Stringer 400 do's and donts

[Shadow91]

Okay, so after nearly all summer of fighting with my boat and eventually having to replace my engine, the boat finally runs pretty good. As of right now I have no issues with any of the power train and it runs fantastic. I would like to keep it that way..

So really, Im looking for everyone's personal and professional experiences on what to do, and more importantly, what exactly not to do with my drive set up. Also fairly new to boats in general so any other advise is very much appreciated.


I have a 1986 Seaswirl with an OMC 3.0 and a 400 series stringer drive.

I know so far you NEVER want to have the engine running without the drive fully down.
Also know that when lowering the drive, do it in "bumps" otherwise just slammed the drive down can bind the tilt motor and cause the drive to stay down.


Anything else you guys know and can shed light on would be awesome. And as always, thanks for all the help.

 

[Scott Danforth]

replace the ball gears when they are worn about 50%. the kit is only $150
change the whole water pump assembly every 6 years and change the impeller every 2 years
inspect the boot often, muskrats like to chew on them and they crack after a while. in either case, if it fails, the boat sinks
inspect the vertical driveshaft splines for wear, replace as required. they fail
grease the swivel often
used props are simple, look for Johnson/Evinrude V4 props
DO NOT damage the lower shift cable when you pull the drive. they are $500
pick up a long blue point snap ring pliers. your going to need it to pull the prop shaft when you need to.
pick up a new inlet strainer. replace next time you have the drive off.
you will need to replace the tilt motor at some point, and yes, you need to be hanging upside down to do it.

 

[southkogs]

... and ...

Change your oil at the beginning of the season, and possibly one more time along the way.
Grease your trunions under the pivot caps annually.
Make sure the clutch pack isn't getting water into it.