Picked up an '89 Force 125 the other day

home-boy

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It looks pretty nice but seller said it had low power. He said it had good compression and thought that maybe the stator was causing it.

I grabbed it and a 35 gal aluminum fuel tank for $200 so I think I'm ok on it.

Any ideas on what could cause low power?
 

SkiDad

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check for spark on all 4 cylinders and check compression even though they said it was OK. you can buy the spark test for 10 bucks and rent the compression tester for free at autozone
 
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jerryjerry05

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Low power: bad compression, bad stator, timing off, fuel pump bad, carbs dirty,fuel tank dirty, squeezie or hoses bad,
the linkage needs adjusting, the base gasket leaking exhaust into the cowl.
Might be a couple more?
Yup $200 is a good deal. The parts alone are worth a lot more.
Is it the short shaft? 20" or the long 25"
Like Skidad suggested do a compression test.And do it before you do anything else.
The other stuff is easily fixable, low comp isn't.
Still can be fixed just a bit more involved.
 

home-boy

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Seller said he used to be a boat mechanic and saw a dark spot on the stator. I am just learning these engines so what does that mean?
 

HotTommy

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Now would be a good time to invest in a Factory Service Manual. That is always the first thing I buy after buying a fixer-upper project of any kind.
 

home-boy

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Now would be a good time to invest in a Factory Service Manual. That is always the first thing I buy after buying a fixer-upper project of any kind.

I have a SELOC that goes up to 1984. I think most of the design is still the same.
 

jerryjerry05

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Outboard ignition . com has test procedures for that motor and many more.
A dark spot can mean a burned coil/ wrapping? Or it could mean nothing. Pics?
The Seloc is just ok. It probably will have what you need but the factory is best.
You'll need a special meter(peak reading volt meter) to part of this test.
Measure DVA voltage of the stator between the output wire sets. With everything connected, reading s should be approximately 180 volts or more. Resistance readings between the stator wire sets range from 680 - 800 ohmsCheck stator and trigger resistance, trigger wire sets read approximately 50 ohms between the wire sets (DVA-4V or more), stator reads 680-800 ohms (factory) and 200- 300 (CDI/RAPAIR) DVA 180V or more from blue to yellow.
Do a comp test first, then check out the rest.
 
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