Michigan Ted
Recruit
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2013
- Messages
- 3
Hello all - new to the forum - frustrated - hoping for some help. I have a 94 OMC SX drive, Ford 5.0L EFI motor. I had the lower unit replaced last year. Since then the cooling system just hasn't been right. She used to run at 160 F all day long, idle, under load, 160 all day. Since the drive work engine temperature swings high (185+ ish) to low (140 ish) and never seems stable. New t-stat, pump impeller, flushed all lines checking for blockage, none found.
Tried to winterize last week and she wouldn't pull the RV antifreeze in. There just wasn't any suction. Checked the impeller - looks brand new, t-stat opened in a pot of hot water at ~160 ~165 on the range. Pulled all hoses for inspection and to flush / check for blockage.
With the inlet hose disconnected at the sea water pump I put the ear muffs on her and water immediately came out of the starboard side small drain hole in the lower casting that are in-line with the vertical drive shaft, forward of the normal water discharge ports! Cooling water should never be there - those are to drain water between upper / lower casting - so I pulled the lower.
My old lower unit had the early style water tube and seal where the seal is a molded plastic piece with four bolts to the lower. The new (replacement) drive has the style with the large rubber block that sits in a cast feature in the lower. I think I have the wrong water tube and it's not sealing - so I'm sucking air.
With the water tube pushed all the way into the upper unit, it extends ~1/4" below the upper / lower mounting flange. This doesn't seem like enough to me. The rubber block in the lower can except ~ 1" of tube. Also, there is only a rubber block in the lower. The illustration I saw shows two pieces - a tube guide and a tube seal. Help!
Michigan Ted,
Tried to winterize last week and she wouldn't pull the RV antifreeze in. There just wasn't any suction. Checked the impeller - looks brand new, t-stat opened in a pot of hot water at ~160 ~165 on the range. Pulled all hoses for inspection and to flush / check for blockage.
With the inlet hose disconnected at the sea water pump I put the ear muffs on her and water immediately came out of the starboard side small drain hole in the lower casting that are in-line with the vertical drive shaft, forward of the normal water discharge ports! Cooling water should never be there - those are to drain water between upper / lower casting - so I pulled the lower.
My old lower unit had the early style water tube and seal where the seal is a molded plastic piece with four bolts to the lower. The new (replacement) drive has the style with the large rubber block that sits in a cast feature in the lower. I think I have the wrong water tube and it's not sealing - so I'm sucking air.
With the water tube pushed all the way into the upper unit, it extends ~1/4" below the upper / lower mounting flange. This doesn't seem like enough to me. The rubber block in the lower can except ~ 1" of tube. Also, there is only a rubber block in the lower. The illustration I saw shows two pieces - a tube guide and a tube seal. Help!
Michigan Ted,
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