www.iFourWinns.com

I am getting my boat ready for the first run of the season and have decided this year I will do the work myself. I bought the Seloc book but it doesn't really give you a list of what you should do at the start of the year. So, this is what I'm doing, let me know if there is something I should do that's not on this list. By the way, there should be a sticky for this type of thing.

1. Plugs
2. PCV
3. Belts (one is worn/burnt)
4. Change oil & filter in motor
5. Change impellar (do I need to change the gasket too?)
6. Grease all fittings
7. Change oil in the drive

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1996 200 Horizon VP/SX 5.8L

Change oil in the drive?? How often is that required and do you need to have your boat out of the water? I've never changed outdrive oil.... At the risk of sounding like an idiot , I've never heard of outdrive oil. This is my first I/O in over 20 years.... always had inboards or outboards.


Vic

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Vic
"Byte Me"
1989 Vista 245
Lake Norman, NC

When I get home I will double check this. But when I was thumbing through the book it showed a picture of the drive oil being drained and even said what type of gear oil to use. There was also a pic of a dip stick in the top of the drive.

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1996 200 Horizon VP/SX 5.8L

Yes, at least every other season. AR types do it yearly. 80W to 09W is what is most commonly used, depending on your outdrive, and /or brand preferences. Boat should be out of the water to change it.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Yeah, please do. I'm curious. I just looked through my Four Winns Manual that I have a PDF of and it says nothing under the "Engine and Drive Systems" maintenance checklist.

Perhaps this may be why every once in a while my drive will give a "thud" sound kind of like it's slipping out of gear for a very brief half-second.

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Vic
"Byte Me"
1989 Vista 245
Lake Norman, NC

As for the drive, just like CapnMorgan said. While you are at it make sure you remove your prop(s) and make sure to grease the shaft. Depending on your drive you may have to remove your prop to do the drive fluid change. You should do this to your prop AT LEAST every season.

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Walter

2003 248 Vista - VP 5.0 GXi
2009 Toyota Tundra SR5 5.7L 4x4

Your outdrive most certainly has oil that needs to be changed just like an outboard gearcase...your Cobra takes about 64 oz of gear oil...change it once a year...for instructions...see

http://www.crowleymarine.com
look in product support..OMC Cobra drives....make sure that it's done exactly the instructions say....not the Merc way...or it will be low on oil and that will ruin the upper gear set....

If the drive is slipping out of gear..you need to get the shift system checked out...that jumping out of gear will wear the dog clutch and require a lower gear overhaul....

as far as greasing the prop shaft...I use OMC/Bombardier triple guard grease...works great in salt water....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Thanks for all the good info, Lou. I will pull her out of the lake soon for a day and do this maintenance.

I thought it was odd when I bought the boat that I have a MercCruiser engine and an OMC outdrive....

Vic

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Vic
"Byte Me"
1989 Vista 245
Lake Norman, NC

If you can't find the OMC Hi-Vis gear oil....you can also use the Merc High Performance gear lube (greenish/blue stuff) you will need a lower unit oil pump that screws into the top of the gear oil bottle. I use the Merc oil in my Cobra and it likes it just fine....

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I use the hour meter along with calendar for my preventative schedule, not all your items need to be annually. Some base on hours on the motor. Kind of like changing the motor oil in your car every so many miles (hours of operation)

1. Plugs, never changed, check gap and wear, ended up ok and reinstalled.
2. PCV, dont know
3. Belts, change as needed, burnt/worn; replace.
4. Motor oil; I used to do spring and fall, I am now going by the hour meter. I am going with every 100 hours of use.
5. Impeller; if you don't know how old it is replace and always have a spare on hand, if impeller does not run dry much, it can have a long service life (years), but I would replace by 5th year.
6. Grease all fittings; gimbal bearing, annually
7. Out Drive; I was on a every other year plan, but as others have mentioned, if there is no sign of water in oil, every other year or 100 hours of use?????

Of course you can always change more frequently if it makes you feel better and your wallet can afford it.

Owning a boat here in utah, we don't put tons of hours on the motor, every time I check fluid levels, they look fresh (no discoloration or signs of water)
I do make it a habit to check belts, hoses, fluid levels, before each use and always check bilge after launching for any leaks before leaving marina. Just habit.

Really, If you come up with a preventative schedule similar to how you take car of your cars motor, your on the right track. Yes, I realize that car and boat engines see different work loads and need different care, but you get the gist of what I am saying.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

OK back to my outdrive oil ignorance.

Powelcrazy says "if he doesn't see water in his outdrive oil".

Which leads me to my next dumb question of the day: Is there a way to check the fluid level without pulling her out of the water? Is there a hidden dipstick or something?

Thanks for the tips guys.

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Vic
"Byte Me"
1989 Vista 245
Lake Norman, NC

Thanks Powell for the input. That helps. Where do you buy your parts around here?

Vic, my manual says there is a screw in the top of the drive that holds the dipstick.

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1996 200 Horizon VP/SX 5.8L

In a VP yes, I am not sure it is the same in an OMC, which vic has.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Hansen Motor and Marine is way easier on the wallet vs SS Marine (local Four Winns dealer). They are located on 3347 s west temple
I do frequent SS marine just because its convenient (bountiful store) but the part guy is dumb, way dumb, I have help him find the parts I need.



As for the OMC dipstick, our OMC king cobra and friends cobra out drives had dipsticks in the top just like the volvo SX/DPS.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Mercury suggests changing the drive oil every 100hrs or every year (whichever occurs first)

This is mainly for people that leave their boat in the water year-round. You're probably ok changing it every other year.


Judging by the year of your FW boat I would say you have an OMC Cobra. Your "clunking" noise is indicative of a defective or out of adjustment lower shift cable. If you don't get that fixed you will be replacing/rebuilding that drive in the future.









All those things are fine except if you remove the impeller to inspect it you should just replace it. They're not all that expensive. Also, if you have EVER had one disintegrate you need to insure that you find all the pieces that went downstream or they'll cause a blockage and you get an overheat...

When you change the drive oil you're mainly looking for (excessive) metal and water intrusion.

Also, the service you're doing should be done at the end of the season not at the beginning.

You want to have new, fresh oil in it while it sits all winter. Also, if you happen to have a problem with water intrusion in the engine or drive, you want to catch it BEFORE it sits all winter (with the water inside) rather than discover that it sat all winter and rusted cyls in the engine, and bearings/gears in your drive.


An additional thing to do is remove the drive and check the alignment. (Mercury suggests doing it every year) It's especially important in older boats since the engine mounts are usually sitting on wood encased in fiberglass. If the wood begins to get a little rotten, the front mounts can slowly drop. It only takes a 1/4" or so and the alignment will get far enough out to destroy the coupler. If that happens, the engine must be removed to replace it.

Also when you have the drive off, you can inspect the drive bellows and U-joints for water intrusion...... Again a pretty important check for boats that sit in the water year round.....maybe not so important with "trailer-boats"

If you're not going to change your drive oil every year, you should drain a little and check for water before you park it for the winter.





Go over to iBoats I/O section, and you'll find a generic "sticky" for just about anything you want to do.



That's why Seloc manual is pretty good for using as a knee pad while you're looking up stuff in your OEM manual.....you get what you pay for.



Cheers,

Rick

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1987 Four Winns Liberator 211, formerly OMC 460 King Kobra powered, replaced in 2006 by a 1997 Mercruiser 454/Bravo III