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View Full Version : Overheating of stern drive - repost new info



ThePinkPanther
21-09-2011, 01:20 PM
OK, briefly I have an OMC Cobra 5.8 L stern drive (Volvo leg) that was recently overhauled with a new bellows and standard maintenance completed.

On the trip home from the Marina, it's temperature shot up from the usual 160/170 to well over 200 degrees C.

Over the following days, I replaced the thermostat, put in a new impeller and checked/replaced a couple of hoses but all to no avail.

One crazy aspect is that when I trim UP the leg, the temperature INCREASES immediately by about 20 - 30 degrees, trim DOWN and temp drops to normal.

If I trim UP to the point of cavitation, the temp will climb by 30-40 degrees.

Now, here is the kicker!

When I throttle back to idle, the temp will DROP back to normal in less than FIVE SECONDS!

This seems weird to me as I would have thought it would have stayed hot for quite a while and dropped back slowly. The needle virtually falls straight back as you watch ..........

The gauge has never played up before and I doubt it is suddenly malfunctioning.

So, what cooling pipes live inside the leg that could have been pinched or cut during servicing? I am assuming that UP/DOWN moment of the leg is somehow reducing the salt water intake flow - somehow?

Got me beaten this one!

Any ideas appreciated.

lethal098
21-09-2011, 05:02 PM
Sure its not an electrical spike through your guage? Its very strange to drop temp that quickly.

krazyfisher
21-09-2011, 05:07 PM
I would pull the leg and re install just to check

Dodgemeister
23-09-2011, 12:52 PM
Check where the hose exits the drive & goes to the transom shield. There's a plastic nipple/hose tail that screws into the drive-these often split. When the boat is going slow, the nipple is in the water, at speed it rises out of the water & air gets into the cooling system. Part number should be 3852533