My stepson has a '96 force 50 that he bought used a few weeks ago. Started getting water in the cowl and found that the adapter plate gasket had blown out due to loose bolts. We replaced gaskets, installed and retorqued bolts per specs. After 30 minutes of cruise, gasket blew out again. Found every bolt loose (6 bolts connecting plate to lower unit, and 8 bolts connecting plate to power head). Also found that starter bolts had loosened up. Anybody have any idea why this is happening and what to do about it? Seems to be vibration related but motor runs great. No noticeable bad vibes. All of the bolts have flat washers only. I am thinking about going back with lock washers. Anybody know a reason not to? Thanks in advance for any help.
