OMC Cobra growl during turning

[mziegler]

I have an interesting problem. I just purchased a boat and when I got it in the water the outdrive was growling when I made any amount of turning. I took it in and had a dealer install a new gimble bearing and driveshaft u-joints. I took it out for the first time yesterday and it was fine for about an hour. Now it is starting to make the same noises. I was watching the technician install the outdrive and he was encountering a little resistance, but I do know that he did use the alignment tool to get the bearing seated properly. When they took out the original gimble bearing it was cracked not located in the proper position so grease could not go through the bearing and the u-joints showed chatter marks. I am wondering if there could be something wrong that would be causing the bearings to go bad or become unseated? I started suspecting engine alignment, but I have not tore into it yet.

Any thought on the noise, is there any period of break in? I did re-grease the bearing just in case it did not get enough when they installed it. I will be taking it out later today to verify that I have a problem.

The boat is a 1988 Four Winns Horizon 200 with a 4.3L OMC Cobra. Don't ask why I did not do a more though inspection when I bought it. The selling dealership did pay for the first repair, but I am suspecting something else caused the failure.

 

[Don S]

Re: OMC Cobra growl during turning

Was there water in the bellows? If there was water in the bellows the first time, did they replace it?

 

[mziegler]

Re: OMC Cobra growl during turning

No water in the bellows. I ran the boat today for a while and the only time I hear any noise is on a hard turn or low rpm docking and sometimes in neutral I can hear a hum coming from the gimble bearing area. Maybe I am just paranoid, but I had a 1989 Bayliner 2152 cuddy cabin with a 5.8L OMC Cobra and I never heard any noises coming from the outdrive when making any turns or anything.

 

[cr2k]

Re: OMC Cobra growl during turning

Maybe the shaft and or coupler splines are a little loose. Do you know if they did a good inspection on the yoke and coupler?

When it's apart for u-joints is a good time to slip the yoke in and check for any play.

 

[Don S]

Re: OMC Cobra growl during turning

If you can hear the gimbal bearing, replace it, if the gimbal bearing is bad, you could expect the ujoints to also be bad.
I have seen people that boat in fresh water, replace a leaking bellows, but not change the gimbal bearing and ujoints. Just put grease in them. It doesn't work, water is still not a good lubricant for bearings.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: OMC Cobra growl during turning

When the shop replaced the gimbal bearing maybe they did not get the notch aligned where it can take grease from the zerk on the starboard side fitting.
That or the bearing was not fully seated.

 

[futz]

Re: OMC Cobra growl during turning

could be this, could be that. Do you really want to know what it is?

Pull the drive, that noise ain't right, better to find it and fix it before you get stuck on the water have to be towed in and maybe more damage done.