Can you mix up the gear and throttle cables on the 1993 Force 90HP engine?

[balmfort]

Hello - new to this forum and need some diagnostic advice. I have 1993 Bayliner Capri with a 90HP Force engine that I bought last year. I was trying to adjust the carbs to get them to fully open. I followed the Link and Sync process to do this and I removed both the gear shift and throttle cables and adjusted the throttle cable to allow the carbs to open fully at WOT when the throttle lever is fully forward.

Put everything back together. Seemed to run good on muffs in the driveway. Took it out in the water yesterday and it ran strong for a few minutes and then it lost power and make a rattling noise. It shifts into forward and reverse gears okay. Engine runs fine in neutral, but doesnt seem to have any power and it doesnt sound right.
any ideas? Is it possible to mix up the two cables when they were re-attached to the engine?
I'm worried I did something wrong and messed up the lower unit. Not sure how that would have happened but dont have much experience with outboard motors.

I appreciate any advise from folks on this forum with Force motor experience.

 

[HotTommy]

Yes, I believe it is possible. ... When I faced that same problem, I noted that the throttle cable moves with the full range of throttle lever movement. The shift cable only moves until it is in gear and then moves no more. So the cable end that moves near the end of full throttle lever movement is the one for the throttle.

 

[balmfort]

UPDATE: did a compression test today and found that the #2 cylinder is dead. Now need to figure out if it's worth rebuilding this motor or not. Anyone have a guesstimate on powerrhead rebuild for 90hp Force? Is it better to try and find used complete motor?

 

[HotTommy]

The price depends on what is actually wrong. If you are a DIY guy, buy a Factory Service Manual and take the head off the engine. Once you see what is causing the problem (e.g., a broken ring) you'll have a better idea of what parts will be needed for repair. ..... I was in your shoes a year ago and learned to repair my engine with the FSM and lots of help from this forum. ... BTW, you may discover there are other problems beyond low compression AFTER you fix that problem. You can avoid all that by getting a known good engine. But it will likely cost more than fixing it yourself. If you have to pay someone to fix it, I wish you better luck than I had. The outboard mechanics in my area come in two flavors - good/expensive (and slow) or cheaper/unreliable (and slower).

 

[Frank Acampora]

It is never cheap but it is always worth rebuilding an engine unless the cylinders are too badly scored or the crankshaft is damaged. First take off the head and see how much damage is done to the #2 cylinder. Post a couple of good photos and we will tell you your next step.

These engines use a semi-keystone top ring and they are prone to breaking. However, sometimes the cylinder is so lightly damaged that a new piston and set of rings is all it takes to get back on the water. Not trying to blow sunshine up your butt, but there is a chance.