Lots of Sterndrive Questions...

[capercanuck]

I was in a "Poker Run" this weekend and I think my sterndrive blew up about 5 miles off the coast. I had to get towed back by the local Royal Canadian Mounted Police Boston Whaler (quite embarrasing). Anyway...I was moving along at 3200 RPM and about 20 knts for roughly an hour when I heard "tap, tap, tap, BANG" from the stern of my boat. I immediately shut the motor down. The only thing I can compare the sound to was if you dropped a tool box full of wrenches on the floor from the top of a ladder. It scared the s*&t out of me and my "crew". The motor will still start in neutral and run for about a minute, then the temperature begins to rise and I have to shut it down. Does this sound like the the sterndrive impeller is cooked? If the sterndrive breaks up, as I believe it did, would this stop the engine's waterpump from sending water to the engine itself? My boat is a 1985 Sunray Mirage with a 5.7l 350 OMC. Is the sterndrive on this a "Stringer" or a "Cobra, and how can I tell? If I wanted to, could I leave the engine as is and change to another model of sterndrive, like Merc or Volvo, or do I have to change the engine too? I hope someone can give me a few answers to some of my questions....Thanks!

 

[Walter]

Re: Lots of Sterndrive Questions...

OMC introduced the Cobra in 1985 so your could be either model. I'm not familiar with the term "Stinger"...is that their original design?? The Cobra is designed a bit like the MerCruiser in that it uses hydraulic rams to lift the outdrive and is driven via U-joints.<br /><br />It does sound as though you've had a failure in the outdrive...at the very least it appears the pump in the outdrive has failed. That would explain the engine overheating...<br /><br />I'm afraid the only way you'll know for sure is to pull the outdrive and take a look see.<br /><br />Positively identify which outdrive you have and we can help you determine what ya need to do.<br /><br />Walt

 

[capercanuck]

Re: Lots of Sterndrive Questions...

Thanks Walt,<br />I'm going to the marina I left the boat at in a couple of days to take it home. I can't lift the sterndrive, but I think that is a failure not due to the damage I received in the Poker Run. The lift has been acting up for a while. I'm not sure what type of sterndrive it is. I do know that the whole engine tilts back and forth on a couple of hydraulic cylinders. That is different from a mercruiser system I have in another boat. A few people have commented when they saw this system, and I thought they said it was a "stringer". I see people refering to 400 and 800 series OMC sterndrives as well as cobra sterndrives....so I'm a bit confused. When I get the boat home in my backyard I will post again and confirm what type of drive is on it. Whatever type is on it, I'm quite sure it isn't cheap to fix. Thanks again!

 

[capercanuck]

Re: Lots of Sterndrive Questions...

I have a serial number and a partial model number from my OMC engine. Can anyone identify the type of outdrive, "stringer" or "cobra" that I have?<br />serial# 864901<br />model# 574sphr****j<br />The "****" are unreadable. <br />Any help is appreciated!

 

[P.V.]

Re: Lots of Sterndrive Questions...

You've got a Stringer" OMC stern-drive. It's also designated as a 800 drive. If you broke a drive shaft or probably stripped the splines on the upper/water pump shaft, then that would account for the over-heating as well as if the "ball-gears" were detonated ????? I'm afraid that no matter what the cause was, it will be a labor-intensive and parts swallowing repair bill. I would suggust that anyone owning a boat , purchase the factory service manual. It will give you a very good picture on how things work and what it takes to repair one. P.S. OMC Cobra came out in '86 as an early '87, model.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Lots of Sterndrive Questions...

I agree it will be the splines on the water pump to drive shaft. Very common in the 800 serries. Expect to cost from $800 to $1000. The 800 series (stringer) has a rubber boot around the outdrive and raises outdrive with a big gear. Cobra has no boot and riases outdrive with hydrulic cylinders.

 

[capercanuck]

Re: Lots of Sterndrive Questions...

Thanks for the advice...the boat will be in my yard this p.m and I'll start (along with a few friends) checking for the cause of my troubles. I do have another question though, I'm looking to purchase a factory manual and the only one I can find is what seems to be a "generic" type that covers all OMC sterndrives in one book. I'm a bit concerned with purchasing that type of "one book covers all" type of manual because they don't seem to give as much detail about each type of equipment they cover. Maybe I shouldn't worry, but is there a manual out there that just covers the "stringer" series of sterndrive? Thanks!