OMC Cobra Not Going Into Gear

kpg7121

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 25, 2018
Messages
174

HT32BSX115 So this drive shaft that goes into the lower end grinds VERY bad and is very hard to turn.
I have to pull this apart and see what is going on in there.

I believe you are correct on my mistake with the gear oil. I wonder what parts I need to replace this.

Remove the cover from the top of the drive & look at the condition of the upper gearset. The u-joints look like the've been sitting in water, probably from a bad bellows which means you may also need a new gimbal bearing. If the gearset is shot you're going to have a hell of a time finding a mechanic who will do the work. Most guys won't work on OMC's. In that case it's either replace the drive with a used one or do the SEI/Merc conversion.
 
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
11
So I am looking into used out drive units, found a guy who really knows his stuff. But his shop is over an hour away, I can test drive the boat that the used unit is on and look it over. Then we will pull it and I will take it home to my boat, thanks for all the help guys!
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
So I am looking into used out drive units, found a guy who really knows his stuff. But his shop is over an hour away, I can test drive the boat that the used unit is on and look it over. Then we will pull it and I will take it home to my boat, thanks for all the help guys!

Hey, looks like you're on your way to getting on the water! Bet you won't make that mistake again!! :thumb:

Get yourself an alignment bar so you can get it aligned correctly (don't assume it's all good!)

Post some more pictures of your progress! We love pictures!
 

Lou C

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 10, 2002
Messages
13,236
Just make sure it has the correct gear ratio for the 4.3. If you put a drive on that has the V8 ratio it will never be right.
 
Joined
Jul 24, 2019
Messages
11
So I drove 2 hours each way to pick up this out drive yesterday. It was still on the boat and we took it to the marina, everything worked as it should. I drained the oil at the shop and took the top plate off to take a look at the gears. Everything checked out! Almost no oil shavings on the drain plug, like 1 or two very small pieces. $700 later its in the bed of my truck on our way home. Installing it today after work.
 
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