OMC Cobra Volvo Penta SX Engine Alignment Procedure

[@lifegreats]

Hi Michael. In this video, you requested for us to request how to do a rough alignment. Yes, this is something I would be interested in. It would seem that my alignment is *way* out, even having a rough time getting my alignment too in even though it was 'not that bad' to remove the driveshaft. (Note, my data point is one) I have watched everyone of your videos(OMC) and they are an absolute gold mine!

[@execvideo8037]

Saved me a lot of questions and a lot of time regarding a tough to find transom leak on my 93’ CC OMC Cobra.. Your camera work is as impressive as your skill and expertise on these old OMC’s! Thank you!!

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks for your comments! I've got new videos scheduled to debut this summer. Stay tuned and don't forget to subscribe.

[@roberthowell3906]

Great job!!! Your teaching technique is awesome, your professionalism is top notch and you should be commanded. I now have not only the confidence, but feel like I have the experience to tackle any job!!! That says a lot my friend if I can call you my friend. Great Job Thanks, Robert

[@michaelromer2016]

This is probably the nicest comment I’ve ever read on this channel. Thanks so much!

[@brianfox6641]

Love the videos. I've mostly figured many of these out myself over the years but it's still fun to see new ideas. One thing I'd love to see is a video showing how to read the spline marks on the tool to help figure out which way needs adjusting. There are plenty of descriptions online but man a video would save people some time.

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks for your comments! I'll keep that in mind as I'm constantly looking to make more great videos!

[@FawxNewsNetwork]

This is useful info. Thx. My sterndrive was lodged until I strapped it to a tree and drove off. My engine definitely needs alignment.

[@blueovalOdell]

Great videos man. Keep up the work. Your stuff on the OMC has been a world of help for me.

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks so much! I have boat load of more videos coming out this summer.

[@dennismoore9444]

Thanks for this video. Was leery of tackling this until you showed how easy it was.

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks!

[@henryflenna9517]

im only getting into the spline about a inch per the grease marks. Been fighting this for two weeks now. thanks for any help... ive adjusted engine and do have the tool just cant seem to get the vovlo sx on any further

[@jameszink7403]

Hey Mike, you've helped me a lot with your videos. I've installed the oil seal and gimbal bearing, but now we're struggling to get the engine aligned. The tool seems to be binding about halfway through the turn of the tool. Any suggestions?

[@gregoffenback6910]

I use the grease on the tool to tell me which way the engine needs to go. The grease should look the same all the way around the tool when it is properly adjusted. More grease on one side than the other indicates which direction the engine needs to go.

[@murta1979]

Great video! I've just finished installing a VP SX-A stern drive on my boat (don't remember the MY of the drive, but I think its from 2002). I previously had a VP AQ-100 (very old) stern drive unit so I had to redo and beef up the transom on the boat. I have also gotten an alignment tool and today I fiddled around with the motor mounts to try and get everything aligned. I managed to get to the point where I can push the tool all the way in to the coupler but not without using a bit of force so something is still wrong. I've tried going up and down on the mounts but I cant get to a point where it just slides in. I did a test and put some grease on the end of the tool to see where it hits the splines and It's only on the top part of the tool (I did not rotate it when I took it out). Yoiu mention in this video that you had to fiddle with the back motor mounts when you rebuilt your boat. I had a look at the back motor mounts but I couldn't really see any way of adjusting them.

[@michaelromer2016]

I think I know what happened. When you removed the old transom, did you keep it the same thickness or make it thicker? I imagine you probably made it thicker--that can make things tricky. When you make it thicker, you have to pitch the front motor mount up significantly higher. If this is the first time you have tried this, it takes about 4 days to get right. Don't rush it, if you get frustrated, find something else on your boat to do, and come back to the alignment later. If you opt to slam the stern drive in--you will regret it.

[@murta1979]

@@michaelromer2016 Thanks for the reply. I did make the transom a little bit thicker than it used to be so that might be the issue here. I ran out of bolt height for the front engine mounts so I will have to manufacture some wedges to put under the mounts and try again.

[@murta1979]

@@michaelromer2016 Well, I finally managed to get the drive on there. I loosened all the bolts on both the back and the front mounts and wiggled the whole engine a little bit and managed to get the alignment tool to slide in without effort. Getting the drive unit on was a still a bit difficult though. When I tested the tool on the coupler out of the boat (without going trough the transom) the tool does not seem to be that tight fit in to the splines. The drive unit on the other hand you had to have exactly the right angle or it would not go in. So I think that´s why I had problems getting that to fit even though I managed to get the tool to slide in easily. A few "gentle" taps with my foot and a couple of turns of the crank shaft later and the drive unit went in all the way.

[@michaelromer2016]

I’ve used two pieces of 3/4 marine plywood to get my front mounts higher. I did see a guy online crank his motor over to get the splines in the stern drive to line up as someone pushed the drive in-talk about a bad idea. Glad to hear you got your setup going!

[@V8Lounge]

Hey. Thats a good Video. On my mercruiser engine I can slide the shaft in like in your Video but when i rotate the engine one half turn and try it again it doesnt go in again completely. Does it mean my coupler is out of round?

[@Cswrl220]

Thanks for the video! I can't fit a wrench onto the bottom bolts to make the adjustment due to very limited access. I'm thinking a crows foot is the only way. What would you do?

[@81randallchadcohen]

Michael is killing it! Thank you for the videos ( and link)

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks!

[@anthonyspadafora1384]

Are you putting the alignment tool into the splines of the engine? Is it actually spinning inside the splines?

[@michaelromer2016]

It spins inside the spines. Please hit that subscribe button!

[@elitebuildingsolutionllc8736]

Great video. Thank you for posting

[@jeremyasaro1398]

Have you ever done a video on putting new engine mounts in

[@michaelromer2016]

I do actually. It’s part of the larger rebuild series I have on my channel. Check out either rebuild series and I detail that. Look under my channel by playlist and you will see where I install them. Please subscribe!

[@stephenandrsde990]

Is there any signs that your boat needs a fresh alignment , tell tale signs?

[@michaelromer2016]

Typically the first thing is your gimbal bearing will go out and you will hear a really bad sound coming from that part of the transom. The second sign is when you pull the sterndrive out it will not go back in to the motor.

[@vitolotta8451]

Does your tool go into the coupler all the way, I am not sure if I have the right tool but mine only goes in the first two inches (first stage) the 2nd section is to thick to go into my coupler.

[@michaelromer2016]

First double check you bought the right alignment tool. If yours only goes in a little, your alignment is off a lot. A lot could be as little as 1/2 inch too low. Keep in mind that engine alignment when done from the factory is going to be spot on, overtime the wood settles and the alignment drops down. It's likely that you will need to raise your engine upwards.

[@jamesm2464]

My OMC Cobra won’t reinstall after gimbal replaced. Bearing is level but alignment tool hits top of engine coupler. Even in I bottom out the motor mounts it still hits the top of splined and won’t enter. Do I have to pull the engine out at this point?

[@michaelromer2016]

You may have to raise the motor up to be able to swing it back and forth with a lift. I had the alignment take 3 days. So if it’s taking a long time, it’s not abnormal. One time it took me a week.

[@Dirtburglar254]

Re-powered my boat swapping engine mounts to a new long block and can’t seem to raise the front of engine up enough with enough threads left for the nut left. Any idea what went wrong on my mounting.

[@rodolfocoreas3281]

What you the when you shifting forward and hits hard and boat take off fast

[@trentstrickland7642]

Hey Michael, so I just replaced my 5.8 omc cobra efi block with a new crate engine. Having a few problems hooking everything back up. I’m more worried about the alignment because I had to take the front motor mounts off to get the motor back in, I didn’t move it much, wondering if it’ll be ok?

[@michaelromer2016]

The alignment will be off and the number one thing to remember is to be patient. This process can takes days or even a week to get perfect. It will eventually align perfectly.

[@clsamssms1214]

How long is your alignment tool when i measured mine i had 17in

[@henryflenna9517]

hey i did get the tool all the way into coupler today. Its just difficult to get in and out and also turning so i am guessing i need to fine tune it. When i turn i don't seem to get much adjustment out of it. any suggestion?

[@81randallchadcohen]

Hi I just did a repower on my boat, can you do a video for a complete engine alignment? PLEASE!!!!!! THANKS!!!! YOUR VIDEOS ARE KILLER!!!

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks so much for your comments! Please check out the following link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJ6cnYx8gN18lbc

[@miketassaro9269]

On my sx cobra drive I can't get it to go in all the way. I'm definitely into the splines. Its stopping just as the 6 threaded studs go into the holes. About 2 inches. Is that an alignment issue?

[@michaelromer2016]

The Volvo Penta SX has a sealing surface inside that doesn't offer the same feel a Cobra does. What does that mean? If you can get the out drive to the point where you can thread one bolt (even just a 1/16 of a turn), then watch this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qafYhn9qpa5ma7s Otherwise, you motor is not aligned.

[@miketassaro9269]

@@michaelromer2016 Thank you for your info. Unfortunately all 6 studs are in the holes but still short under an inch from coming out.

[@miketassaro9269]

Tilting it up worked great!!! It took a lot jiggling and I used a few ratchet straps. It worked tho and it's in. Thank you so much for your help.

[@Cswrl220]

Do you know the size of the nut used on the motor mounts?

[@michaelromer2016]

I'll go and measure it. Not sure at the moment.

[@Cswrl220]

Asking because I can't fit an adjustable wrench on my application. Hopefully a dedicated wrench of the proper size will be able to work.

[@michaelromer2016]

@@Cswrl220 It is 15/16 in size.

[@stevejohnson29]

Was going to align the engine tonight & got the L side loose & nuts moving. But. The R. Side won’t go up past a certain point. Found out the bolt had rusted pretty badly within the engine bracket hole thats bolted to the motor. I removed the top bolt & bracket & can see the whole bolt now. About 1” of the bolt is pretty rusted. Tried wire wheeling the bolt on the boat. Was thinking of just taking the whole mount out so I could either replace it, replace the bolt, or at least run a die to clean up the threads & hopefully reuse it. But, after loosening the front bolt for the mount, it just kept on spinning. Won’t come out. Now I’m afraid to touch the back bolt holding the mount to the motor pad. Any advice? Are those motor mounts held in with giant lag acres? (Self tapping). Or does Marlin (who makes my boat) have nuts encapsulates in the wooden motor block/pads? And if so, could those nuts be spinning in the wood? I’m going to see if I can get a die tomorrow & just try to clean up the threads & continue to motor align. Since this is the side that motor pushes down, I’m not too worried about the spinning front motor mount bolt. But. I’d like to fix it the right way if possible. Any advice?

[@michaelromer2016]

If the lags are spinning in the wood, I wouldn’t be surprised. I would drill out the wood holes and use stainless all thread to make mounts.

[@sidcostello7532]

sorry, but when you pulled out the 'ol Cresent wrench, I lost all interest....you haven't got a 15/16" combo end wrench?

[@michaelromer2016]

I gotcha. Make sure you watch the whole video though. This is likely the most important video I made

[@michaelromer2016]

Lose interest with pliers, crescent wrenches are perfectly acceptable .

[@mikemitu3885]

Hi Mike, as always good video. I've replaced the gimbal bearing -beat it in with a 2x4, it is fully seated- couldn't get the lower unit in. Bought the alignment tool/ bearing installer and can't slide the tool more than 17.5" to the bearing (it's 23 3/4" overall). Lower/ raised the engine mounts all the way, no luck , wouldn't go any further in. Should I remove the bearing and beat it in with the tool ? if so, where should I drill the hole for the bearing installer ( the instructions say to mark the tool BEFORE removing the old bearing) too late for me. Any suggestions??? Thanks Mike

[@michaelromer2016]

Your gimbal bearing is not aligned with your engine coupler. Don't worry about the gimbal bearing at this time. Your issue is specifically with engine alignment. Here are some tricks: create way to suspend the engine up in the air (e.g., engine life, hoist). Loosen the front engine nuts. Have someone be in charge of the come-along/winch which lift/lowers the motor up from the front. The other person is in the back and in charge of checking when the alignment tool can go in 15 inches. Make sure you adjust the alignment nuts while the motor is suspended on the winch and then tighten everything back down with the winch/hoist removed. Fine tune the engine alignment (without the hoist) when the alignment tool goes in 15 inches.

[@mikemitu3885]

Thanks

[@megalapega365]

Hi do you now sonting abou mercruiser 3.0?

[@michaelromer2016]

Not exactly. The concepts I outline is still valid. Please subscribe!

[@franciscotrujillo4961]

Problemas de una mala alineación? Vibraciones ? Motor trabaja un poco forzado? .....

[@michaelromer2016]

No, there wouldn’t be vibrations with a bad alignment. You normally just have gimbal bearings go out.

[@mikemitu3885]

By the way any opinion on the greaseLESS gimbal bearings? Guess it's something new, guy on e-bay (salesman) says they last forever

[@michaelromer2016]

I recommend when you install one to first make sure you have perfect engine alignment. They definitely won't last forever. Once the seals that keep the grease in, change shape with age, the grease will escape, and the bearing will go. What makes the gimbal bearings with grease ports better, is you can feel the grease fill the void of gimbal bearing. If you have greased various items with a grease gun before, you might have noticed resistance from when it was full. That resistance is how I typically can tell if a gimbal bearing was empty or not. Now keep in mind some people, might just hook up to the port, and start pumping multiple times--that's not how you want to do it and will likely break the seals. I ought to make a video on this one.

[@franciscotrujillo4961]

como te das cuenta de que el motor no esta alineado sin quitar la cola? se nota que algo no va bien?

[@michaelromer2016]

If the gimbal bearings are going out every year. But get this, if the motor isn’t aligned correctly, you won’t be able to get the tail back on!

[@jamesrowe3079]

Can anybody tell me what I'd number for my boat starter is for my v I p omc 302..ho Ford cobra My I d tags are shot an starters been taken out. Two small bolts top an bottom an one wire to solenoid

[@michaelromer2016]

www.ebay.com/itm/New-Johnson-Evinrude-OMC-Cobra-Drive-Starter-Assembly-Part-987969/290960450879?epid=1823990528&hash=item43be98253f:g:hAIAAOxybetSCkK8

[@soulmuzings8844]

Sending you good vibes 🙏🤗

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks!

[@edgarventura8744]

Can u help me with speedometer please

[@jamesrowe3079]

It's a 1989 Ford block Inc set up An identification tags are shot

[@michaelromer2016]

Part 987969

[@bodyshotjake7475]

Grab a friend and get it done in less time, but more beer

[@elitebuildingsolutionllc8736]

Great help.

[@chrisfisk3095]

Hey mike ,, as a second season boater not knowing anything about boat mechanicing you have made my world great, thanks for all your videos!! My question to you is I would like to build my own engine alignment tool as I do metal working/fabrication;; could I talk you into using your calipers/tape measure and send me the measurements of diameter and length of each step so I can turn one up in my lathe... I read one comment it’s 24” total length, greatly appreciated and thanks a million if you can,, very awesome videos! 🤙🤙

[@JohnVH-diy]

Good video but you’re turning a nut not a bolt. Please loose the adjustable wrench and teach folks to use a real open end box wrench.

[@michaelromer2016]

I support that! Please subscribe!

[@kubaSWAT]

Good video

[@chrism6575]

stay on point next video, good info but way too much lagging about nonsense.

[@tractorman6863]

Just show how to align the engine and stopwith all the bull s😮hit

[@michaelromer2016]

Being long winded pays me with ad revenue-a benefit for making you content.

[@chrischristoforou7245]

You talk to much !!! this video was 13 min long you can do it in less then 5 min

[@michaelromer2016]

Chris Christoforou the longer the video the more commercials I can add to the video. This means I get more ad revenue. Plus, comments gets me more revenue too. Especially, if I reply to them.

[@Stoic-of-Rome]

Wow! way too many words to action ration...

[@michaelromer2016]

I've gotten a comment like this before. Some of my biggest hits are the shorter videos--involving less talking. Thanks!

[@monster-pq7ln]

Michael doesn't just show "how." He also explains why. That's why I like his videos.

[@henryflenna9517]

i have a question since i measured my adjustment tool and i have 16 3/4 from the bearing to the end how long is the tool you using so i can figure out if im all the way into the spline.