Re: Advice really needed Quick pls 93 OMC 7.4 vs Merc 7.4
If your question has to do with comparing the OMC with the Merc read the following.<br /><br />
http://www.funkopolis.com:8080/~stuart/cobra/ <br /><br />Above link compiled by Stuart Hastings will give you probably all of the background info on Cobra outdrives you could possibly want. <br /><br />Determine which variety of Cobra the boat you're considering has. According to Stuart the somewhat rare Volvo-style "cone clutch" in the 1993-on "King Cobra" is extremely durable, and it is not subject to the "bad gears" failure the others have a reputation for. He says if you have one, buy the manuals, and take it to a qualified Volvo technician. Rejoice! Volvo-style gears are renouned for near-indestructibility. <br /><br />Other King Cobras have a dog clutch, which has developed a bad rep in some circles. Much of this appears to be a result of work done by mechanics inexperienced with Cobra outdrives rather than deficiencies in the drive itself. So if the boat you're considering has a dog clutch cobra, read Stuarts article pretty thoroughly. <br /><br />A key issue is the relative scarcity of technicians with OMC expertise as compared to Merc. Unless you are planning on doing all needed outdrive work on the Cobra yourself, I suggest you make sure you've got a mechanic at a local repair shop with real Cobra expertise before you make the decision to buy one.<br /><br />By the way, I've got an 1989 4.3L Cobra. Never had a problem with it till a local shop left it about 40% low when they changed the drive oil last summer and the gears and bearings got trashed. From now on, for anything I don't do myself I'll be making the 1.5 hour drive to a trustworthy Cobra repair shop a couple of towns over.<br /><br />Lastly, I bet by the time this is posted others will have already pointed out that the way the boat has been maintained is more important than than most of the differences between similar makes & models.
