Winterizing time!

[boat4ever69]

Is this the easiest or what?

 

[Lou C]

That's basically how I do mine, run engine, change motor oil & filter, then run again, check for leaks at filter, then fog engine & shut down. Then let it cool because that water in the block will be hot. Drain block from block drains, poke drains, and disconnect big hose from stat housing to front circulation pump at bottom end. After that all drains, re-connect bottom end of that hose and replace drain plugs with some gasket sealer on the threads. Then disconnect top end of that hose. Fill block via that hose till it comes out neck of stat housing, then re-connect hose. For the exhaust, drain manifolds via plugs, after its done replace drain plugs. Then disconnect each manifold feed hose at the stat housing and fill each manifold till the AF runs out the exhaust housing on the transom mount. Next put the outdrive down, and disconnect raw water intake hose at stat housing. Hold it down in the bilge to drain. Then hold it up and fill with AF till it runs out the outdrive water intakes. Then re-connect that hose. On the OMC Cobra there are 3 drain plugs that have to be removed from the pivot housing especially the one on the port side. I also coat all the hose nipples with marine grease that helps them not rust in place. Much easier to remove next time. After all that, drain, and refill outdrive, look for water in the gear oil. Takes me a good couple hrs, after pulling out the rear seats and wood divider panels.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,.... That guy does a decent job of it, but that's an injected Merc,.....
We're in the OMC section, so what motor, 'n drive do You have,..??

 

[Lou C]

If you have a Cobra with a carb just follow mine…
And PS the next day or weekend I pull the drive & check the bellows, u joints & gimble bearing. On these old units they’re all greasable so you do that too….
Many people skip this step but that can be a mistake…doing this has helped me avoid expensive repairs over the years….

 

[xrdan]

Lou-
Great write up on winterizing. I had my drive off recently to replace the shift cable and I don't see the purpose of the drain screw on the left side (which is drilled thru to the hole for the fitting for the raw water hose) and the upper one on the right (seems to drain the same cavity as the one below it, why have a drain that's not at the bottom of the cavity?)
I thought you might have an explanation as I can't see any point for them.

Thanks
Dan

 

[Lou C]

OK the one on the port side is to drain any water out of that plastic fitting in the pivot housing that might get trapped (you know the one that the raw water hose to the transom is connected to) if the hole isn't clogged, that is. I do get water out of there when I remove it.... The ones on the starboard side, are actually for that pocket where the bellcrank lives, if water gets in there, it can crack the housing over the winter, you remove the bottom one to drain water the top one is a vent to allow all the water out. I coat that gasket really well with OMC gasket sealer when I reinstall the drive so I never have had water in there.

 

[xrdan]

Thanks for the info. I didn't think about the upper one being a vent. I think one of those on that side leaked at some time and did in the shift cable.
Dan

 

[Lou C]

The drain plugs are supposed to have O rings on them, make sure they are in place and I also coat the threads with OMC gasket sealer.

 

[sopicki]

Hi all. I've had my Cobia in the water twice since getting her running late this season. It doesn't look like I'll be able to take her out again before the cold hits so I guess it's winterization time for me too.

I have the OMC Service manual for my motor and drive but would anyone want to comment or add what they do for their OMC 3.0's?

Thanks,

Bob

 

[Scott Danforth]

I have the OMC Service manual for my motor and drive but would anyone want to comment or add what they do for their OMC 3.0's?

Just like the manual states

change oil/filter
pull the two drain plugs (one on side of block, one on manifold)
drain the big hose
pull the drive and store in-doors

do annual PM maintenance (check alignment, etc) on the drive, etc.

 

[sopicki]

Pull the drive? Seems a little extreme Scott, but your advice always seems to be well founded. Care to explain?
My boat will be under a roof but exposed to the cold. I was hoping to not have to pull that stupid shift cable through labyrinth again.

 

[Lou C]

If you don't pull the drive regularly on an I/O and your bellows leaks, the repair cost will surprise you. These I/Os are high maintenance machines unlike outboards and need regular maintenance to be reliable. I do mine every year and have avoided repairs that many others get stuck with....

 

[Scott Danforth]

Pull the drive? Seems a little extreme Scott, but your advice always seems to be well founded. Care to explain?
My boat will be under a roof but exposed to the cold. I was hoping to not have to pull that stupid shift cable through labyrinth again.

your manual states that you pull the drive, inspect the alignment, seals, bearings, u-joints etc. every 50 hours, or annually - which ever occurs first.

since most people use their boat surprisingly little (bad for the boat for many reasons) most do not hit the 50 hours per year.

however you still need to do the maintenance.

I myself (personally) am on a 100 hr or annual schedule and tend to get about 9 months between pulling the drive

 

[Lou C]

Check bellows, gimble bearing and ujoints, and also engine alignment....yearly is what is recommended....mine lives in the salt water 6 months each year, if you don't do this, sooner or later it will bite you in the wallet!
Original transom mount, trim pump, trim rams, ujoints, just a few drive parts replaced and trim lines over the years. It's been quite reliable. Yes even an OMC can be reliable!

 

[sopicki]

Guess I should have been more specific, I have a 1984 OMC Stringer 400 with a 3.0L engine. I don't believe I have bellows. I had the drive off most of this year as I overhauled the upper gearbox and replaced seals on the swivel housing. Everything was greased but even though I only put about 5 hours on everything I still plan on draining all the oils and re-greasing before putting to bed.

Does this change the opinions on removing the drive?

 

[Lou C]

Perhaps Scott can say, I don't have any OMC Stringer experience, only on the Cobra which is more like a Mercrusier.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Guess I should have been more specific, I have a 1984 OMC Stringer 400 with a 3.0L engine. I don't believe I have bellows. I had the drive off most of this year as I overhauled the upper gearbox and replaced seals on the swivel housing. Everything was greased but even though I only put about 5 hours on everything I still plan on draining all the oils and re-greasing before putting to bed.

Does this change the opinions on removing the drive?

inspect ball gears
replace gear lube in all 4 gear boxes (intermediate, upper, lower and tilt), pressure test as required
every 2-3 years, split the case and replace the impeller. while case is apart, inspect the 3-piece vertical drive shaft
grease the tilt shaft
grease the end caps

I still pulled my stringer every year

should be able to pull a stringer 400 in under 10 minutes and that includes pulling the cables out of the ESA and pulling thru the intermediate

come spring, install the drive, file the points, set the dwell, set timing, fuel up and drop boat in water.

 

[southkogs]

Same as above: I've always stored my boats a relatively controlled garage, so I don't use antifreeze. But with the Stringer, I always pulled the drive. It was too easy and fast not to; and that made the annual PM easier.