Help with 1997 volvo 4.3 with cobra I/O

[mickms]

Hi - I'm thinking of buying a 1997 boat with a 4.3 volvo 19HP engine and cobra I/O.

On the sea test, the shifting / throttle lever seemed a little stiff. I then saw this post (http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/) about cobra stern drives having a known problem with the clutch dog if not correctly adjusted that can lead to major grinding gears. I had it looked over by a mechanic, but he did not pull the outdrive and check the gears. It seems to go in and out of gear solidly, but it definitely is not in "shift with one finger" condition.

Does anyone know if the outdrive for this year is the kind with the dog clutch that has the gear grinding problem, and if so what should I do?

I'm posting this both in volvo and OMC forums.

Thanks

 

[Don S]

Re: Help with 1997 volvo 4.3 with cobra I/O

Please DO NOT post the same questions in multiple forums, per forum rules.
You probably don't have an OMC outdrive. Pull the back plastic cover off the drive (3 bolts) and look. You won't find a raw water pump.

What you need to do is get the FULL model number or serial numbers from your engine and drive. Then we can determine what you have.
Year and HP doesn't really help much.
The FULL model number consists of all those letters after the 4.3.

 

[mickms]

Re: Help with 1997 volvo 4.3 with cobra I/O

Well, I don't think the current owner is going to let me start taking the outdrive apart... it's all been professionally maintained.

So then 1997 Cobra is probably a Volvo SX and DP is what your suggesting? Going back to the Stuart Hastings article, if it's got the water pump on the outdrive, then it's the cone-clutch design "king cobra" so I wouldn't need to worry about this problem anyway??



I don't have the boat... haven't bought it yet... so I can't just walk outside and start looking for numbers stamped in inconspicuous places. I have the owner's description and that's it.

 

[Don S]

Re: Help with 1997 volvo 4.3 with cobra I/O

Is it a DP drive? (Dual Props)

Does the engine say Volvo or OMC on it? It's either one or the other.

 

[Don S]

Re: Help with 1997 volvo 4.3 with cobra I/O

I just checked the BRP site, and they didn't use either of the OMC drives with that engine.
So to your question, the hastings site has no info on that drive at all.
The main cause of stiff shifting on that drive is the shift cable itself. If it's worn inside and binding, the shifting will be stiff.

 

[mickms]

Re: Help with 1997 volvo 4.3 with cobra I/O

Thanks! If I get the boat I'll have the numbers next time I post.