|
I've got an omc 225 I/0 that had the engine changed from a 307
chevy to a 350- I belive the 260 runs one of these two engines.
The older OMC outdrives didn't have the advantage of power trim
on these big engines, but the pwer tilt gets the outdrive WAY
out of the water which is great when you keep the boat in salt water
all year. The cobra outdrive is much like the mercruiser- I don't
much care for them . the older outdrives could turn apretty tight
corner and were great for manueverability- I rotate my 22' oarund
the pilot seat anD get a lot of envious looks when I dock in tight
quarters.
As to the oil pan problem- yup, when you use a steel pan,close
to the bilge, with salt water- they disappear in short order.
When my engine was replaced, the pan got covered in fibreglass anD
epoxy, but I still worry about the area around thE drain plug- I
wqasn't smart enough to simply glass that over two, since I use
a pump in the dipstick tube to pump out the oil when I change it.
A bEtter fix is to isit you local auto supply storE or spped shop
and pick up a cast aluminum pan- one with lots of cooling fins-
it will help cool thE oil, and with a coat of good aluminum primer
and paint, will probably outlast the boat- you'll need longer bolts,
and i recommend you spring for stainless and use anti-sieze compund
on them or a good sealant.
Of course, that's great if you have the engine out- if you don't,
then I suggest you wire brush the pan at tyhe end of every season
to get off any loose rust, and use the "rust convertor" you can
get at most auto parts stores or discount houses. This stuff is
a polymer that reacts with the ferrous oxide (rust) and converts
it to ferric oxide( black oxide, much more corrosion resistant)
and froms a protective barrier over the whole thing. They use this
stuff on offshore oil platforms and it does work- but only over
rusty( not scaley) iron. Touch up the paint, or paint the whole
thing with a good rust prventative primer such as the rustoleum
fish oil based primer, a cot of paint and you should be in good
shape.
I've also had truble with the stamped steel valve covers turning
to pile of rust and have replaced them with inexp[ensive cast aluminum
valve covers- the aluminum pan and valve covers really dress up
an engine- whenever I have to remove a bolt on an engine in salt
water- I clean up the internal threads, use a good quality anti
sieze/sealnt, and peplace the bolt with a stainless bolt-
the engine looks great, and things come apart later.
another little secret on the OMC's with gm blocks- the engine mounted
water pump LOOKS like an automotive pump, but it's not. The main
difference is that the metal palte on back of the pump is stainless
steel,and if you have to replace the pump, you can replace it with
an aoutomotive pump, provided it has a cast iron(not stamped steel)
impeller, and you replace the back plate with the SS one from the
old pump.The savings is about $100 .
The pumps are all made with cast iron bodies and have ss or monel
shafts and seal housings.Of course, the best thing to do is put
in Fresh water cooling and you can use automotive pumps.
-
|