another newbie to the horizon group

bkfw190 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:10 pm

well, i've been boat hunting for a couple of weeks starting with the detroit boat show. anyhow...i just bought a used (1995 fw horizon 190 ) i first viewed it on a snowie sunday with the boat shrink wrapped. the hull looked like new and i was told the interior and v6 engine were the same way. so i made an offer and went back to see the uncovered boat inside the garage. he was right- it looked almost showroom new!! my only question is that this v6 turned out to be a 5.0 v8 cobra combo. i sure hope i didn't make a mistake with this setup??? it has always been winterized and was told no problems ... so far i've had fun just sitting in it in the garage and dreaming of spring! i have a couple of questions i can't seem to find on older postings- 1. is the impeller found ouside the boat on the outdrive? the previous owner said he is the 2nd owner and has had it 4 years and hasn't had the outdrive off so i thought i better do this so i can grease the u-joints and anything else?? 2. the heavy hatch cover is in need of hyd assist pistons - anyone know where these can be found? is there an aftermarket set that would be better? lastly, my fw trailer with the surge breaks is all sludged up-anyone ever drain and clean this unit out? i wonder how you bleed it afterwards. thanks for listening to my ramblings! THINK SUMMER !!! bk

cougarcruiser · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:46 pm

post up some pictures!

Welcome to the forum and the FW ownership experience. Sounds like the boat is a beauty!

If the drive hasn't been serviced for a few years, I would definitely do so. However- you will want to find someone who knows the Cobra's to do the work.

BrentC5Z · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:48 pm

Welcome. I can't answer any of your questions but I can ask one.

Where's the pics?

bkfw190 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:54 pm

i can't seem to find a way to post my pix? guess i have more than the boat to work on ! ha ha

cougarcruiser · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:57 pm

How to post pictures:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2874&p=27522&hilit=post+pictures+photobucket#p27522

LouC · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:34 pm

If it fact the engine is a '95, (sometimes a 95 boat can have a 94 engine) that is a joint venture OMC (built with Volvo and is the same as a Volvo SX of the same year). The drive stuff shouldn't be a problem to get serviced. The impeller is on the front of the engine like other Volvos. If it has not been serviced in 4 years or more it should be done before you start using it. Same with the drive service, the drive should be removed and the bellows, ujoints and gimble bearing checked out. The drive oil should also be checked for possible water intrusion.
The gas struts that hold up the sunpad or hatch can be easily replaced, West Marine sells them. You need to measure the extended length and pick a level of lift (could be 60-80 lbs each), they come in all different sizes. Good luck with the boat.

Walt · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:24 pm

A 19 footer with the 5.0? Impressive.... How about some Corsa Exhaust, eh?

millhaven_nice_guy · **Posted:** Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:49 pm

Welcome Aboard!
Please do yourself, your family and your friends a big favor and check out the boat from bow to stern. There is no quicker way to kill a persons enthusiasm for boating than being stranded out on the lake or river somewhere. Eventhough the boat looks real nice, change the oils, and impellers and invest in a battery pack for an emergency just in case.

After all this is done then thoroughly enjoy your new toy!!!

bkfw190 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:51 am

thanks all for the helpful suggestions- i'm trying to post a picture but we'll see?!?- bk

Teacher Todd · **Posted:** Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:57 am

Welcome aboard and nice boat. You will enjoy it. Ask away if you ever have any questions.

bkfw190 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:25 pm

well, a couple more questions i have... i sent away for a repair manual but in the mean time i was wondering how i can tell what engine i have ? it's painted black with the 2 brl holley carb. (one clue i saw might be it gives motorcraft as one type of sparkplug to use and the other is champion)? also, i phoned a local marine (omc cobra certified mechanic) and hopefully will be able to have him check everything out in april. i mentioned the impeller probably needing to be serviced and he said that it was an easy job because of it's location outside the boat on the outdrive? hope he's right because i don't see a good way to access the front of the engine with a permenent?? seat bulkhead there. gotta say- not spending much right now on gas sitting in the garage with me trying out the cup holders and a beer!!

07H200SS · **Posted:** Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:11 pm

bkfw190 wrote:

well, a couple more questions i have... i sent away for a repair manual but in the mean time i was wondering how i can tell what engine i have ? it's painted black with the 2 brl holley carb. (one clue i saw might be it gives motorcraft as one type of sparkplug to use and the other is champion)? also, i phoned a local marine (omc cobra certified mechanic) and hopefully will be able to have him check everything out in april. i mentioned the impeller probably needing to be serviced and he said that it was an easy job because of it's location outside the boat on the outdrive? hope he's right because i don't see a good way to access the front of the engine with a permenent?? seat bulkhead there. gotta say- not spending much right now on gas sitting in the garage with me trying out the cup holders and a beer!!

That 5.0L is most likely a GM engine or maybe Ford and most parts are available for is locally or check with marinepartsexpress.com. Not real sure what brand they used in 95. If you take a picture of it or at least of the distributor I should be able to tell you what it is. Picture of the water pump would also help. From any of these pictures I should be able to tell you if they are good pictures. Or maybe tell me what the ignition coil look like.

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:54 pm

One way you can tell and also check availability of parts is to go over to
http://www.dougrussell.com
and look in the parts section under OMC, you will see there that there were 2 5.0s available that year, one carb engine and one EFI. From the diagrams it looks to me like a Ford small block because the distrubutor is in the front in contrast to the Chevy smallblock were the distributor is in the rear.

Beer-garita · **Posted:** Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:56 pm

My '95 V278 had the T/5.0L OMC Cobra half breeds and they were Ford 302 EFI's. If that's what you have, there is only one issue I ever had. If you run it up to temp for any amount of time, then shut it down for longer than 20 minutes but less than say 2 hours, they were prone to vapor lock of a sort. At the back of the engine above the intake, there is a fuel reservoir where the injector "overflow" ends up. This reservoir is also supplied with cooling water to keep that fuel cool. At the starboard front of the motor near the t-stat housing there is a coolant line that contains a $3.50 plastic spring-loaded check valve. If this check valve gets weak or gets sand stuck in it holding it open, the coolant can drain from that circuit. At that point the fuel in the reservoir will boil causing a vapor lock type condition. It drove the dealer nuts until they talked to one of their guys who worked at FW during the years after this package was released. There was knowledge of this issue around the plant but no TSB was ever issued.

My suggestion is to get a new check valve installed and maybe even keep a spare on board. Until we found the solution, if I shut down for more than 20 minutes and then tried to restart I would crank for 10 minutes before it woulkd fire. If I waited for over two hours (cool down) it would start to fire quicker again. Complete cool down resulted in immediate start-up. At one point I contemplated installing a wash-down pump to manually cool the fuel circuit.

Other than that, I loved the engines. They gave me great mileage and performance was awesome.

Welcome aboard!

bkfw190 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:08 pm

thanx guys- my dist. is on the front of the engine so i guess it's a ford 302? it has a carb. not fuel injected so was this vapor lockup also a problem for this setup too? i'm still waiting for my repair manual (due this week i hope!) - then i can go and round up some local auto parts for tuning it up .- bk

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another newbie to the horizon group

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