Stickies on Winterizing 3.0 cobra

[Lou C]

If you can go on eBay and search for an original OMC Cobra owners/operators manual it explains exactly how to do it. These steps are also listed on a commercial website but I’m not allowed to post it here. The main points:
Block drain and poke hole
Manifold drain and poke hole
Disco big hose at the front cir pump let drain
Disco raw water intake hose at stat housing hold it down to drain water
Tilt drive up to make all 3 plugs on pivot housing visible remove plugs rod out holes tilt drive down to drain.
then put OMC gasket sealer on the plugs threads and replace. Put same stuff on block and manifold drain and replace. Take raw water hose hold it up and fill with -100 till it runs out water intakes on the drive, reconnect hose. Reconnect bottom end of big hose at front circ pump. Disco top end at stat housing and fill with AF till it comes out of the neck of the stat housing and then reconnect. No need to remove thermostat. Then disco the manifold feed hose at stat housing and fill with AF till it runs out the exhaust housing on the transom mount.
That’s it!

 

[hugh g]

I found the drain on the manifold and the block and they are free and clear. I contacted a local marina to see if they would winterize this and they said yes but they do not have a lot of experience with OMC. They said they have an adapter to connect to muffs. Given the waterpumps are so high up on the outdrive, how good is this set up they are talking about? Ive seen some on line and its a device that you run the motor till ist warm to get the thermostat open then close the water and open the valve for antifreeze. Gravity and siphon brings it in but any vid ive seen, there is a $hit load of steam coming out and that can NOT be good. To me the position high up of the OMC waterpump is detrimental to it cooling well unless the outdrive is in the water or you have a lot of pressure on the muffs. I have never seen a lot of water come out of mine when running on muffs so im leary about sending this to someone else. This is a brand new motor and i dont want to over heat it.

Should i just drain the block and manifold, undo the hoses and pour antifreese in all of them till they over flow and call it a day?

Randy

PS This is the second new motor i have had in this boat in one year. Warranty covered it though. The first had either a cracked head or blown gasket and i lost most of the summer. I dont want to go through this again.

If you don't want to go thru that again then stay away from "set it & forget it" scams. There are no shortcuts to proper winterization. Follow the steps that Lou outlined & you'll be fine.

 

[Lou C]

with AF, I also think its a good idea to test it at the lowest temp you might get if possible. I found that with my freezer set at zero, both the -50 and the -60 solidify, whereas the -100 definitetly will not nor does the Sierra no tox PG stuff I will mix up. So go by your local conditions, if you get super cold temps like -20, -30 the thing to do use the best if you wan to use AF. The -100 is expensive for sure but it stays liquid down to -45---50* F

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

I used pre mix AF available at any auto parts store or you can mix your own but makes sure it's at least 50/50 that will protect your engine down to -25 or so.

Fog the engine until it stalls, then drain the block & manifold.
Don't leave any standing water in the bilge.

I'm glad you mentioned the fogging oil because I've never heard anyone mention it before.

 

[Lou C]

You will get mixed opinions on that, it depends on your storage environment. If you are in a dry climate it is not so critical but in a damp climate like I'm in, I always fog the boat because its stored outside. My collection of small engines I store inside so I don't fog those. Here with the dampness and temperature swings its common to open up the engine hatch and find the engine covered in condensation.
Another thing for I/Os with steel oil pans, coat it with Corrosion X every couple of seasons, I did this and mine looks really good for a 33 year old boat used in salt water at least 20 years. These can rot out especially where the oil drain tube is hooked up to the pan. That will cause a big leak in the bilge that will necessitate pulling the engine.

Other maintenance jobs you can learn to do include pulling the drive and greasing the gimble bearing and u joints, checking the bellows, etc and changing the outdrive oil. When the drive is off you should always check the engine alignment as well. These jobs done regularly will add years to the life of an I/O power train.

 

[hugh g]

I'm glad you mentioned the fogging oil because I've never heard anyone mention it before.

I fogged my engine before layup because I live in snow country. I would start the engine off muffs, bring it up to operating temp, & spray fogging oil into the carb until it stalls. I also pulled the plugs & sprayed a couple ounces of fogging oil into the plug hole, then pulled the coil wire so the engine can' t start & turned it over a couple times. Another step I did was to cover the carb with a gallon storage bag & taped it closed to help keep moisture out of the carb.

Store the drive in the down position & pull the battery.

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

Thanks Hugh.