omc 120 stern drive

[ryan04]

Hey guys, quick question. I"m looking at a boat right now that has an omc 120 sterndrive in it. Is this a very good leg and engine? Also when I go to inspect it what should I look for? I only have experience with outboards, and have unfortunately never delt with an inboard before. THanks.

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: omc 120 stern drive

I guess everyone else's mother said to them what mine said to me:<br />"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"<br /><br />Most people do not like OMC Stringer type drives... They are among the worst for reliability. However, ... there are many stories of people getting well over 1000 hours trouble free if maintenance was done religiously...<br /><br />I personally have had better luck with my stringer than I ever did with my Mercruiser. <br />But the word luck is pivotal in that statement... There is a bit of luck in the ownership of any sterndrive....

 

[fleopis67]

Re: omc 120 stern drive

im a past owner of an omc 800,3.8 v-6,had it 10 years,it was a runner!when it wasnt broke down!the weak link seemed to be the water pump shaft,i had 2 of em strip out on me,other than that it was ok,also had some seal issues with the intermediate housing so i just sold it,would i buy another one?no!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fleopis67]

Re: omc 120 stern drive

i now own a mercruiser and have had problems with it also,it just seems much easier to work on and to get parts for,im not against the old omc 800,but its old school,if you buy one,you better be good at wrenchin!the one i had was a smooth runner when it was in service!those few one or two week downtimes leave a bad memory,especialy when its on your one week vacation!!!!