Help! Hopefully Don S is still around. 1995 OMC COBRA SX

[Jeffdz]

I have a 1995 OMC Cobra SX drive behind a 5.0L ford motor. My upper is trash. Didn’t come apart for maintenance and ripped the bearing retainer bolts out of the upper hence rendering it useless. I just bought the boat last year and apparently the outdrive hasn’t been apart in some time. My question is can I put a Volvo SX-M upper on an OMC SX lower unit? The gearing is the same. Hopefully someone can help me. Don S are you still around? You seem to be a wealth of knowledge in my exhaustive reading on this forum. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much all! Please help me!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Welcome aboard

Don is boating with Jesus

it will depend on the years. you will need to take the drive serial numbers and compare part numbers

 

[GA_Boater]

No - Don left this earth several years ago.

 

[Jeffdz]

Thanks Scott. That’s too bad about Don. He always seemed to have the answer in what I’ve read on past posts. How do I look parr’s up by serial number? Sorry I am new to working on boats. Always worked on cars since diapers but never marine toys. Thanks for any help

 

[Scott Danforth]

the same way you look up parts for your car.

go thru the iboats links to the parts breakdowns

 

[Lou C]

you need to look at both an omc parts catalog (try Crowley marine dot com) and the volvo penta parts site (here at iboats) compare the parts numbers for the same year drives. Keep in mind that from 1994-1998 the Cobras and Volvo SXs were the same, and the parts numbers often but not always, are the same.

 

[Lou C]

https://www.crowleymarine.com/johnso...arts/53933.cfm
OMC

http://www.volvopentastore.com/Upper...view_id.792035

find out what gear ratio you OMC had that might be the easiest way to match it up.

Now V/P goes by model number, not by year, so I don't know for sure if this is the right one or the correct gear ratio, I find their catalog very cumbersome to use.

 

[Jeffdz]

Thanks Lou. I appreciate the help. Unfortunately, I agree as far as that Volvo catalog goes. It doesn’t even really list many part numbers. Mostly of the case components, not internals. Nothing to really compare outside the bearing cover. Thanks again

 

[Lou C]

Their European catalog is much better set up, try that one. Volvo goes by model numbers, not by model number and year like OMC did, although there is some kind of code that can be deciphered to determine the year. Very confusing.

 

[Jeffdz]

Ok ya’ll figured I would post what I found out on this after receiving the sx-m upper. Everything is the same and would bolt up EXCEPT for some reason the o-ring around the driveshaft bearing retainer on an sx-m drive is recessed in the lower unit. On my cobra sx drive the recess or groove for the o-ring is cast in the upper. Figured I’d pass it along just in case anyone else was wondering.