How do I prevent corrosion/ buildup around the shift lever in an OMC OD?

[KM7]

91 OMC OD. I'm replacing the shift cable. When I removed the OD. I see corrosion/buildup around the shift lever.

Will this interfere with shifting?

See pictures attached


Does the buildup mean I have a leak someplace?

This built up in less that a year with the boat only going out 5x. I do live near the ocean and I do take it in salt water

To clean this out, is CLR good enough?

Should I protect with rustoleum or a marine paint? Do I paint the Shift lever (0983898 ) and the bellcrank, shift (09156796)?

Should I seal around the outside of the OD with a marine sealer?

Any other thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[Lou C]

This will cause sticky shifting and is usually because water is leaking into that pocket where the shift cable goes through. There is a rubber o ring on the other end of the housing where the cable comes in, that can leak but often you get leaks from one of the large drain plugs on the side of the pivot housing (this is there, just to drain water before winterizing) or the gasket that goes between the drive and the pivot housing (should be coated on both sides with OMC gasket sealer). I have been able to keep water out of there by:
makeing sure the o-ring on the drain plug on the side is in good shape and coat it & the threads with OMC gasket sealer
clean out that pocked and pack it full of OMC/Evinrude triple guard grease
when replacing the drive, coat both the mating surfaces of the drive & pivot housing and the gasket itself on both sides with the same sealer. Doing this I have not had water in there in 10+ years and my boat is moored in salt water for 6 months each season.

When you replace the shift cable, make sure that o ring on the end of it that goes in the pivot housing is in good shape and coat the o ring and the threads of the fitting with OMC gasket sealer. Anything you can do to keep water out, will really help.

 

[Lou C]

PS the way you can tell your efforts to seal up this area is that shifting will not get stiffer over the course of the season, and when you remove the drive at the end of the season as you should each year the grease in there will still be the normal dark blue color, not a lighter blue suggesting water got in. The newer Cobras did have a grease fitting added to the bell crank to allow it to be greased from the outside, not sure if yours had this or not. I don't see a grease fitting though. Mine being an '88 never had one so I just dealt with it as described above. The shift bell crank should move back and forth very easily....

 

[KM7]

Lou, thanks for the Great advice. I have removed the shift cable and I see the O-ring. I will check the new one and the mating surface to make sure that they are clean. I will take your advice to seal it and fill the pocket with grease.

Would painting the shift lever and bellcrank with a rustoleum paint slow down the corrosion buildup, or is it just dried salt from the salt water?

I will be sure that the gasket that goes between the drive and the pivot housing is done very well. I carefully scraped /wire brushed off all the old gasket, using a razor blade where needed. I then carefully sanded the surfaces using a flat block to take out any scrapes. I will use gasket compound on both sides of the gasket. What about adding a thin layer of sealant to the outside of the joint after assembly??

Are there any other leak paths?

I wonder if I could add the grease fitting that is on newer models? Did you consider that?

New topic: I was able to remove the shift cable and unscrew the nut on the pivot housing from the back side by cutting the cable then using a deep 3/4 socket. I did not have to remove the pivot housing. Installing the shift cable may be a little more difficult because I can't use a deep socket. The cable will be in the way and it is too tight to get in there with an open end wrench.

I found 2 very good videos on removing and replacing the shift cable. They do not discuss tightening that nut though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7UXtcmhEVs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5mw2fGFSKY

I will either remove the pivot housing or try making a custom open end wrench by cutting one in half to make it shorter.

I have never removed the pivot housing. Is it difficult?

Thanks again

 

[Lou C]

I removed it to change the bellows about 3 years ago. It wasn't hard, but those allen bolts can be seized in the threads, I did not have trouble removing them because the last time the bellows was replaced before that (2005) the mechanic used OMC gaseket sealer on the threads (great stuff). There are 2 fiber washers, they go between the pivot and the swivel housing on each side, these wear out sometimes and need to be replaced and can be tricky to line up when re-assembling.

That build up is just dried salt residue. Spray it up with PB Blaster or Kano Kroil to dissolve it, then get an oil can and squirt some motor oil on shift shaft and work it back and forth. Then pack the pocked with OMC/Evinrude triple guard grease. The only leak spots I can think of are the gasket between the pivot and drive, the drain plug and the fitting for the shift cable. You MIGHT be able to install that, using a crow foot wrench like the kind you use to tighten a small block Chevy distributor retaining bolt.

For the shift cable adjustment, it is more accurate if you get the tools that help with aligning it, the one tool holds the bell crank at 90* to the pivot housing and the other, sets the dimension for the transom shift cable up on the engine bracket. There was a third tool made by OMC, that is a gauge used to set the shift lever height (the shift lever that goes in the lower gear housing and that actually selects FWD, N and REV. The bellcrank which moves in and out, moves this shift lever up and down.

 

[Lou C]

Edit:
the bellcrank lever has an o ring on it, that is another possible leak path, saw that in one of those vids but in 15 years I have not had to replace it.

 

[PITBoat]

I watched those the other day. Dude recommends gasket sealer on the crank o-ring. I was calling bull on that (gasket sealer on a moving part)? I woulda thought a grease would have been correct.

He said he had trouble cutting the cable. Pull the wire out first? Just a thought. I haven't done any of it yet.

Those 2 were helpful if a little long winded. Several things in there that might not be obvious to you if you'd never seen those parts.

Another guy in a different video moves the shift lever on the drive with it off and w/o turning anything. That didn't seem right to me either. He really didn't explain well why he took it off, just pulled it off and muscled it around, then sealed up the new gasket real good and put it back on.

 

[Lou C]

Agreed I'd use OMC/Evinrude grease on that seal. I've been using the stuff for years in salt water. The best.
Once you get one of these set up right with a good shift cable and a good control (not worn out with a lot of play in it) the Cobra can shift very well. I actually prefer it to a Merc Alpha outside of the fact that most mechanics don't know how to work on them and parts availability is somewhat limited. The transom assembly in particular is much better designed and not prone to the steering arm play and leaks like Alphas are. Bellows and impeller much easier to do.

 

[KM7]

Thanks for all the great comments:

1) I did just remove the Pivot Assy instead of trying to access the back of the shift cable nut to tighten it. That was actually easy since my mechanic had the right tool, a 1/2 in. Allen on a long handle socket drive.

Removing the Pivot will make it easier to check and clean the mating surface to the shift cable nut.

2) @ Lou, The Allen bolts for the Pivot assy did come out easy but I will add the gasket sealer on reassembly. To keep the fiber washers lined up on reassemble, would a small dab of gasket sealer or elmers glue or rubber cement help? Something that would dissolve quickly. The salt residue came off very easily. I will pack with grease. I did not realize it before but my Pivot Assy Does have the 3 drain plugs at: Shift bracket, Water Tube and Bellows. So now I know to remove these and check for water one in a while. I did order the 2 tools: 1) bell crank alignment and 2) to set the dimension for the transom shift cable. $22 for both on Amazon. I hopefully do not need to change the Up/Down position of the shift rod in the OD, but I will consider that.

Do you know the dimension I'm setting? Is there a picture? Can it be done w/o the tool?

Lou BTW my boat before this one has a 4.3 L I may have tips for you if you have questions.

I will check the bellcrank O-ring.

3) @ PitBoat agreed, sealer on a moving part seems wrong and removing the cable from inside the housing would make it easier to cut. Good idea. I agree that moving the shift lever full fwd and reverse w/o the motor running would be a mistake. Unless the gears mesh you could be forcing things and break something.

 

[KM7]

Hard shifting Again. Then the casing guide came off the end of the shift cable, The screw had come out.
I removed the OD and found lots of salt build up **Again** in the cavity for the shift level. See the pictures

I had very carefully scrapped, sanded and sealed both sides of the joint between the pivot and OD. I was careful with the shift cable end screwing into the back of the pivot.

I can't tell where the water is getting in!! Need some advice please.

The O-ring on the drain plug looks like it is OK. See picture. Does it look like it was leaking?

It does not look like it is not a regular 0-Ring though. It appears wedge shaped.

Is that right? Or can I just but another 0-Ring at the hardware store?

This time I will seal the drain plug with gasket sealer

Any other advice? I gotta keep the water out of the shift lever cavity !!!!

 

[Lou C]

That drain plug o ring looks a bit wedge shaped after they have been in use for some years. I never replaced them but always used OMC gasket sealer on the threads and o ring for the drain plug. To me the only way water can get in that area is the retainer nut for the shift cable, the drain plug on the side, the gasket for the drive/pivot and the o ring on the bell crank (water could come in from the exhaust side there). When we first got our boat we had this same problem however, after maintaining it myself all these years (17 since we bought it) I have not had water in that area and this boat was moored in salt water for most of the season, most years. Are you using OMC gasket sealer or Permatex Aviation on the gasket and pivot housing drain screw?

 

[jerryjerry05]

Worked on these since they came out in 86
Never really found a way to make them completely water tight

I just lube the parts and then pack them with triple guard and put the drive back on.
About the only thing to do is pull the drive every couple of months.

 

[KM7]

At Lou. I agree those are the 4 possible leak paths. shift cable, pivot to OD gasket, bell crank and drain plug. The shift cable would require removing the pivot housing again and that is a threaded fitting that I did seal pretty good last time, so I'm not going to disassemble it. Last time I did not use gasket sealer on the drain plug. This time I will. I'm also going to change to seal on the bell crank. Thanks for the tips. BTW I could not load pictures. I will try again.

 

[KM7]

Pictures of the OD showing the salt build up and a picture of the drain plug that was on the Starboard side. Note the wedge shape.

Also who has the part number for the OMG Gasket sealer? There are a LOT of different sealers and can you get it at West Marine? of not where?

Thanks

 

[Lou C]

I'm telling you my boat has been moored in salt water for approximately 15 years and since I've been maintaining it......I've never had that build up...like what you have....I see some salt deposits on the shifter pin sticking out...I wonder if the o ring inside could be letting it in...seeing as the deposits...are right on the same level as the bell crank itself...

about the sealer...it's now called Evinrude Gasket Sealer....and supposedly is the same thing as Merc Perfect Seal...so if you don't have an Evinrude dealer nearby....go to a Merc dealer and get the Perfect seal...and actually....Permatex Aviation....is similar but not exactly the same...but works well too. For sure put it on the threads and the o ring of the drain plug, that would have a straight shot of water right in that area if it does not seal. The oring looks like mine....

https://www.crowleymarine.com/parts/15896.cfm

I use this stuff on all the bolts on the outdrive....thermostat housing...cyl head bolts....water pump bolts...its great stuff and prevents seizing and keeps water out....
You could try the drain plug...then...if you still get water in...I'd be lookin to change that o-ring on the bell crank shaft...

 

[KM7]

I'm changing the O-Ring on the bell crank and using the Permatex Aviation to seal the Pivot to the OD and the drain plug.

Thanks

 

[Lou C]

That sounds like you'll have it covered. If you blow up this pic you might be able to see the blue Evinrude grease in that area...no salt crystals....next time I pull it I'll take a better pic.

 

[KM7]

Now that I have everything all cleaned up and I know how to prevent corrosion, the next step is adjusting the shift linkage and put the OD back on. I will start another post for that. If you want to direct me to instructions that you think are well done please do.

 

[jerryjerry05]

You should have the tools to install the linkage.

302910179605 eBay #​

eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/OMC-Cobra-...064690&hash=item4686da8915:g:1ogAAOSwqYZbEeQC

 

[Lou C]

Check out Midnight Wolf OMC parts they sell the tools and updated instructions on line...