# OMC Sail Drive 15 HP Engine



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Does anyone know how to replace the water-pump in this engine? I have never done it before and the marina''s around here, Peoria, Illinois, won''t touch this engine. I am the originbal owner of this boat...1980 model...thank you for helping me....I am a not a mechanic..but will have to fix this myself it appears...thank you...HELP!


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## mikehoyt (Nov 27, 2000)

1. Disconnect the cables from the battery(s). 
2. Disconnect the control cables (throttle to starboard and gear selector to port), battery cables, exhaust hose, fuel line and wiring. If your motor has the alternator kit remove that as well. (The lighter you can make it, the better.) 
3. Remove the 4 bolts and 2 nuts that hold the motor on. There are 2 bolts and one nut each on port and starboard sides. The nuts are furthest aft. This can all be reached from the front side of the motor. There are no bolts to remove on the aft side of the motor. The nut on the starboard side is the toughest one to get but it can be done with a regular box end wrench and some patience. (either 7/16" or 1/2", I don''t recall) 
4. Gently pry the motor up off the adaptor plate with a large screwdriver or small pry bar. Go slowly and think about what you are prying against, work from side to side. Once the seal is broken the work starts. 
5. Lift the motor straight up and off the drive shaft (about 2 inches). (This is the part where you discover everything you did not disconnect) Set the motor aside and be careful it doesn''t tip over and break something. Next, the gear selector linkage has to be disconnected from the vertical rod that disappears down into the lower unit. Be careful not to break the locking tab as you will need to reuse it. 
6. Now you can get at the bolts holding the adaptor plate. I don''t recall how many there are but they are easy to get at. Remove these and pry up the adaptor plate. (There is one nut and it may be buried in gooey carbon so be sure to locate and remove it before prying) 
7. Now you can see the black plastic housing that encloses the impeller, held on by 4 small bolts. Remove these and slide the plastic housing up and off the drive shaft. 
8. Now you can grab the drive shaft and pull it up and out, with the impeller on it. Don''t worry, the drive shaft slides back into place easily. 
9. Replace the impeller (lube it up with something such as Fluid Film) and then reassemble everything. Be sure the throttle linkage is aligned while lowering the motor back onto the drive shaft.

Be sure to keep track of the various gaskets and seals. Replace as necessary. The O-rings can be acquired at any hydraulic shop. The seal in the plastic housing might be obtained from a bearing dealer. Gaskets must be ordered from an OMC dealer if you can find one that will bother. If you are really good you can cut new gaskets yourself, but make sure the thickness is correct. I was able to reuse mine. Be sure to use high quality gasket adhesive upon reassembly as leaks will let water into the boat. I recommend Permatex''s "Right Stuff". Very expensive but good.
There will be a lot of carbon on the adaptor plate, this will need to be scraped out and cleaned up.
By the way, you CAN''T do this while the boat is in the water. There will be nothing to stop water from entering unless you want to swim under and somehow plug the water intake on the bottom of the lower unit and then swim under and remove the plug when finished.
Since the boat is out this is also a good time to change the oil in the lower unit, clean up the motor, lubricate all linkages and change the water pump anode (which is screwed into the adaptor plate.

Hope this helps.

Andy Shand
Dry Red
C&C 25

ArthurJohn. Contact me offline and I can give you Andy''s email so you can contact him directly.

Regards,

Mike Hoyt


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Mike...thank you for the insight...I am not a mechanic..but have a friend who is a small engine repair wizzard..he will help with this. I did not realize that the power head has to be pulled...I was thinking that the water pump could be serviced without pulling the power head! No one around here will work on this engine...I contacted Bombardier Tech support today and ordered a Repair Manual and the Water Pump Repair Kit...I noted that a special tool was recommended..to install the seal on the impeller housing..do you know will I in-fact need this as I don''t have it?? Also after I talked with the tech today from Bombardier..I realized that the parts for this engine are drying up. I am wondering if we might screw something else up taking it apart? Appreciate your help...Any other thoughts??? Thank you...

ART


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Mike...how do I reach Andy?? Thank you..

ART


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Mike...how do I contact you offline?

ART


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## mikehoyt (Nov 27, 2000)

ArthurJohn

Contact me at [email protected] I believe that is posted somewhere in members directory.

I do not believe the special tool is required.

Andy is very familiar with the engine as he had removed his from the boat this past Spring and replaced lower unit and many of the parts inside the lower unit.

They are pretty good engines. Just old and very hard to obtain replacement parts for.

Regards,

Mike


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## mikehoyt (Nov 27, 2000)

You don''t need the special tool, a little ingenuity will suffice. You should have seen the list of special tools I supposedly needed to disassemble the lower unit. I had to replace mine as it was holed by corrosion caused by a voltage leak. 
Don''t be too afraid of the job, its not as difficult as it may seem. It would be wise to make sure you have the necessary gaskets. These may be included in the water pump repair kit.
By the way, make sure you install the impeller such that the fins are bent back the same direction as the fins on the old one. It won''t work if you get it backwards.

These are actually great little units, if they still made parts for them there would be no problem. I''ve had very little trouble with mine mechanically and it will bury the stern and push my C&C 25 along at just a hair under 7 knots. The outdrive also provides a little bit of steering stability as it acts like a skeg.
These motors are 30 or 35 hp tuned down to 15. This makes them quite durable. I don''t know why there is such a general dislike for these powerplants. Likely just due to a lack of dealer support and a lack of maintenance, not that they require much maintenance, just the basics. If you mix the gas properly the plugs last a long time too. I ran the same set for the whole season last year and I''m still using them now. I think people tend to put far too much oil in the gas and this causes excessive smoke and fouled plugs.
I far prefer the saildrive to an outboard tacked on the stern.

I''ve heard that Honda now makes a 4 stroke Saildrive although I haven''t been able to find out much. I think this would be a great replacement for my boat as it would be light, quiet, powerful and fuel efficient. I think a 600 pound diesel is a little chunky for a 25 foot boat and you don''t get much of a hp to weight ratio at this end of the diesel engine scale. Does anyone know of the Honda Saildrive?

Good luck,

Andy Shand


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Andy...thanks for the update...I am still abit confused...do I have to pull the power head to access the water-pump? Do you suggest I haave the repair manual as a reference guide...I do order it. The problem I also have is that this is in a S2 24'' boat and the engine compartment is very compact.
The instructions you gave me earlier were very helpful..thank you. I also appreciate the scoop on the Honda Saildrive...I will look into that. Anything else you can think of..I plan to attack this on Friday.

ART


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## mikehoyt (Nov 27, 2000)

Art,

Please email me at [email protected]

I will send you Andy''s email address and phone # so you can communicate with him directly.

Mike


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## scuppers (Feb 20, 2000)

Here''s the website for a version of the Honda 4-stroke saildrive. 

http://www.saildrive280.com

Unfortunately, you need to have recently won the lottery to afford it: $5600 plus $450 for the throttle control.
Yikes! It costs more than my boat did!


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## haf2 (Aug 5, 2013)

I also have an S2- 24 ft and I also have a problem with my water pump. I have been considering getting an outboard motor because no one seems to know how to fix my water pump problem. Did you fix your water pump and how hard was it to put the engine head back on?


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## LostBoat (Apr 14, 2014)

Does anyone know where to find the Water Pump Kit (part # 389105) needed for this job? No luck at all finding it and I need to do this before she goes back in the water!


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## timtim (Dec 16, 2012)

NEW OEM Johnson Evinrude 389105 Kit AY Water Pump Outboard

On eBay!


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

When working on unfamiliar stuff a digital camera is your friend. Take LOTS of shots at every step.


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## larryr (Sep 29, 2014)

Does any one know how to remove an OMC sale drive?The OMC sail drive in my boat is rusted up, seized up and ........... I am using a 9.9 Evenrude now and would like to rid myself of the sail drive and gain the space. can contact me at larryrea123 at gmail dot com thanks


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Larry.. not a good idea to leave your email in plain form.. spambots and all...

IIRC the power head comes off and you unbolt the drive from its mounts and pull it up into the boat, but it's been a while since I looked hard at one of those. Could come out in one piece too, but may be unwieldly and awkward.

You would then need to prep and glass over the largish hole left behind.


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## mikehoyt (Nov 27, 2000)

yahoo saildriveowners group. Has well over 500 members and is all about the OMC saildrive. Anything you want to know that is the place


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## dabnis (Jul 29, 2007)

I have ordered parts for my 1984 35 HP Evinrude here:

http://shop2.evinrude.com/Index.aspx?s1=ddq8s2t6qs434ftop5125tjcl4&catalog_id=0&siteid=1

Boat Parts OMC

Paul T


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