Issues with Cobra

[larry1167]

I have '87 OMC Cobra with carburated 350 chevy. After a great day on the lake with no problems we get back to the dock and I tie up to retrieve my trailor. When I get back to the boat I try to turn it on and I get nothing. No crank, no electrical power... nothing. I know the battery is not dead because it went from plenty of operating power to no electrical power whatsoever in a matter of minutes. I am not even getting a click so I assume there must be a lose wire or something.

I can't get my outdrive up because I don't have any electrical power. I fiddle with the key a bit and all of a sudden I get electrical power again. So, it went from nothing to full electrical power again. I am able to lift the drive and therefore pull the boat out.

As I am shoring up the boat for the ride home I try to see if there is any power. Once again nothing... no electrical power with the key turned or without it turned. Power is coming and going at random.

Electrical power to everything(outdrive, starter, lights etc) is either all or nothing. When I have power I have plenty to operate the boat... turn the engine on, trim the drive, etc. Based on this erratic electrical behavior, where should I begin?

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Issues with Cobra

I have '87 OMC Cobra with carburated 350 chevy. After a great day on the lake with no problems we get back to the dock and I tie up to retrieve my trailor. When I get back to the boat I try to turn it on and I get nothing. No crank, no electrical power... nothing. I know the battery is not dead because it went from plenty of operating power to no electrical power whatsoever in a matter of minutes. I am not even getting a click so I assume there must be a lose wire or something.

I can't get my outdrive up because I don't have any electrical power. I fiddle with the key a bit and all of a sudden I get electrical power again. So, it went from nothing to full electrical power again. I am able to lift the drive and therefore pull the boat out.

As I am shoring up the boat for the ride home I try to see if there is any power. Once again nothing... no electrical power with the key turned or without it turned. Power is coming and going at random.

Electrical power to everything(outdrive, starter, lights etc) is either all or nothing. When I have power I have plenty to operate the boat... turn the engine on, trim the drive, etc. Based on this erratic electrical behavior, where should I begin?

Cleaning all the electrical connections between the battery and the boat. If it's an all or nothing situation, those connections certainly can make it all or nothing. A battery switch (if you have one) that completely kills power to the boat could also be suspect.

 

[91rr]

Re: Issues with Cobra

Make sure you definitely pay close attention to the grounds. A bad ground can cause all kinds of havoc.

 

[larry1167]

Re: Issues with Cobra

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but where do I look for the grounds?

 

[larry1167]

Re: Issues with Cobra

I started with the one ground I know... the negative battery terminal. There was a small amount of corrosion on the negative clamp and it was a bit lose. I cleaned it up and tightened. Low and behold, that was it. Love it when it's that easy. I guess I should have just started there.

When I had no power at the dock and the drive was down, I tried to manually lift the drive so I could pull the boat out of the water. The first thing I did was release the screw(counter clock wise) on the trim pump assembly. The screw turned at lease 4-5 full rotations. I then jumped in the water and tried to lift the outdrive up. This did not work. What did I do wrong? Does this ever work?