1987 Force 125 questions

[Newbie Dan]

Hi. I bought ny first boat last fall..a 1987 Bayliner 17' Bass boat with a 125 Force engine. Used it yesterday for the first time and it ran great. The prop seemed too lose on the slpine so I took it apart and found that the spacer was missing. I found that on one of the extra props that the guy gave me and installed it. Now as I look at the manual I see that there is a "flare" missing. I tried my local marine supply and the guy couldn't find one to order anywhere. Any ideas? Also, I have a stainless prop to put on..is it better or worse ( I was told that they are harder on the trans..?) And last but not least is/was Force made by Chrystler or Merc? Sorry for the stupid questions but I am the Newbie.

Dan.

[ctmega]

Dan,

Your 1987 Force outboard was made by Chrysler. Mercury took over manufacturing in the 90's.

[JoeCrow]

Check the Mercury dealer
a 15 tooth spline 1" shaft thrust washer should fit it
They were used on mid 80's to late 90's 60hp bigfoot
and up to 125hp 2 stroke mercs
I ran a 13x19 SS prop without any problem on my 125 Force
and got much better performance than with 13x17 aluminum prop

[Newbie Dan]

Thanks CT.
Dan

[Newbie Dan]

Joe, Thanks for the info. I just installed a stainless 13X19 while waiting for a response...pretty cool timing. There is a dealer in Flemington NJ close to me that may have some Force parts. Thanks again.
Dan

[wajajaja02]

got a 89 125 ob/ one prop has the washer permanently attached and the other I had to buy , my dealer had a box of those and sold it to me for a buck.
don't give up, one dealer ,the above, doesn't care to support my force at all, a dealer in the neighboring town can find any part I need. It attitude.

[Newbie Dan]

Wajajaja, thanks for the input. I am in Warren county, would you be willing to let me know who the supplier is that can get any part? Thanks.
Dan

[Frank Acampora]

Newbie:

The "Flare" is a black plastic piece about four inches in diameter and about one inch thick. It was known as a Flare Washer or originally on the Chrysler engines, an "Anti-Cavitation Washer"

Since the engine one piece lower unit and midleg is one inch shorter than the original two piece lower unit and midleg, the newer one piece lowers tended to cavitate. The washer was an attempt to economically cure this.

If your engine is set deep in the water or does not cavitate excessively, then you can run quite nicely without it.

As far as I know, it was used up until Merc changed to the mercury lower unit sometime in the 1990s. So: you should be able to buy one at the local Merc dealer--but it is going to be pricey for a plastic part. The original tailcone which attached behind it was almost 30 bucks so I would expect it to be just as much. You would be much better off going to an outboard boneyard and try to get it there.

As an explanation, the early white Force engines had an extension on the prop shaft to receive the tailcone. For whatever reason, (probably price) black Force engines eliminated the tailcone .

[Newbie Dan]

Thanks Frank. I will try to find one around here. It seems to run fine without it & I made a new washer to take the play out of the prop so I will try it out on Tues on Lk. Hopatcong. My Force is dark blue..does that mean anything?

[ybbaw1]

concerned about 85hp force outbd running perfectly for over 1 hour then outbd hot buzzer went off? Outbd sutdown and cooled for 30 minutes. Once restarted, checked water discharge and witnessed flow. What else could possibly be the problem?

[jerryjerry05]

Props from 87 motors and up don't need flares.Older white motors do.Post pics of what you have.I have the mounting hardware if you need it.You pay postage it's free.Some play is acceptable.
The thrust hub is not part of the prop.If it's there it's probably stuck.
Stainless props are harder on the drive train only if you hit the bottom a lot.
Some boaters thing that they can use their motor to go through everything.
Aluminum bends and breaks quicker,stainless won't.It will break at the weakest point lots of time it's the drive shaft.J

[kfouryou]

I have an 87 125 and there's one on mine ,my motor is blue hmm wondering if I really need it I guess it doesn't hurt.