Lou C
Supreme Mariner
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2002
- Messages
- 13,023
OK for those of you who have Cobras and maintain them yourselves....and this is for the dog clutch models 1986-1993....we know that pulling a drive is usually easy but reinstalling one can be difficult, sometimes it goes right on, sometimes it fights you....so here's what I have found helpful after many years of doing the R&R on my own boat:
1) get drive jack, this makes it 100% easier to get the drive level and straight
2) get the top of the drive and the pivot housing at the same height
3) before installing the gasket, make sure the pocket where the shifter bellcrank lives is clean, I like to pack it with Evinrude Triple guard grease
4) When installing the odd shaped o ring, use a bit of the same grease to hold it in place
5) When installing the gasket, coat the sealing surfaces on both the drive, pivot housing, both sides of gasket and the 6 mounting studs with OMC gasket sealer
6) Grease the u joints and gimble bearing, coat the driveshaft splines and outer lip of the bellows & bearing carrier with Triple guard grease
7) slide the alignment tool in greased to check alignment, pull it out to see the witness marks. If good, then re-insert and get a rubber mallet, give it a bump top, bottom, left and right to center the gimble bearing, then carefully withdraw the tool
8) get a long thin screwdriver, slide it in the ujoint cross so you can turn the driveshaft when sliding it into the coupler. I slide it in, and the last 1" or so use the screwdriver to slightly turn the driveshaft to get the splines to align. This all by itself makes a huge difference. It will go right on, no kicking, cursing, etc.
and there you have it.....
1) get drive jack, this makes it 100% easier to get the drive level and straight
2) get the top of the drive and the pivot housing at the same height
3) before installing the gasket, make sure the pocket where the shifter bellcrank lives is clean, I like to pack it with Evinrude Triple guard grease
4) When installing the odd shaped o ring, use a bit of the same grease to hold it in place
5) When installing the gasket, coat the sealing surfaces on both the drive, pivot housing, both sides of gasket and the 6 mounting studs with OMC gasket sealer
6) Grease the u joints and gimble bearing, coat the driveshaft splines and outer lip of the bellows & bearing carrier with Triple guard grease
7) slide the alignment tool in greased to check alignment, pull it out to see the witness marks. If good, then re-insert and get a rubber mallet, give it a bump top, bottom, left and right to center the gimble bearing, then carefully withdraw the tool
8) get a long thin screwdriver, slide it in the ujoint cross so you can turn the driveshaft when sliding it into the coupler. I slide it in, and the last 1" or so use the screwdriver to slightly turn the driveshaft to get the splines to align. This all by itself makes a huge difference. It will go right on, no kicking, cursing, etc.
and there you have it.....