125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

[mbray]

Hello, I just finished rebuilding the valve on my unit and it is operating great now. But I am weeping out fluid very slowly between the resevoir and the valve. It appears that the res is slightly mis-shaped at the bottom. I can still use the unit but hate the trail of oil in the water:facepalm:. I am a machinist and am currently working on a few ideas for repairing i, but unsuccessful so far. If anyone could tell me where I can find JUST the resevoir I would really appreciate it. Otherwise any tips and tricks for taking the very slight bow out of the aluminum without cracking it. And il keep trying in the mean time. Thanks

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

I think?? The reservoir is plastic.Look on e-bay for used ones.Most come with motors and AIN"T cheap.
Take it apart,clean it with a good solvent.Then use a good silicone and try to seal it.Let it cure before you add fluid.
RRITT on this site sells and works on these.Maybe he has an answer.J

 

[RRitt]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

they are not repairable. You should buy a new motor. If you buy a used reservoir then you have a 50/50 chance that it is any good (at best) .

silicone is bad. if you're going to use something, use something that won't break off and become chunks of debris floating around in the fluid.

there is a work around that might buy you some extra time. Go to a hydraulics shop and ask for an ASA 041 four lobe oring. some places call them quad rings. Get Buna70 or lower. you will have to take pump assy off boat and work carefully to fit this gasket onto your pump without stripping the motor to valve body threads.

 

[WaveJumpingMaxum]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

boat motor recyclers in michigan sells brand new replacements, not oem obviously but aftermarket brand new, just picked one up about a month ago for 200$ free shipping on a 2 wire system, if you dont see them on ebay you can call and order one @ 952 894 4888, or service@bmr1.com i had to call and order mine took maybe 4 days for shipping to CT and they are very knowledgeable on force engines, knew exactly what part i needed with only a mfg yr and engine size.

 

[RRitt]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

make sure it is an arco or sierra before plopping down $200. If it's an import then either don't buy or don't go much over $120. What you are looking for is a cable entrance that points sideways and stainless top bolts. These motors get splashed a lot. If the cable entrance is pointing straight up then gravity will pull moisture into motor and it won't last as long.

 

[WaveJumpingMaxum]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

The one i got is imported. All stainless hardware, cable entrance points sideways and is sealed where the wires enter the motor. It was the only one i could find it definatly is well painted and water tight in all honesty it seems like its built 5x better then the oem one from the boat. Some imports got it spot on RRitt the days of buying things only "built" in America to ensure quality is quickly fading. :facepalm: unfourtnalty.

 

[RRitt]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

I'd put a magnet on that stainless. I doubt that it is what you think. If the magnet sticks then slather it up with some rubberized sealant. Something like that aerosol stufff they advertise on tv.

 

[WaveJumpingMaxum]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

I already tried that RRitt its real stainless, I did that when I first got it thinking import would roll with zinc coated. Now I wonder if where I bought it from changed out the screws when it got here :facepalm:

 

[RRitt]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

I already tried that RRitt its real stainless, I did that when I first got it thinking import would roll with zinc coated. Now I wonder if where I bought it from changed out the screws when it got here :facepalm:

if it has a side facing cable exit and stainless thru bolts then it isn't a current production model.

 

[mbray]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

Thanks for all the info guys i really appreciate it. Obviously I was hoping to hear something like " oh yeah those are only twenty bucks and you can get them anywhere". But I will give the quad ring a shot we carry several sizes in stock at my shop so I should be able to find one. I truly hate the thought of buying an entirely new motor and pump because the very bottom of the resevoir is. 010" off. But I need to stop it from leaking. Hey RR I was wondering have you ever tried to repair them when they are only slightly bowed at the very bottom like this?

 

[mbray]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

Hey RR, I had another question for you. I noticed you said I would have to remove the entire assembly but the leak is just between the res and the valve body between the motor side screws. I have been able to access this area by removing the lines then the 4 screws and the oring seats on the valve itself. Are we talking about the same part?

 

[RRitt]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

Hey RR, I had another question for you. I noticed you said I would have to remove the entire assembly but the leak is just between the res and the valve body between the motor side screws. I have been able to access this area by removing the lines then the 4 screws and the oring seats on the valve itself. Are we talking about the same part?

you need to remove the whole assembly because it is easy to make mistakes and difficult to get it right. You already have a warped reservoir and it's not worth the risk of making more troubles. Putting ithe motor upside down in the vice makes it easy to seat the armature and get a seal without stripping the threads. When finished, plug the ports with 3/16" inverted flare plugs and put about 20psi of compressed air into the filler hole. See if the soapy water bubbles.

as regards fixing them ... the aluminum reservoir on $120 imported motors will fit and is better than the original. The original brush cap is significantly better and should be retained if possible. Imported motors tend to use an inferior grade rubber and you need to be prepared to replace the reservoir to frame gasket. 1/32" cork-buna blend as sold by places like grainger is best. Pure buna has a tendency to stretch or slip under the combination of pressure and oil.

 

[mbray]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

That all sounds reasonable. Where do you find a motor aaround that price range? That would be worth it just to have on hand for that price even if I AM able to stop the leak on the original.

 

[RRitt]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

That all sounds reasonable. Where do you find a motor aaround that price range? That would be worth it just to have on hand for that price even if I AM able to stop the leak on the original.

if your original does not have any rust then keep it. Its a better machine. If your cable is cracking then replace with 36" of 14/2 marine safety duplex cable and substitute red for blue on color chart. Put new seals on it to keep out water and it will last forever. The Mercury Part numbers are (1 of) 820549 and (2 of) 8992.

I don't know where to get cheap 2w motors. $109 is what I charge for a 3w motor. People take their 3w motors apart and break the brush card. If the motor also has rust then the rebuild can get really expensive. So I stock the cheap imports as an bail-out for motors that have broken caps, rusted guts, and pitted armatures. 2w motors don't have these problems so there is no need to carry 2w imports. My exposure to them has been on systems people send in for repairs. I have yet to see an import that holds up well. They seem to corrode much more rapidly than original.

 

[WaveJumpingMaxum]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

Thats some good advice on replacing the imports gasket. Think ill do that as a preventative on mine. Im still trying to figure out how i have a 2 wire Tiwan imported one with stainless hardware and side exiting cables. Any other advice on making it last or should i try to off it on craigslist?

 

[RRitt]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

Thats some good advice on replacing the imports gasket. Think ill do that as a preventative on mine. Im still trying to figure out how i have a 2 wire Tiwan imported one with stainless hardware and side exiting cables. Any other advice on making it last or should i try to off it on craigslist?

maybe its not new or maybe its not an import.

water is your enemy. If you keep water out then almost any motor is going to last forever. A cable entrance that points up will allow water to sit in cracks and gravity will eventually draw it into motor. Seal it with a shape like a chocolate kiss so that water falls off and away. Get rubberizing compound and seal the through bolts. If the bolt or washer rusts then water will follow the cracks in the rust until it gets inside. Back in the 70's Prestolite used to dip the whole motor in a rubberrizing compound and the motors would often go 30 years even though they had steel through bolts.

 

[mbray]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

Well I took it apart again and like always I was too antsy to wait for my quad ring order from grainger so I tried something else. I cleaned everything back up (AGAIN!) and laid a piece of 1/4" gore tex flange and valve sealant around the outside edge of the valve. I was carefull to make sure the o- ring still sat where it was supposed to instead of on top of my make shift gasket. This way I know the rod that runs down to control the valve would still seat properly. Although chances of actually working were slim I reinstalle and refilled the res. Before it would start weeping out as soon as any fluid entered. I ran it up n down several times then let it sit all day. Still no leaks. Now I just have to water test but im pretty excited. Il let you know tommorow how that goes. Ps. I found an aluminum unit on Amazon for $139 if anyone needs the same thing.

 

[RRitt]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

Well I took it apart again and like always I was too antsy to wait for my quad ring order from grainger so I tried something else. I cleaned everything back up (AGAIN!) and laid a piece of 1/4" gore tex flange and valve sealant around the outside edge of the valve. I was carefull to make sure the o- ring still sat where it was supposed to instead of on top of my make shift gasket. This way I know the rod that runs down to control the valve would still seat properly. Although chances of actually working were slim I reinstalle and refilled the res. Before it would start weeping out as soon as any fluid entered. I ran it up n down several times then let it sit all day. Still no leaks. Now I just have to water test but im pretty excited. Il let you know tommorow how that goes. Ps. I found an aluminum unit on Amazon for $139 if anyone needs the same thing.

as long as the gor tex is not silicone then you should be good to go. I have repaired many pumps and motors that broke because somebody used silicone form a gasket and either the seal did not last or a flake of sealant jammed up a valve.

The reservoir becomes mildly pressurized when the engine is lowered. If it sits overnight in a fully down position without drips then you have pretty much passed the acid test.

 

[mbray]

Re: 125 hp mercury force 1989 - trim resevoir

This is not a silicone base, the material is pliable but is almost impossible to rip apardt we use it for heavy industrial pipe fitting everything from steam to oil up to around 3000psi. Then i cross where the two ends meet and run them outside the assembly. With valves and flanges this assures they dont get sucked up with pressure or vac. I left it up the first night and down on the trailer bar the second and nothing yet. I am only worried about the rez and valve coming together tight enough to compress it and fill the void for good. Im feelin a bit better after two days and a dozen times raising and lowering but its been to damn hot i southern wisconsin for the kids and I to get out fishin but hopefully this mornin. Thanks for all your help everyone.!!