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  1. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    I bought the used coupler, should have it in a few days but I won't get time to do much work on the boat until at least Wednesday anyway. Next time I work on the boat I'll probably be checking the new (to me) coupler on the input shaft splines to compare play between my old one and this one...
  2. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Seems new couplers are difficult to get hold of and expensive here. I could pay £400+ and have to wait for shipping from the US but I've just seen this used one on Ebay at £150 which I could have here by Tuesday. What do you think to the teeth on this one?
  3. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Ahh... Thanks. I see what you mean in the picture. I'll try to make time tomorrow to have another look. Should they be square? Are worn splines a known problem on boat drives? Should the input shaft be a tight fit in the coupler?
  4. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Thanks. I just tried another way of checking the coupler... Just fitted it to the splines inside the boat and turned it. I didn't use any equipment other than my eyes to check it but it seems OK. I am surprised with how loose it is on the splines though. Usually splined joints are tight but...
  5. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    The drive went on easy after cleaning everything up and adding some new grease :) . I've attached the rams to it, tilted it up and will see if it drops overnight. Still need to know what grease to use for the UJ joints and gimble bearing. May buy an alignment tool but they cost around £79...
  6. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    I'll quote myself so you can see what I'm referring to in this post I took a pic of the pinched bellow today. In the pic below you can see the 4 areas at the rear of the bellow I mean. I now realise they match up to the 4 areas of the drive leg that are indented and mate up to the bellows...
  7. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Thanks for the replies. I don't see how it could have been sticking on splines or alignment... Like I said the engine (and bellhousing / coupler) are not even fitted yet, when partially fitted the splines could be seen inside the boat, they'd already gone through the gimble bearing. It took a...
  8. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    The engine is built but I haven't refitted it yet, thought it better to fix the trim hydraulic issues before fitting the engine. Recap - When I bought the boat the leg was trimmed all the way up, it must have stayed up for months. But when I used it on the river the leg seemed to trim itself...
  9. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Thanks again @Lou C It's been a while again since my last forum visit and I've just seen your last reply. I wouldn't have expected the OMC Cobra ram rebuild kits to come in Evinrude / Johnson packaging but I'm not doubting that your advice is correct. I did some work on the boat engine...
  10. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Thanks @Lou C , I'll look into getting a rebuild kit.
  11. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    The boat is a '96 model and so far everything else I've checked on the drive seems to be the same design as a Volvo SX, do you think this makes it likely the rams are the same as Volvo SX?
  12. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Apparently it's a late modle OMC Cobra drive so is identical to a Volvo SX drive, so does that mean the rams will be the same as Volvo SX?
  13. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Thanks @alldodge and @kenny nunez . alldodge , sorry my fault for any confusion.. I was thinking out loud, rhetorical question about it being easier to work on the rams (outside the boat) when the engine and leg have been refitted than on the pump (inside the boat) when the engine has been...
  14. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Sorry to keep mentioning the rams... I have the engine and drive-leg removed. If I test the rams now will it cause me any problems when I come to refit the leg (such as rams not both in the same position making it difficult to line them up with the leg)? Could I damage the rams during testing...
  15. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Thanks, that makes sense. At first I was thinking if the rams had a leak it would be external (leaking from the end of the ram). But I think I see what you mean... if the internal seal is leaking fluid can get past it, there won't be an external leak but the position of the ram can still move...
  16. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Thanks. So it's possible that the rams have an internal leak (as opposed to the rams leaking fluid externally)? Any thoughts on whether or not it's OK to bleed and test the trim/tilt without the leg fitted, or would that damage the rams?
  17. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    I haven't done any work on the engine recently. Today I fitted a new bilge pump (the old one had snapped where the hose connects to the pump). Also today I changed an Oring on a tilt/trim hydraulic line, the pipe connection where one of the internal tilt/trim lines connects to the port side of...
  18. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    I had already assembled the bottom end / short motor before I decided to Plastigauge... Pics of the bottom end with new pistons, cam and timing chain ftted. I also fitted the timing cover and water pump.. So I hope the Plastigauge tests I intend to do on the main and rod bearings don't...
  19. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    Thanks, yes that's what I'm hoping... Or rather I mean I'm hoping all the bearings check OK when I use the Plastigauge. Would you advise using plastigauge at more than one crank position on each bearing (e.g. take a reading, remove used plastigauge, turn crank 90 degrees, fit another...
  20. L

    1996 Four Winns Sundowner with 5.0 Cobra engine and drive

    I haven't updated this thread since August 2023, over 4 months, but I've continued to do a bit of work on the boat/engine when I've had time since August. The engine is still in pieces as it was when I last posted. I didn't think there could be much of a problem with the heads because...
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