force 125 upgrade to merc 135

fisheymikey

Chief Petty Officer
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Jul 30, 2012
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i currently have a force 125 and i have an option to upgrade to a optimax 135 or 115 the price is 5k either one

my question is i am currently redoing the whole hull of the boat transom stringers etc will the transom be able to handle the 125lbs extra of the merc?

thanks
 

SkiDad

Lieutenant Commander
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Jul 18, 2010
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1,518
as long as your boat is rated for 135 then you should be fine. I think it's the torque, not the weight you have to be concerned about IMHO.
 

jerryjerry05

Supreme Mariner
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May 7, 2008
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Does the new come with controls, harness, shifter?
The old won't match.
They both Opti's?.
Since your redoing??? Make it even stronger so there is no question.
What's the boat? Rating?Load,Hp?
 

fisheymikey

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nope no controls or anything the said it will match only need to change harness with an adapter. sainf the trim streering throttle could be adjusted

yes both opties, rated135, trophy cc 1910
 

Frank Acampora

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Jan 19, 2007
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12,004
Believe me--I understand that Force has a bad reputation and supposedly will not perform up to the standards of Mercury or OMC. I am a Chrysler and Force fan but am also a pragmatist. If the engine is trashed and needs replacing anyway, that is one thing. If it is running well, that is a whole other story.

Unless the Force is simply beyond repair it is not worth the 5K to "Upgrade" for the following reason: You state that "they" said the controls will swap with the Merc.This leads me to believe that the Force is a late 90s engine. When Brunswick/Mercury got their hands on them, internals were changed, ignition was changed to the superior Mercury ignition system, and the lower unit was changed to the Mercury design. The net result was a much better horsepower output. Thus, if the engine is a late 90s and if it is running well, then you will not gain much performance by swapping brands.

Even if it is a lower performance earlier Force engine, if it is running well, It is gunna take a whole lot of convincing to get me to swap for an extra 5K. That's a lot of gas!

At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
 

fisheymikey

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Frank. havent given up on her yet... shes a 125 1988 143 on all 4 cylinders. i have maybe a few more misteries to figure out.

1 she does a sudden burst between 4300 to 4900 like if it jolts all of sudden

lower cylinder is always cleaner then the rest. changed head and side gasket plugs

but i do have a question about the fuel cap on my 1988 1910 trophy cc. i removed the lip with a grinder due to fear getting water inside i wanted a tighter fit between the cap and threads could that cause any loss in power? vent line and fuel pump are good

thanls
 

jerryjerry05

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May 7, 2008
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17,923
The clean plug and sudden burst is a bad stator or a bad trigger lead or maybe a bad pack..
And NO the controls and wiring harness won't fit.
Never heard of an adapter for Force to Mercury harness.

Back to the "burst O speed"
The trigger lead has very thin wires from it to the junction block.
Reach in to the trigger wire for #4 and do a tug test.
See if it doesn't pull out.
Then unscrew the connectors and retighten.
Sometimes they work their way loose.(kinda like a light bub that unscrews itself from repeatedly being turned on and off)

The 4900 burst also might mean you have the wrong prop on there or too much stuff in the boat..
You should be able to get around 5400 rpms.
What pitch?

Fuel cap: you have the black knobby one? Pics?
No way would the cap have anything to do with the drop in rpms. Unless the grindings get into the filter and shut off the fuel.

Yes the Opti's get great fuel economy. But the switch is gonna cost another 6-700$ for controls and gauges.
What's the year on the Opti's? $5000 sounds like your getting screwed.
I just bought a 2001 225Opti for half of what your gonna spend.
And ANY salesman is gonna tell you anything to sell you a motor.
In fact I'll sell you my 225 and install it for the $5 your gonna give the dealer.
 

fisheymikey

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 30, 2012
Messages
450
The clean plug and sudden burst is a bad stator or a bad trigger lead or maybe a bad pack..
And NO the controls and wiring harness won't fit.
Never heard of an adapter for Force to Mercury harness.

Back to the "burst O speed"
The trigger lead has very thin wires from it to the junction block.
Reach in to the trigger wire for #4 and do a tug test.
See if it doesn't pull out.
Then unscrew the connectors and retighten.
Sometimes they work their way loose.(kinda like a light bub that unscrews itself from repeatedly being turned on and off)

The 4900 burst also might mean you have the wrong prop on there or too much stuff in the boat..
You should be able to get around 5400 rpms.
What pitch?

Fuel cap: you have the black knobby one? Pics?
No way would the cap have anything to do with the drop in rpms. Unless the grindings get into the filter and shut off the fuel.

Yes the Opti's get great fuel economy. But the switch is gonna cost another 6-700$ for controls and gauges.
What's the year on the Opti's? $5000 sounds like your getting screwed.
I just bought a 2001 225Opti for half of what your gonna spend.
And ANY salesman is gonna tell you anything to sell you a motor.
In fact I'll sell you my 225 and install it for the $5 your gonna give the dealer.


redid all wire connectors from pack, stator and trigger.
the cap is black and looks like it has 8 pedals like a flower
stator test with dva output is 190v onn each lead to pack, charging 14v at 3000rpm
the only thing left is to trouble shoot coils and pack could be the only left. i have a gap tester is that enough? or do i need another proceedure?
i just wanted to inquire for the engine only when my force bites the bullet she gonna be new again
the boat was totaly waterlogged at least 2-300lbs of weight guessing maybe thats why the rpm my pitch is 15

i wish jerry you lived close by maybe you would be able to figure out my probs
 
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