Outdrive Water Drain Plugged

[Horigan]

I doing my first winterization on my signature boat (50FAPHUE) and once I finally removed the water drain plug on the port side of the outdrive, I found it fully corroded and blocked on the inside. I tried cleaning it out with an awl, but couldn't expose the internal water passage. It appears this drain plug hasn't been opened in years in winters in the Puget Sound area. Is it really necessary to drain from this location, verses draining with the outdrive up and down? I'm trying to decide if I should drill out the passage, or just leave it alone since it's survived up to 20 years without draining from this plug.

 

[MRS]

Never been able to get mine out it is 86 cobra outdive. So far so good.

 

[bruceb58]

Or just pull the drive which you should be doing anyway.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Just pull the drive and the water runs out.
You should be greasing the shaft and the gimbal bearing.
No grease under the O-rings.
Remove the O-rings and clean the shaft.
Reinstall and put the grease on top of the O-rings.

 

[Lou C]

Yep pulling the drive will let any water out that might have gotten in. Those 3 plugs in mine always come out, even with it being slipped in salt water, but I think this is because I always coated the threads with OMC gasket sealer or Permatex Aviation Sealer....
Just took them out today, no water but there were years when a bit of water (more like a trickle) came out.

 

[Horigan]

Thanks all. Yes I plan to pull the drive and I now know that doing so is part of the water removal process. I wasn't aware of that.

 

[Horigan]

One more question. When pulling the drive, should any seals be replaced, or do I just grease and oil the right places and re-install with new nuts? I see a seal kit in the link below, but I haven't seen any reference to replacing seals during winterization in the few posts I've read through.

 

[MRS]

If everything is good just make sure you have the gasket that gos to the outdrive. If is your first time pulling the outdrive buy two.

 

[jerryjerry05]

That seal kits for a Volvo and not what you need.
​You need an outdrive mounting kit..
What year and model is yours?
The older OMC/Cobra need an OMC kit.

You don't usually change seals when winterizing.
The O-rings on the shaft are changed.

 

[Horigan]

It's a 1995, 50FAPHUE, which is a Volvo joint venture version.

Thanks for the mount kit info. That doesn't jump out on the BRP parts website.

 

[bruceb58]

It's a 1995, 50FAPHUE, which is a Volvo joint venture version.

Thanks for the mount kit info. That doesn't jump out on the BRP parts website.

You don't need an outdrive mounting kit for that drive. You do need to replace that oblong o-ring for the water passagethough.

 

[Horigan]

Perfect. The water passage O-ring is all that I replaced, besides the six self-locking nuts. The shaft O-rings that came with the kit were too small. With the Mrs. helping me lift the drive off and on it was a pretty easy job. Boat's tucked away until March. Thanks for all the help.