Lower unit oil

[87VIP]

How often should I change the lower unit oil in my 87 OMC cobra 400 It has a 2.3L

 

[87VIP]

Re: Lower unit oil

Oh another thing is there a particular oil I should/ shouldn't use for the lower unit? <br />Thanks

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Lower unit oil

Toby...you can't have an 87 Cobra 400, you either have a Cobra or a 400, easy way to tell is the 400 has a big black rubber boot all the way around the outdrive looking at it from the rear of the boat. If it's an 87 then I suspect you have a Cobra and you should use OMC Hi-Vis lube available from dealers. Depending on usage I would recommend once a year at the end when you are winterizing, drain it, look for any water or metal particles and fill with fresh and you are good to go the next spring. Just recheck it before launch incase you had air in there that settled over the winter and top it off.

 

[87VIP]

Re: Lower unit oil

Thanks Bob! I am new to this forum as well as to boating. What I have is a 1987 Vip Vision with an OMC 2.3 motor. Will there be a stamping of some sort or tag on the outdrive to determine what the outdrive is?

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Lower unit oil

Toby....the Cobras came out in 86/87 but sometimes dealers may have left over stock so it's possible to have an 87 boat with an 86 engine. Aside from the fact that the pre-Cobra's have a big black rubber boot around them, the Cobras have 2 hydraulic trim cylinders that attach to each side of the drive to let you trim/tilt it up and down, the pre-cobras used a motor and worm gear to lift and lower. Cobras were usually a charcoal metallic colour while the 400/800's could be white or grey....hope this helps.

 

[87VIP]

Re: Lower unit oil

Thanks againg Bob, With that info there it must be a Cobra. It has the trim arms on each side as well as being charcoal gray. You are a great help! Thanks again Bob!