how to indentify my sterndrive..
 

Hello all..
I have a OMC stern drive.. I do not have a serail or model number as the boat is still in the water.. bought it like 2 months ago..
anyone have a link to any drawings that they could share with me.. the drive looks very new.. the boat was sold to me as a 88 but I later found out it was a 86.. as per the HIN numbers..
the drive may not be the orig???
anyone??

:(:(

Without a pic or number, there is probably little anyone can help you with.

If they sold it as an 88, but it's actually an 86....
go measure it. Maybe it is actually only a 20 footer.
If they were 2 years off maybe they were 2 feet off too.

In all seriousness, it is probably a regular Cobra. (Cobra 800)

The standard Cobras were used the most. The year would be right. Mine was an 86.
There were true King Cobras, but they were usually paired with Big Blocks. There was also a "King Cobra" package which was really just a pretty flame arrestor on a 350mag type setup.

If you have a Cobra 800, it will have an ignition interrupt switch that is used to make the engine "stumble" during shifting to reduce the rpm without stalling but also help protect the gears in the drive. They are not the cone-type that were used on the true King Cobras, and they either won't shift or clunk badly when the interrupt is not operating. You can find the interrupt unit mounted on the port side of the intake manifold, under a folded steel bracket that protects the top. The front facing plastic side of the interrupt module will be showing.

Just a guess. Odds are that you have a "regular" Cobra.

About Cobras:
They run cool because they hold about 2.5 times as much drive lube as a merc alpha. When they work, they are pretty bulletproof. The shifting thing can be a pain tho... and I ended up carrying an extra interrupt module so I would never be tempted to try to get it back to the dock without the rpm drop during shifting. They are also prone to needing shift cable adjustment, and to do it right you need to pull the drive... not just tighten or loosen the engine block side. There was a recall on shift cables. If you have a black shift cable you have the old one. If you have a reddish orange shift cable you have the "new" one. The black ones stretch more.

In shallow water applications, the water impellor is a handy setup, you can replace the rubber vanes without pulling the drive. It's mounted under a plastic cover on the back, rather than being between the split drive halves. (like a merc)

Lots of them still look good because they are less impacted by electrolysis than other drives. They have a better mix of metals and a good ground system.

Ok. That was my post for the next 18 months.

FUND!!!!!and we all thought you were dead or something :)

I wish that I had read the thread from this guy wanting to use the drive to make rooster tails before I answered in a serious manner.
Maybe people will find it searching OMCs and still get some good info.
Maybe they won't be knobs.

Good to see ya Fund.
I responded to another thread you posted on yesterday, I was hoping to hear back from ya.
How's T-town treatin' ya? Maybe this summer those beers we owe each other will be on my boat:D
You lookin' to buy another resin bucket yet? I finally have one sittin' in the driveway. Yeah, it's in pieces at the moment...

I see I'm not the only one that had an opinion on this guy.:rolleyes:

Don't want to hijack this thread. But maybe I can get away with one post since I did try to help first.

I'm ok T. Working in Monroe. Sold the boat last summer, and that's why I haven't been around. There were enough opinionated boatless board members already. :)
Looking to buy again tho.... because everyday I drive over the river and past Clamdiggers. It's driving me nuts. Probably go back to a single this time. Twins killed me.

Have a good one.

We now resume the topic of how to identify an OMC drive without taking the boat out of the water... because that would be hard.