Dumbest question ever ? 4.3 cobra water in oil ?

osborne looney said:

I have a oppertunity to purchase a 88 larson 17' 4.3 i have just talked to owner and he stated he just put $1500 into heads and head gasket replacement by reputable sports shop in wisc and has recpts .

drove from launch to dock and back from dock to launch ? small amount of water in oil

is it possible that shop did not completely drain old oil out ? would it take a couple of changes to remove water completely ?

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southkogs said:

For a 17'er, don't do it to yourself. Move on and findja' another one. You should be able to get into a decent lake ready runabout (15' - 19') for $3,000 to $5,000. Maybe even a little less.

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Howard Sterndrive said:

under $1000...I still wouldn't touch it, but yes, you can use a truck long block from similar year.

get it up on plane and see if the lower unit clutch dogs hold under load. clunk clunk under load= $2000+ repair. Somewhat common issue on Cobra drives. Were you conveniently only allowed to idle it around? suspicious... if it's in the water, get it up and go WOT.

When you say perfect shape, did you cut any holes in the plywood floor to look for waterlogged floatation foam? Did you take an ice pick to the transom plywood?

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osborne looney said:

LOL how many people do you know that are trying to sell a boat will let you cut up the floor LOL LOL

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southkogs said:

Don't laugh too much (If you buy an OMC you'll need Howard later) - he probably won't let you drill into it, but if you're not used to checking a hull it would be wise to put some money into a local marine guy checking it for you. With the price of the boat under $1,000 - and him claiming to have just put $1,500 into the engine with an otherwise "perfect" boat ... sumthin's starting to not sound right.

I did score a sweet deal a few years ago: I wound up getting my boat at such a price that even if I couldn't get it running, I could afford to lose the money and find something else. In other words, "it was worth the risk." So far it's worked out for three years with me wrenching on it myself. So, yeah ... it can be done. I think the odds on this deal (from the limited information I'm reading) are too risky.

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osborne looney said:

i have worked on many many i/o's just never had the chance to get dirty over an OMC, most where i am at are mercruiser !! i have heard about cobra's and outdrives and problems with clutch dogs !!

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osborne looney said:

LOL how many people do you know that are trying to sell a boat will let you cut up the floor LOL LOL

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Bond-o said:

Ayuh,.... Then you should know enough to Not buy an I/O with the OMC badge on it....

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Howard Sterndrive said:

a guy came to look at my old Tempest and I cut the hole for him under a seat base. I was as curious as he was. My Grew had a hole under the seat already when I got it.

my point is, you say it's in great shape but you can't really tell by just looking.

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