Hello.

When I bought my boat the oil breather tube came without a cover.

Do you know where I could find one for a 3.0 liter GM motor used in an
88 OMC cobra I/O? What should I expect to pay? If I can't find the
original part, is there some way to cover the breather without blocking
it?

Thanks.

-Kyle

wrote:

Hello.

When I bought my boat the oil breather tube came without a cover.

Do you know where I could find one for a 3.0 liter GM motor used in an
88 OMC cobra I/O? What should I expect to pay? If I can't find the
original part, is there some way to cover the breather without blocking
it?

Thanks.

-Kyle


The oil breather tube usually just clips onto the carb spark arrestor.
The fumes get taken in to be burned in the engine with the intake rush...

Rob

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello.

When I bought my boat the oil breather tube came without a cover.

Do you know where I could find one for a 3.0 liter GM motor used in an
88 OMC cobra I/O? What should I expect to pay? If I can't find the
original part, is there some way to cover the breather without blocking
it?

Thanks.

-Kyle


Probably just the oil filler tube. Breathers have been out for years with
the PCV valve and tube to the carb replacing the breather. IF it is the
filler tube, go to Chevrolet and buy a cap. Most of the chevy's for years
have used the same rubber cap.
Bill

My 1998 3 liter MerCruiser has a tube from a rubber cap in the top of the
valve cover (no PVC) to the spark arrestor over the carburetor. It's held to
the spark arrestor by a tab on the metal strap that holds the spark arrestor
to the carburetor.
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello.

When I bought my boat the oil breather tube came without a cover.

Do you know where I could find one for a 3.0 liter GM motor used in an
88 OMC cobra I/O? What should I expect to pay? If I can't find the
original part, is there some way to cover the breather without blocking
it?

Thanks.

-Kyle

Thank you all for your replies.

The tube in question sits low, and comes out of the oil pan. When I
went to winterize the boat we found a full gallon and a half of water
in the oil pan! There was less than two quarts of actual oil left. We
discovered a little tube that opens up into a larger copper piece, and
figured that water must have entered the oil pan through it when the
bilge compartment flooded.

I'm assuming there is some sort of cover for this tube if it IS indeed
the oil fill tube. If not, is this the piece that somehow gets
connected to the carburetor?

For lack of a digicam, it looks like this:

|__|
||
||

The narrow end comes out of the bottom of the engine, the oil pan if I
remember correctly.

-Kyle

wgander wrote:
My 1998 3 liter MerCruiser has a tube from a rubber cap in the top of
the
valve cover (no PVC) to the spark arrestor over the carburetor. It's
held to
the spark arrestor by a tab on the metal strap that holds the spark
arrestor
to the carburetor.
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello.

When I bought my boat the oil breather tube came without a cover.

Do you know where I could find one for a 3.0 liter GM motor used in
an
88 OMC cobra I/O? What should I expect to pay? If I can't find
the
original part, is there some way to cover the breather without
blocking
it?

Thanks.

-Kyle

wrote:

Thank you all for your replies.

The tube in question sits low, and comes out of the oil pan. When I
went to winterize the boat we found a full gallon and a half of water
in the oil pan! There was less than two quarts of actual oil left. We
discovered a little tube that opens up into a larger copper piece, and
figured that water must have entered the oil pan through it when the
bilge compartment flooded.

I'm assuming there is some sort of cover for this tube if it IS indeed
the oil fill tube. If not, is this the piece that somehow gets
connected to the carburetor?

For lack of a digicam, it looks like this:

|__|
||
||

The narrow end comes out of the bottom of the engine, the oil pan if I
remember correctly.

-Kyle

Are you sure you're not talking about the dipstick tube now?

If it's not the dipstick tube, it sounds like someone may have put an
oil drain kit on the engine, to drain the oil out the bilge drain into a
waiting vessel.

How did you drain the oil?

Did you check the oil level at some point before draining it? Was it
over full? You indicate there was about 8 quarts in the crankcase, and
the 3.0 takes 5 quarts, with a filter change.

Otherwise, there is no breather tube of any sort that goes into the oil
pan. The breather vent is in the rocker(valve) cover.

Rob

I know it's not the dipstick tube, we pumped the oil / water our of the
dipstick tube when we winterized it.

It may be an oil drain kit like you said, but it doesn't line up with
the bilge drain plug at all. It comes out the side of the oil pan and
goes up, terminating in the wider section I tried to draw in ASCII.

We pumped the oil out with an electric pump through the dipstick tube
(my dad owns an auto shop, and is as puzzled by this tube as I am). I
did check the oil level, and it DID show over full. Color me an idiot


Thank you for your help. As long as the tube ISN'T a breather, I'm
guessing we can plug it with a piece of foam to keep water from pouring
into the oil pan (and spreading a lot of oil over the bottom of my
bilge compartment in the process).

BTW, any bets how long this motor will continue to run after being
lubricated with a 1:7 oil / water mixture for half a summer?


-Kyle


Are you sure you're not talking about the dipstick tube now?

If it's not the dipstick tube, it sounds like someone may have put an

oil drain kit on the engine, to drain the oil out the bilge drain
into a
waiting vessel.

How did you drain the oil?

Did you check the oil level at some point before draining it? Was it

over full? You indicate there was about 8 quarts in the crankcase,
and
the 3.0 takes 5 quarts, with a filter change.

Otherwise, there is no breather tube of any sort that goes into the
oil
pan. The breather vent is in the rocker(valve) cover.

Rob

wrote:
I know it's not the dipstick tube, we pumped the oil / water our of the
dipstick tube when we winterized it.

It may be an oil drain kit like you said, but it doesn't line up with
the bilge drain plug at all. It comes out the side of the oil pan and
goes up, terminating in the wider section I tried to draw in ASCII.

We pumped the oil out with an electric pump through the dipstick tube
(my dad owns an auto shop, and is as puzzled by this tube as I am). I
did check the oil level, and it DID show over full. Color me an idiot


Thank you for your help. As long as the tube ISN'T a breather, I'm
guessing we can plug it with a piece of foam to keep water from pouring
into the oil pan (and spreading a lot of oil over the bottom of my
bilge compartment in the process).

BTW, any bets how long this motor will continue to run after being
lubricated with a 1:7 oil / water mixture for half a summer?


-Kyle

Water is not AS bad as glycol or DexCool... you might be OK... maybe use
Mobil 1 or Amsoil for the next season...

Post a pic, or several, of that tube, on your web space and someone here
will tell you what it is.

Rob

Until we see a photo, I'm guessing it's an oil drain.
Standard on newer 3 liter MerCruisers, I just added one to my 1998 engine..
It replaces the oil pan drain plug and is long enough to extend through the
bilge drain. There is a plug in the end of the tube, connecting it with a
short chain, to the rear of the bilge drain plug.
What an easy way to change oil! On a warm engine, remove the drain plug and
pull it to get the oil drain hose outside the transom and into a bucket.
Then, undo the plug on the oil drain hose and let it drain.

"trainfan1" wrote in message
...
wrote:
I know it's not the dipstick tube, we pumped the oil / water our of the
dipstick tube when we winterized it.

It may be an oil drain kit like you said, but it doesn't line up with
the bilge drain plug at all. It comes out the side of the oil pan and
goes up, terminating in the wider section I tried to draw in ASCII.

We pumped the oil out with an electric pump through the dipstick tube
(my dad owns an auto shop, and is as puzzled by this tube as I am). I
did check the oil level, and it DID show over full. Color me an idiot


Thank you for your help. As long as the tube ISN'T a breather, I'm
guessing we can plug it with a piece of foam to keep water from pouring
into the oil pan (and spreading a lot of oil over the bottom of my
bilge compartment in the process).

BTW, any bets how long this motor will continue to run after being
lubricated with a 1:7 oil / water mixture for half a summer?


-Kyle

Water is not AS bad as glycol or DexCool... you might be OK... maybe use
Mobil 1 or Amsoil for the next season...

Post a pic, or several, of that tube, on your web space and someone here
will tell you what it is.

Rob