'89 2.3L OMC Cobra, clunking under power.

[jedinpa]

Last year I would occasionally get a clunk after launch and putting on the power. (sounded like I hit a log), then it would be fine. Toward the end of the season it got worse, mostly under load (pulling tubes etc.) Over the winter, after talking and reading, I thought it could be as simple as a bad cable and/or adjustment. This made sense being I've had very stiff controls as well. I took it to a marina. They said they found signs of water in the lower unit and rebuilt it, PERIOD. I took the boat, launched and its worse than ever. They NEVER put it in the water to hear the clunk, and said the cables were fine. Now they're telling me it "could" be the coupler between the engine and outdrive. Only way to find out is pull EVERYTHING apart. I'm looking to try and cover all possibilities before going to this extreme. Thanks for any and all help!

 

[rainy lake boater]

Re: '89 2.3L OMC Cobra, clunking under power.

i have the same year 2.3 and had this clunk happen in forward gear about 10 times last month. I checked one of the magnetic drain plugs and found some metal shavings on it. Having no experience or the special tools for these drives, I decided to pay a mechanic to look at it. the clutch dog in between forward and reverse gear was bad, due to improper cable adjustments. The stutter box was also bad, which "stutters" the engine shifting out of, and into gear. hope this helps.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: '89 2.3L OMC Cobra, clunking under power.

I sure wouldn't let them "rebuild" it again.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: '89 2.3L OMC Cobra, clunking under power.

Last year I would occasionally get a clunk after launch and putting on the power. (sounded like I hit a log), then it would be fine. Toward the end of the season it got worse, mostly under load (pulling tubes etc.) Over the winter, after talking and reading, I thought it could be as simple as a bad cable and/or adjustment. This made sense being I've had very stiff controls as well. I took it to a marina. They said they found signs of water in the lower unit and rebuilt it, PERIOD. I took the boat, launched and its worse than ever. They NEVER put it in the water to hear the clunk, and said the cables were fine. Now they're telling me it "could" be the coupler between the engine and outdrive. Only way to find out is pull EVERYTHING apart. I'm looking to try and cover all possibilities before going to this extreme. Thanks for any and all help!

That clunk you're hearing is probably the dog clutch. You either need a new shift cable or it's out of adjustment. Hopefully the lower gearset isn't shot which can be the result of running with a bad cable. Keep running it that way & you WILL destroy the lower gearset, & it will cost you dearly. You need to find an OMC mechanic who knows what he' doing. Obviously, your mechanic didn't look at the shift cable.