Change OMC Control for SE116 drive swap?

tannerste

Cadet
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
8
Hey guys,

I have a 1989 Bayliner 2152 Capri Cuddy OMC 5.8L. I'm getting ready to swap my busted-up Cobra drive to a Sterndrive Engineering SE116 drive. The SEI website says:

"The throw of the shifter must be changed. You may need to purchase a new shifter if your current one cannot change the throw of the shift cable."

Does anyone know if the OEM control allows you to change the throw? Here's a picture I found that shows the control I have now.

OMC_Control.jpg

Also, If I need to replace the control, will the original OMC cables mate up to the new control easily? I'm thinking that I will buy this control if I need to replace the original: http://www.iboats.com/Side-Mount-Single-Lever-Control-with-Trim-Uflex/dm/*******.601825502--session_id.458444189--view_id.197590

Hopefully this isn't a dumb question, I'm fairly new to I/Os.
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Re: Change OMC Control for SE116 drive swap?

You can look from underneath to see if there are any more holes on the arm that has the shift cable on it if there is room to move it outboard. That control you have is not the greatest anyway. I changed mine out just a few years after buying my boat when I had a similar boat to yours. Not sure what caused your drive to fail but that control could have contributed to it it was worn and was sloppy like mine was.

I would also seriously consider new cables anyway if I bought a new control.
 

tannerste

Cadet
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
8
Re: Change OMC Control for SE116 drive swap?

You can look from underneath to see if there are any more holes on the arm that has the shift cable on it if there is room to move it outboard. That control you have is not the greatest anyway. I changed mine out just a few years after buying my boat when I had a similar boat to yours. Not sure what caused your drive to fail but that control could have contributed to it it was worn and was sloppy like mine was.

I would also seriously consider new cables anyway if I bought a new control.

Thanks for the advice. You?re right; I might as well change out the control and cable when I do the drive swap. The current control on the boat is pretty sloppy.

As far as the drive failure story . . .

I purchased the boat about a year ago from a gentleman that claimed he took immaculate care of the boat and performed all of the maintenance himself. I checked the drive oil before test driving it and it was full with fresh oil. I took the boat out to my favorite lake and tested everything I could think and did not see any major issues.

The 4th time I took the boat out last year, I noticed the drive began to lose power while towing a wake boarder. On the way back to the dock the drive began making a lovely grinding/popping sound. I limped the boat back to the dock. When I got home I drained the drive which was full of water (no oil) and pieces of metal. The lower unit of the drive was toast.

Not for sure what happened, but I?m assuming the previous owner noticed milky drive oil and decided to change it quick and sell it. I unfortunately didn?t re-check the oil condition and level after I took it out for the first time. Something I will definitely check the next time I buy a boat.
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
Re: Change OMC Control for SE116 drive swap?

Not only that, check the drive oil every time you take out the boat. That's what I do. It only takes a minute.

With your new control, you will likely want to change the throttle cable as well. I like the Teleflex Extreme cables. They cost a bit more than the standard cables but really work well. You also don't have the stupid OMC ends anymore on the control side. Make sure you support your cables along their entire length so tiewrap them in place every foot or so. Makes shifts way crisper since the cable housing doesn't move all over the place. It does make a difference.

Edit: I forget that you will need the OMC end back at the engine. You still may need to have the OMC cable to get the end back there. A little research may be in order here.
 

tannerste

Cadet
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
8
Re: Change OMC Control for SE116 drive swap?

Not only that, check the drive oil every time you take out the boat. That's what I do. It only takes a minute.

With your new control, you will likely want to change the throttle cable as well. I like the Teleflex Extreme cables. They cost a bit more than the standard cables but really work well. You also don't have the stupid OMC ends anymore on the control side. Make sure you support your cables along their entire length so tiewrap them in place every foot or so. Makes shifts way crisper since the cable housing doesn't move all over the place. It does make a difference.

Edit: I forget that you will need the OMC end back at the engine. You still may need to have the OMC cable to get the end back there. A little research may be in order here.

Good advice. I know the Cobra had a dipstick on the top of the drive. I'm hoping the SEI drive will have a similar dipstick to make checking the oil easy before heading out each time. I'll have to dig into the cable replacement situation when I get the boat out of storage this weekend.

I appreciate the hlep, the I/O stuff is new to me as I have been running 2 stroke outboards until this boat. I'm finding it is a little different as far as maintenance goes.
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
Re: Change OMC Control for SE116 drive swap?

Good advice. I know the Cobra had a dipstick on the top of the drive. I'm hoping the SEI drive will have a similar dipstick to make checking the oil easy before heading out each time. I'll have to dig into the cable replacement situation when I get the boat out of storage this weekend.

I appreciate the hlep, the I/O stuff is new to me as I have been running 2 stroke outboards until this boat. I'm finding it is a little different as far as maintenance goes.


Howdy,

SEI's don't have "dipsticks" like the Cobras have, do they? You may however, be able to install a remote drive lubricant reservoir. I believe the '116 has a provision for it. You would probably have to drill both the gimbal mount bell and housing for the "thru-fitting" and provide hoses fittings etc. And then get the Mercury check valve fitting to work with it. The SEI forum has some info on this.....



This is something that SEI should probably do with their Cobra kit.


Cheers,


Rick
 

tannerste

Cadet
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
8
Re: Change OMC Control for SE116 drive swap?

I received the drive Friday and got the two halves put together yesterday. Rick, you are correct in that it does not have a dipstick. It does appear to have a connection for a reservoir though right by the shift linkage (see pic). My only issue is that the original Cobra drive did not have a reservoir and the connection on the new drive does not have anywhere to go. SEI's website says the drive is made to be a closed system and does not need a reservoir. I'm planning on contacting SEI tomorrow to see if I just need to cap it off or do something else with it.

Any thoughts?

DSC02396_2.JPGDSC02404_2.jpg
 

tannerste

Cadet
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
8
Re: Change OMC Control for SE116 drive swap?

So I spoke to SEI tech support, and they said that the mystery port is a water pickup for a speedometer. The Mercruiser Gen II must be this way as well? The Cobra drive doesn't have this feature, so I just will leave it unconnected. I thought I would post an update as SEI tech support said this is a fairly common question on Cobra/SEI swaps.
 

skippy2235

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
138
So how did the swap go. Do you like the SE116 drive. How is it holding up?
Any feedback?
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 5, 2006
Messages
30,454
This is a 3 year old thread and the the OP hasn't been on the site since May of 2012.
 

tannerste

Cadet
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
8
Skippy, the swap went pretty well. The SE116 came with well documented instructions that made the OMC to Merc-style conversion (used by the SE116) pretty easy. I've done lighter duty to moderate automotive repairs for several years, but by no means am I an expert tech. My friend and I were able to do the swap in about 8 hours all said and done. I did swap the controls out along with new cables. I also ended up removing OMC's ESA module and used the existing micro switches rewired to the Merc-style configuration. Removing the ESA wasn?t required for the swap, but I was having issues with it before my Cobra drive failed.

Overall, I am very happy with the SE116. I?m going on my fourth season with it now and have had no issues at all. The drive seems to be mechanically sound; it shifts and runs good. The only very minor thing that I have noticed is that the stickers have started to fade a bit and I have a couple small paint nicks around the drain plug that came from removing the plug itself. I know the nicks came from the screwdriver end, but the paint seemed to come off a little easier than you would expect. The drive still looks great though (see pic) and I would highly recommend SEI. Their drives are pretty hard to beat for the money.

SEI_Drive_2.png
 

Attachments

  • SEI_Drive_2.png
    SEI_Drive_2.png
    504.5 KB · Views: 0
  • SEI_Drive_2.png
    SEI_Drive_2.png
    504.5 KB · Views: 0

carrier82

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Oct 1, 2013
Messages
118
Hello tannerste and nice to have you back. Did you install the remote oil resevoir? If not, have you had any issues with outdrive oil?
 

tannerste

Cadet
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
8
Thanks carrier82, it's great to be back! No, I actually did not install a remote oil reservoir. I have not had any issues with the drive oil though. I do keep a pretty close eye on it since I'm kind of gun shy from frying my last Cobra drive. SEI does recommend a break-in schedule for a certain speed/rpm for the first so many hours and then to change the drive oil before running 100%.
 

skippy2235

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Messages
138
Thanks for the reply. I have read lots of happy post, but most are from 4 and 6 cylinder engines.
I noticed that you have a 5.8 ford just like mine.
I have more questions for you.
1) Did you replace the engine coupler?
2) Did you use the trim sender unit?
3) What cutting was done on the drive to get it work with cobra omc?
4) What was the total cost, drive, prop, oil, anoides, install kit, other stuff I dont know about?
5) When NOTusing the ESA from OMC. Do you have to shift quickly to keep engine from turning off?
6) What else am I missing.
 
Top