OMC Cobra 4.3 Upper outdrive housing crack

[maine4winns]

1988 OMC Cobra Upper outdrive housing (above bottom bolt) has a crack. I just bought this boat and did not notice it when I bought it. The engine ran great (using water muffs). I am not familiar with I/O's. This is on a 1988 20' Four Winns bowrider.

1. Is this repairable via welding, or other means?
2. Can I run the boat in the water with this crack?

Sorry for seeming ignorant. This is my first place I have come to in the beginning of my research. There is a wealth of information here, thank you!
I have attached a picture.

Greg

 

[hugh g]

The whole drive looks beat up. Not sure if that's worth paying someone to attempt to weld it.

 

[maine4winns]

is this crack, able to be filled with aluminum epoxy? I plan on replacing the unit with a refurbished one this winter. Just want to get some use out of it this summer.

I am simply not familiar with whether or not this is intended to be a water tight seal or not.

Thank you for your opinion.

 

[bruceb58]

This area is where the bellcrank attaches to the shift cable. It can fill with water which is what caused this to crack. On my Cobra that I used to have, I replaced that round flat bushing that you see near the crack with a newer version that has a zerk fitting so you can fill that entire area with grease.

Now that I said all that, you can likely use it as is. It's just a cavity for the bellcrank attach point to sit in.

This is what it looks like on the pivot housing side. You can see the bellcrank in the lower right. This mated with the drive with the bellcrank going into the pocket on the drive.

 

[maine4winns]

Bruce, Thank you very much!

I will break out the drawing and find out exactly what that "round flat bushing" is and purchase the newer version with a grease fitting.
The fact that it cracked in this area due to water being trapped and freezing is alarming and driving me to remove the outdrive and perform a complete check / rebuild (as needed) this winter.

I assume that I should probably fill this crack with an aluminum epoxy, upon reassembly? It's mind blowing how much a used upper gearcase is going for. Makes me want to go into the marine salvage business. LOL

 

[Lou C]

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I never updated mine just keep packing it with triple guard grease, and coated that gasket on both sides with OMC gasket sealer. I have not seen water in there in years. You might be able to get someone to weld that crack in the off season if you are worried about it.

 

[Lou C]

This area is where the bellcrank attaches to the shift cable. It can fill with water which is what caused this to crack. On my Cobra that I used to have, I replaced that round flat bushing that you see near the crack with a newer version that has a zerk fitting so you can fill that entire area with grease.

Now that I said all that, you can likely use it as is. It's just a cavity for the bellcrank attach point to sit in.

This is what it looks like on the pivot housing side. You can see the bellcrank in the lower right. This mated with the drive with the bellcrank going into the pocket on the drive.

Bruce, I remember that drawing, I copied it from someone else on the forum years ago and added the bit about the grease, lol.

 

[bruceb58]

Bruce, Thank you very much!

I will break out the drawing and find out exactly what that "round flat bushing" is and purchase the newer version with a grease fitting.
The fact that it cracked in this area due to water being trapped and freezing is alarming and driving me to remove the outdrive and perform a complete check / rebuild (as needed) this winter.

I assume that I should probably fill this crack with an aluminum epoxy, upon reassembly? It's mind blowing how much a used upper gearcase is going for. Makes me want to go into the marine salvage business. LOL

And just be aware, you need all the parts including the updated bellcrank shaft to do this.

 

[maine4winns]

Thank you for the continued insight, links and knowledge Bruce.

Greg