Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

[ck85abc3]

I was thinking about buying this boat and now I'm not sure about it.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/boa/334030890.html

It is really hard to find any good information on OMC stern drive motors/drives. From what I found it looks like they tend to overheat and if they wear out/break down, you are in for a lot bigger bill than if you had a mercruiser or volvo penta?

Thoughts? COmments?

Thanks

P.S. Any comments on the price of that boat? I'd have to drive 350 miles to get it, but it might be worth it. Both the boat and motor apear to be made by companies that went out of business though

 

[achris]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

Mercury sell an adaptor to use when replacing a white dinasour (OMC) with one of their units. Is it one of the really old dinasours or one of the newer ones. I think they called them 'Cobra'.

Chris......

 

[Bondo]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

but it might be worth it.

Believe Me,........ It Ain't............

Also,...... Read This...........

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

I wouldn't say Cobra's have anymore of an overheat problem than the others. But you have to consider they have been out of business for years, certain parts are becoming harder to find and it's the old supply and demand for pricing. Servicing is becoming harder to find like the parts as well. For the age and price I would think you could find a comparable unit with Mercruiser power....have patience and keep looking.

ps....my boat has 2 Cobra's in it so this is my own unbiased thonest opinion!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

run the other way as fast as you can. look for a mercruiser or volvo outdrive. also atleast a 4.3L

 

[4winnsskipper]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

run the other way as fast as you can. look for a mercruiser or volvo outdrive. also atleast a 4.3L

dont agree with the atleast a 4.3, theres nothing wrong with the newer 3.0 engines. but definately get volvo or merc power. period.

 

[krazyballer489]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

There good boats my buddy has one never had a problem with the boat but his is a outboard so i couldn't help u with the motor but my old boat has the same motor never had a problem with it ran about 35 maybe 40 on a good day with me on it little tackle and no gas lol the only problem i had was i started it in my drive way with the muffs on and some how burnt the impeller out other than hat never had a problem with the motor.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

Funny, last I heard GM was still in business and still making 3Ls. Cobra parts aren't all that hard to find and I doubt they will be anytime soon. I never heard that they were any more likely to overheat than a similar MerCruiser. That would be a myth in my book. Especially since the water pump is so much more intelligently designed for servicability than anything MerCruiser could dream up. As far as I'm concerned, Cobras are superior to MerCruisers in that size. Maintenance costs aren't going to be any different than if you got a MerCruiser, although finding a shop willing to work on one might be a little more of a challenge. But there are plenty around that still do. More than VPs. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy that, and a 3L is plenty motor for a 16 footer. Go for it! Just make sure you fill the gearlube up into the upper drive when you change it. A lot of newbies just fill the lower gearcase the first time they change it. That's an expensive lesson you only need to learn the hard way once. Just like draining the water from the block and manifold for the winter is.

Just make sure you get there before I do. Minnesota is a hop, skip, and a jump for me.

What you DO want to stay far away from is any MerCruiser 470 or any of it's incarnations.

 

[ziggy]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

obsolete motor corp.

just got me a new to me boat last fall. i had mostly two things in mind. 1 was no omc, 2 was no merc 470 style engines. no matter how cool the boat was. boats are hard enough to keep alive w/o the nla parts as part of the equation.

i wouldn't have driven accross town to look at an omc, let alone 350 miles.

 

[javsam]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

agree with willy on this one,cobra stern drives were more reliable than the mercrusier at that time.Also,cobra's ran cooler because they have an oil capacity of about 2 quarts.while,the merc's only have about 1 quart capacity. And, the seals lasted longer in the cobra's as opposed to the merc's.I have a cobra stern drive on my boat and it has been very reliable.Furthermore, parts are not hard to find at all.

 

[Coors]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

You can get OMC parts all day, and all night.

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

well now you see the issue with OMC, lots of myth, misinformation, etc.

1) the person who said something about a mercruiser adaptor is a complete idiot. Ignore from here on. Old OMC outdrives were white, the mid 80's on were charcoal grey, called Cobras. great outdrive.

2) there is no issue with cooling unique to OMC

3) parts are available, BUT like the members on this board, many people think strange things about OMC, so you will have to work to find parts and a mechanic. I would start by finding a local mechanic who likes OMC, and go from there. If you cant find one, dont buy it.

4) The 3.0 is fine for that boat, you will have no trouble planing, tubing, light skiing. It will not pull a fat guy on skis with a load of people, but normal use will be OK.

So take this all with a grain of salt. The boat looks clean, and the price is appropriate. See if you have a mechanic and go from there....

 

[andy1canada]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

Hey Ck...

Be aware of the considerable reconditioning costs you may be faced with for this boat, regardless of what powerplant is in it.

Probably the worst thing a guy could do is fall in love with a boat. Been there-done that.

There's ALWAYS stuff that comes up that takes another chunk out of your wallet.

Start tallying it up... Upholstry - $1500... Trailer repairs - $800... Paint job...$1000... That new fishfinder you was lookin' at - $1500... New engine/drive - 2nd/mortgage...

The key to buying a used boat - and there's a MILLION of em' out there - is NOT to pay too-much for it when you buy it. That way, after you've turned your life upside down trying to afford everything just to get her out on the water, you won't LOOSE quite as much $$$ when it comes time to sell her so you can go through the whole process all over again with another boat.

If you REALLY want that boat, don't be afraid to low-ball the guy; you won't find out how bad he really wants to sell it until you do. If he's desperate to sell - or there's a serious issue about the boat that he's not telling you about (and there often is) - you'd be surprised how cheap you can pick up a decent project for.

Good Luck!

 

[achris]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

well now you see the issue with OMC, lots of myth, misinformation, etc.

1) the person who said something about a mercruiser adaptor is a complete idiot. Ignore from here on. Old OMC outdrives were white, the mid 80's on were charcoal grey, called Cobras. great outdrive.

I think I take exception to this comment!!! I would like to know exactly where you are getting this, Mr Mahler!!!

As a Mercruiser dealer in the 90's I sold several of the OMC to Mercruiser adaptor plates and they work quite well, thank you.

Please, you sources!!!

Chris. (to everyone else, Mister to you!!!)

 

[Bondo]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

Chris. (to everyone else, Mister to you!!!)

Ayuh,.........

It's Amazing How Far people will go to Justify the Mistake They made buying a Dead Horse, that no longer has a stall to call Home.......
Maybe you can find an Edsel to haul it with,........
A Studebaker will do if ya Can't find an Edsel..........

 

[desertmike]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

Well...I have an 88 cobra outdrive on a bayliner...ford 2.3 4cyl. I have a few suggestions.

1)Low ball the guy like someone said earlier....the worst he can say is no or counter offer.

2)Make sure you put it in the water so you can see how the gears shift under load...thats if they will shift at all. See, I am having trouble shifting into forward and shifting/cable adjustments seems to be the major issue w/ cobras. Make sure there is no slop and it clunks right into gear effortlessly

3)If you do buy it. Don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever remove the screw on the port side of the outdrive. There should be one on either side covered by a Cobra emblem....sometimes the emblems fall off and if you do remove the port side one...then you will have to fish out the backing from your lower unit. I am speaking from experience and I only had to pay a guy 100 bucks to do it. GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[achris]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

Mr Mahler,

Try this website http://www.mercruiserparts.com/partsByNumber.asp

Part number for OMC to Mercruiser adaptor plate is -827691A1. You can even see a picture of it. So you can now junk that obselete white dinasour of yours and get a real engine!

Now, DON'T CALL ME AN IDIOT AGAIN, COMPLETE OR OTHERWISE!!!!!!!

....................

 

[ck85abc3]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

This site rocks. I've been looking for a good boating message board for a long time besides the walleye fishing websites.

A few things I'd like to point out and what I think I decided.

1. I'm not afraid to work on anything and will probably be my own mechanic unless there is really really major problems where you need special tools. THe motor is a standard car motor so that won't be a problem and I've seen where people have worked on there own sterns on here.

2. After more research the overheating issue seams to stem from people not changing there impeller often enough. Over the winters it hardends and falls apart a little bit and then does not flow enough water, plus the broken pieces from the impeller get stuck and restrict flow.

3. It's a 16 foot boat. I would think 130 horsepower would be plenty. Or are inboards that much slower than outboards like people say? I've had 5 adults in a 16 foot starcraft with a 240 lb skier and it pulled him up in about 4 seconds rather than the regular 1-2 seconds. Not really a big problem I would think for experienced skiers. The 75 horse could not pull up the 240 lbder on a wake board though, but could pull up a 160 lbder on a wake board.

4. I'm pretty sure it is a ford and not a GM, but you are right, ford is still making car engines also. (I could be wrong on this, but I thought all OMC is ford)

5. I have a scheduled trip to minneapolis on the first of June. I think if he still has it then I will lowball him. Thinking $1500. Before I read all this my offer was going to be $2000.

6. From the looks of it the pre 86 stringer OMC drives are the really outdated ones. The cobras are better and the mercs and pentas will bolt right into a OMC cobra stern hole.

So, after all my comments, more comments from you are appreciated even though I'm pretty sure what I'm going to do (See point #5.)

Thanks

 

[achris]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

Hi Ck83abc3,

On the issue of outboard power verses stern drive power...

130 hp is 130 hp, regardless of how it is produced, 4 stroke, 2 stroke or steam. Where the difference is (and I hope I'm not being a complete idiot here) is the maximum torque, the torque curve, the power curve and the weight of the engine and boat. A 130hp Stern Drive is about twice the weight of an outboard of similar power, and the boat has to be constructed more heavily to take the weight of the engine, thus adding yet more weight. Also the propping comes into play when you are talking about acceleration. Regardless of the engine, if you want great acceleration for towing skiers, then all you have to do is to use the correct style of prop and the right pitch.

I was not aware of the engine before I made my initial post. Because of my current location, Myanmar, I am unable to view picture links from this site (Paraniod military regime has blocks on a lot of site, I'm only here now because I'm able to punch through using a proxy site). Hence my comments about both offerings from OMC, Stringers and Cobras.

Good luck, whatever you end up doing, we'll be here for you.

Chris...............

 

[Don S]

Re: Stay away from OMC motors and sterns?

Just so you are aware, the 2.3L Ford 4 cylinder engine was only used for 4 years (86 thru 90) and then, only used by OMC. Merc nor Volvo used them. So OMC specific parts may also be very hard to get. The 3.0L GM 4 cylinder 130 hp engine is very common. Both Merc and Volvo STILL use them.