Re: 88 Crestliner top speed
Greetings, and congrats on your purchase!
OMC & Mercruiser are both products that do the same thing. The difference is that OMC is no longer in business. Folks are generally avoiding them because repair parts are beginning to get hard to find. Mechanics that know how to work on them are in short supply, too. Here are a few things that may help you:
1. Be sure to read the 2 "Sticky" posts at the top of this forum. There's a wealth of info consolidated there.
2. Never, never, never..... remove the screw that's behind the "Cobra" emblem on either side of your outdrive upper gear case! If you do, a nut plate on the inside falls down into the gear case and your drive usually has to be disassembled to remove it.
3. Read and familiarize yourself with the info contained in this
web site. There's a lot of info there that will help you keep your outdrive healthy and shifting smooth for a long time to come.
4. Change/fill the outdrive fluid right to avoid destroying your upper unit. Here's a quote from the "Hints" section on the Hastings website above:
When filling the Cobra with gear lube, use the middle fill plug, as shown in the Owners' Manual. Do not fill through the (bottom) drain plug! If you fill from the wrong port, you will probably trap a big bubble of air inside the vertical drive, and that bubble will eventually rise to the top. When it does, the upper gearcase gears will run dry, and self-destruct. As they say in the computer biz, "RTFM."
On this diagram (143k), item #53 is the drain, and item #41 is the fill.
5. Get yourself an OMC service manual for your drive.
I hope you have a great time with your boat & that the info above helps!
Cheers!
JSMoore
