Hi all. I have a locked up 2.3l OMC and have come across a good running 3.0 Mercruiser and outdrive in a junked out boat. How much trouble making the swap? Am I going to have to do a lot of transom work to retrofit it? Thanks.
Howdy,
I had to read this thread twice to see what model 2.3L engine and drive you have. Maybe you didn't say. I am assuming that you know it's a 2.3 (not a 2.5L) and it is in fact a Cobra
It it's REALLY a 2.3 ......That is, it is really a dog-clutch Cobra, then you will have no problems putting any 4/6/8cyl modern Mercruiser in the boat. You'll only need to consider moving the engine mounts and whether the engine cover will fit over whatever engine you decide to use.
I had to drill 2 additional holes in my transom going from the 460 King Kobra to the Bravo. Alpha GEN-II is the same. Don't know about PRE GEN-II and I don't think early Mercruiser (Merc-1, 2, 3) has the same bolt pattern
I also had to fill the engine mount pad holes, re-glass and drill new side-mount holes because the engine mounts were not in exactly the same place for the 454 vs the 460.......
In addition, I replaced the throttle and shift cables, and used the complete boat wiring harness from the donor (1998 Bayliner) boat. I kept my original steering wheel/cable though. I also replaced the old shift quadrant with a new Teleflex model.
Other than that, it was basically a "Drop-in" replacement.
If this is NOT a Cobra, forget it. Not worth the trouble.
Cheers,
Rick