and replacing bellows before they leak, will add years to your I/O drive system life span. This one is...
  19. Lou C

    Gimbal bearing.

    sometimes you have to use a bit of heat and a couple of picks to move stubborn hoses, a little silicone spray helps too.
  20. Lou C

    89 460 OMC water System piece?

    Exactly. The drain plug on those coolers is really tough to get at. What I do is disconnect the raw water inlet hose at the thermostat housing, hold it down to drain the hose. There is a water drain on the port side of the pivot housing on the transom mount, if this is not clogged, it should...
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