cobra verticle drive woes

J

jlcjtc

Seaman
Joined
Jul 14, 2003
Messages
50
I pulled my drive out today to do the yeaarly service youknow grease u joints and stuff. well now i cant get the thing back in it will go to the point of the second u joint and not any further. can anyone give me advice on what to do? it came out pretty easy, and i dont think it has gone far enough to be the splines not lining up but i dont know this is the first time i have done this. my boat is 1987 renken 20 ft fish and ski with 4.3 OMC motor. :confused:
 
R

Rickles

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Messages
101
Re: cobra verticle drive woes

try greasing the bellows ,the u-joint yoke and the case housing and turn the prop as you're pushing on the drive.If that doesn't work, heat the bellows and use a thin flat screw driver to get it started.
 
F

Fox River Cruiser

Cadet
Joined
Sep 10, 2003
Messages
20
Re: cobra verticle drive woes

If you put a screwdriver thru a u-joint, and turn it at the same time you are pushing it will go in. I learned the hard way of an hour or so of pushing, very frustrating. If you get it lubed up and turn it, she'll go.
 
M

motox6

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Apr 4, 2004
Messages
85
Re: cobra verticle drive woes

I tried what everyone else did to no avail. Finally had a cobra mechanic install it. He leveled the boat even with the outdrive, He to only got to about 2 inches from getting it in. He then (with the outdrive square on the floor) lifted a little and bounce it on the floor with a rubber mat under it of course and pushed it in at the same time. This cause the the spline to basically vibrate in the rest of the way. He says some cobras just don't go in easy like mine.
 
C

cobra 3.0

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Messages
1,797
Re: cobra verticle drive woes

I had the same problem this spring with mine(****ed around for over an hour!). I had just purchsed my 1986 boat last year, so I had no idea when the bellows was ever changed( I could see outer cracks and the rubber seemed very hard.) I purchased a bellows kit and changed the bellows. The newer ones are a little looser. I then used the screwdriver trick and it went in like magic.
 
J

jlcjtc

Seaman
Joined
Jul 14, 2003
Messages
50
Re: cobra verticle drive woes

so iguess that the u joints have to go completely go into the bellows and then you turn them to line up the splines? i cant seem to get past the first u joint with the bellows so it must be a u joint issue
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top