Force 40Hp will not start

[Pdcon37]

I have what I believe to be a force 40hp, serial number OE049078, i can not find any information pertaining that number. anyways my problem started the other day, i pulled boat out after having put in away for the winter and will not start. It ran fine the last time had it on the water maybe 6 months ago, i pulled the carb and cleaned it out, it was fairly clean. my auto mechanic buddy took a look at it and said that it has a really week spark in the upper cylinder and no spark in the lower, can that be possible? any trouble shooting ideas to help me would be great.. thaanks

 

[MickLovin]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start


I have attached a copy of the parts for your ignition assembly and will try and find a schematic, but others here will give you a better indication of what may be wrong as I am not familiar with the force engine of this age. Did your mechanic friend do a check on the coils or try to swap them to see if the other would spark? Could be a few different things and as I say others here will know more how to diagnose and isolate the problem. Motors a bit new for me I am a 70's 80' kinda man LOL

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

^^^no he did not try and switch them because they both worked at one time or another, first the top had spark, than i took off all the ground wires and cleaned them up, then we checked again and the bottom at spark but not the top, and i didn't cross any wire when i put them back because i did 1 wire at a time.

 

[MickLovin]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

Ok so sounds like it isn't your coils, are you sure you didn't cross the coil wires over, why not swap them again and check to make sure it isn't your coils, you can always swap them back, could also have a broken wire somewhere, possibly a ground. Just check all the wiring for any obvious damage to cables.
You look to have a neutral switch as well, make sure that is operating correctly and you have it in neutral.
On yours you also have a rectifier/regulator, a switch box, a trigger and a stator assembly which all need to be diagnosed. It is really a matter of elimination. Hopefully Frank Acampora, jerry jerry or someone will know a bit more, actually Jiggz , pnwboat and oldboat1 will hopefully chime in.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

I can't seem to find anything with the serial number either. Can you post some pictures of the ignition system? I would suspect that it may be mid to later 1990's with that S/N format.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

Try outboard ignition . com
Or CDI ignition.
That will help with the spark test.
Pics of the motor, all sides of the power head.
This will help figure out what you have.

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

Ok, thanks for the help. I will get some photos on a little later today and post them.

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

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Hopefully all help.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

Ouch! After turning my head every which way to view the pictures, I think I need some medical attention! Just kidding LOL! Your motor uses a Switch Box Mercury style ignition system. They used that on the Force 40HP from 1992 - 1995.

Start off by checking the six magnets under the flywheel. Make sure they are all epoxied securely to the inner circumference of the flywheel and not broken or missing.

Check the ground connections. Looks like you have a couple of spots where there are multiple wires tied together to ground. Make sure the connections are good and clean.

Next thing to check is the stator windings. Looks like you have a stator that has a low speed winding, and a high speed winding. The wires that go to the stator windings are Blue and Red. I don't know which color is the low or high speed winding. To check them, disconnect the Blue and Red stator wires and measure between each wire and ground or engine block. The Low speed winding should read between 3250 - 3650 OHMs. The high speed winding should read between 75 - 90 OHMs.

If the stator checks out OK, then I would begin to suspect that the ignition Switch Box may be bad.

 

[bamaj]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

e000001-e093699 1992-94,mine is a e07# and is suppose to be a 94,but crossed referenced by mercury dealer book says it's a 95.was told that's when they were changing a lot of stuff and serial # we're not accurate.was told to make sure to cross reference numbers when ordering parts.

 

[MickLovin]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

It sought of looks like your throttle and cam aren't correctly set up, I can't see it that well but the line on the cam looks to be above the roller? Just saying that as the throttle link looks loose as well. Check for yourself that you only have one cylinder sparking again just to be sure, it seems strange that this wouldn't be a fuel problem due to it sitting for a season, you said it was working fine last season?
Also check your kill switch is ok.
So it does crank ok and fuel is getting to the spark plugs? I have a funny suspicion this is a fuel problem but I have been wroooong before :facepalm:

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

Ya, it worked fine the last time I took it out. This may be a stupid question but where is the kill switch located?

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

never mind, i found it..lol

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

Ok, so good news, on the way home I stoped by our local harbor freight and picked up a spark tester, I have spark in both cylinders. But now here's the problem. Gas spills out out of carb and a pretty good pace. Also there is gas coming out down by the prop.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

The spark should be white or with a bluish tint. If it's a yellowish colored spark, it may not be strong enough to ignite the fuel in the cylinder under operating conditions.

Fuel leaking from the carburetor? Is the motor sitting level like it would normally be when running? If so, sounds like you have a needle valve that is bad or stuck open. Gas coming out by the prop is normal with a flooded engine. Need to take the fuel bowl off and make sure there is no crud in there preventing the needle valve from shutting off the fuel supply when the bowl gets full.

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

I have taken the carb off and soaked in pinsole for 2 days sprayed with compressed air, so I know the carb is clean.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

Check the needle valve, if there is no groove around the tip, which easy to see if it has a rubber tip, then make sure the float height is set correctly and put it back together. Squeeze the primer bulb and after 4 or 5 squeezes, the bulb should get firm. If it doesn't get firm and gas starts coming out of the carb then the float height is set too high or the needle valve is bad.

 

[Pdcon37]

Re: Force 40Hp will not start

Yes, the primer bulb does not get hard, the gas just start coming out of the carb? How do I know what the float height is supposed to be set at?