5L V8 Cobra

[Shane26]

I recently purchased a 5L V8 Four Winns 1988. It has a cobra engine. The guy that I bought this from put a eletronic fuel pump on it as well as a edlebrook 4 barrow carb on it and a huge air filter. The boat runs great but there is a little oil coming from the breathers on the valve covers. This is the set he has but I believe it can be set up a little different. He has two PCV/elbow into the valve covers and they meet each other with a T. This T is zipped tied to the side of this air filter. The air filter seems to be collecting alot of oil. I was wondering if the stock OMC engines ran the hoses from the valves to the carb? Second does anyone know where I may find a picture of the stock setup or where I can purchase a boat? If anyone has a book with the setup I would appreciate if they could email or fax it to them. I will send something in return for the favor. Please let me know how others have this set up. I would like to change it so that oil isn't getting sucked up in the air filter. Thanks Shane

 

[Lou C]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

Is that a regular car air filter? If so that is dangerous, a marine inboard is supposed to use a backfire flame arrestor. It is a metal housing smaller than an air filter with a fine metal mesh that would stop a backfire from causing a fire in the engine compartment. Is the carb a marinized carb, what about the fuel pump, is it rated to be used in an inboard bilge??<br />The stock set up used a marinized Rochester 2bbl or 4bbl Quadrajet with the backfire flame arrestor. On top of the arrestor is a bracket that holds the breather hoses up against the backfire flame arrestor. The fumes may be sucked in there but there is no filter to clog up, altough the metal element has to be cleaned every so often.<br />I am concerned about the safety of your set up. Make sure all the stuff the prior owner changed is marine rated for use on an inboard engine.<br />For pics of the OE set up go to<br />www.dougrussell.com<br />look in the OMC parts section under your year and engine size. Then go look at the fuel system section and the intake manifold section.

 

[Shane26]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

I believe it looks like a regular car filter. We are looking into everything. The carb is a regular carb not a marinized carb. The fuel pump is just a regular small fuel pump from NAPA. The guy put two air filters together. However it looks like he used the original air breather plate because there is a bracket mounted on the top that has a piece that looks like it holds a breather and a hose to it. I don't think any of this stuff if marine rated. Why should the carb be marine rated?

 

[Lou C]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

You should NOT run that boat. The prior owner was no marine mechanic that is for sure. Everything has to be marine rated for inboards because:<br />get a little fuel vapor in the bilge<br />get a little spark<br />KA-BOOM <br />Yes the whole damn thing could just blow up.<br />DO NOT run that boat until that stuff is replaced with marine inboard rated equipment.<br />Marine carbs are modified so they don't vent vapors, car carbs are not! And a car air filter will not stop a fire from a backfire. And the fuel pump, all electrical equipment in an inboard bilge has to be ignition protected! <br />That previous owner made the boat unsafe to run.<br />You should go back to him and give him a piece of your mind, but first ask if he still has the marine carb and flame arrestor!!!!!!!<br />REPEAT<br />DO NOT RUN THAT BOAT!

 

[Shane26]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

I spoke with a few guys and napa. They said all fuel pumps like that are safe for the ignition spark now. I found out the series on the edlebrock carb and am looking into that. I noticed that the guy had the PVC port pluged on that carb. He also did a pretty similiar thing with the hose from the 2 valves. He zipped tied it to the side of the air filter instead of using the mount on the top of that bracket. I am going to check into a new flame arrestor though.

 

[Shane26]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

I talked to the owner and he is giving me the orginal carb and arrestor. The carb needs a re-build kit.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

Not only does a marine fuel pump have to be explosion proof, it has to withstand a 2.5 minute direct flame without leaking to be legal in a boat according to the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 183. It also has to be wired so it will not operate when the key is ON and the motor is not running or cranking over.<br /><br />Just like the wiring and plumbing codes in your house and the FAA regs for aircraft, a gasoline inboard engine has to meet Federal guidelines to be legal and safe.

 

[Shane26]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

Thanks. We are looking for a mechanical pump right now to switch everything over to stock. Does any know where to get a good deal on a mechanial fuel pump and the orginal lines as well as a carb re-build kit for the rochester? Thanks Shane

 

[Shane26]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

Thanks. We are looking for a mechanical pump right now to switch everything over to stock. Does any know where to get a good deal on a mechanial fuel pump and the orginal lines as well as a carb re-build kit for the rochester? Thanks Shane

 

[ahein]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

You can do a search for your parts on www.iboats.com . I've used www.dougrussell.com and www.boatfix.com to get parts for my engine and outdrive (VP AQ260 engine & VP AQ275 leg). I've also used www.marineengineparts.com . You should get their phone numbers off their websites, then call them to find parts for your specific application.<br /><br />The important thing is that you get the correct MARINE parts before you start your engine up and disaster strikes. In a car fuel vapors are sucked out of the engine compartment due to constant airflow around the engine. Fuel vapors in a boat have no place to go in an enclosed bilge. They just sit there and build up, waiting for the tiniest spark to explode. Geez, I'm starting to scare myself!

 

[Shane26]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

I got the boat back to stock. I re-built the carb, got a used arrestor, changes the lines back to metal. Put a water separator system back on it. Re-built the mechanical fuel pump. It's been running good so far. The boat differently burns alot more gas than my other one. I am just trying to find my cruising rpm's to save on gas. Shane

 

[Scaaty]

Re: 5L V8 Cobra

From what I can tell here, does that fuel pump have a separate clear hose running up to the carb? Thats where the fuel would go if the diaphragm leaked. Thats a marine pump (? $100.?..not cheap, EBasic has'em). On gas mileage, sell the Quadrajunk carb on ebay, and the Edelbrock (make SURE it isn't a Marine carb now though) and get the 600CFM MARINE carb from Edelbrock, along with the proper adapter kit for a spreadbore(Q-Jet) manifold if thats what you have.