help identifying my force 85hp

[rsw21282]

I have a force 85hp i think its an 1981 but not sure, i have been looking in my repair manual(cover wide range force yrs) it has a coil for each cyl. and 2 circuit boxes next to it, also has 1piece lower unit. Another question what type of ignition do i have? wire diagram describes magnetos while another says CD? And finally this thing worked 2 months ago and went to start it today and no spark, have fuel but not getting spark in any cyl. PLEASE HELP

ryan

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: help identifying my force 85hp

These engines were Chrysler until 1984 so if it is a Force, it is later than that. If it is white, it will be someplace between 84-86 and if it is blue or black it will be later. If you get no spark on any cylinder, then disconnect the white wire on the engine terminal board near the starter and see if you now have spark. If you do, then the problem is highly likely to be a bad or improperly wired ignition switch.

At any rate, your engine will have some sort of electronic capacitor discharge ignition. If your engine is white, it will have Prestolite ignition with quick-connects on the electronic wiring. If it is later, then all electronic wiring will go to a terminal board mounted on the CD box and coil mounting plate. Basicall, both systems are the same with the exception of how the wires are terminated.

 

[rsw21282]

Re: help identifying my force 85hp

my eng. is black has 85 force on the cover(everything is black) i only thought it was an 81 cuz the boat is that yr however it has two sets of transom holes in it(looking at the book looks like a prestolite sys. coil per cyl and 2cd boxs), today i cleaned the spark plug lead connectors, cleaned the ground from coils, and tightened all screws pertaining to the elec. sys. my question may be when i bout this bout 2mo. ago the owner started it for me, now i ripped all the junky bull crap out(exempt starter key switch and trim) and it doesnt spark is there somehting in the stock gages im missing? im finding it hard to believe that only after a trailer ride and 2 mo. of sitting it wont start.

ryan

 

[rsw21282]

Re: help identifying my force 85hp

when i said ripped junk out ment console things like tach, fuel quantity, etc. nothing pertaining to the eng. (so i hope) all key ignition panel switches in tact. oh my eng serial no. is 633 and on power block something to the effect of m2439.... maybe that helps.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: help identifying my force 85hp

Well, Ryan-- Force engines were black up until Mercury discontinued making them. You undoubtably have a replacement engine on the boat. If it is 1990 or earlier then the engine is designed to run until you do something to stop it. That something is to short the CD boxes to ground to stop the spark. Mercury ignition on later engines is similar but wire colors may be different. There should be an aluminum plate on the engine clamp with the model number. Tell us what that is and one of the other fellows can tell you the exact year your engine is. If that plate is missing, there may be a paper sticker on the starter motor mount with the same info.

There is a white wire coming from each CD box and both are connected to the terminal board near the starter. The white wire in the switch cable connects to this terminal. At the switch it connects to the "M" terminal. The blue wire connects to the other "M" terminal. At the engine the blue wire on the terminal board is jumped to ground. When the switch is turned off, white connects to blue and is grounded.

Ignition on these engines is a completely separate system, having nothing to do with any other electrical systems. In order to have no spark on any cylinder, either both CD boxes or all three coils would need to be bad. It would be a highly unlikely coincidence if both of your CD boxes were bad or if all the coils were bad. Thus: it is more likely that the white wire is grounded somewhere. That is why I recommended detaching it from the engine terminal and trying to start the engine. Since you did work on the wiring, double check all connections under the dash or in the control box if the switch is there.

 

[rsw21282]

Re: help identifying my force 85hp

Ok, Frank (genious) i disconnected the white wire as instructed and got a few fires but not sustainable, what should i do next? what is the problem?

thank you so much
ryan

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: help identifying my force 85hp

I guess you mean the engine kicked over but did not run-- If that is the case, the next thing to do would be to remove all three plugs and ground them so you do not damage the CD boxes. Then crank the engine and see if all three plugs are sparking. If they are, then it most likely is a fuel problem.

You are choking it when you try to start it, aren't you? This is done by pushing in on the key while turning to the start position. On a cold start, most of these engines will not run without choking and setting the control handle into the fast idle position. You eitherr pull out the handle or press the rubber button in the center while advancing the handle as far as it will go. Then choke and start.

 

[rsw21282]

Re: help identifying my force 85hp

frank that worked it cranked now all i have to hope is that the impeller works and the gearcase doesnt leak to bad(a bit whitish when i changed the oil, replaced and gonna check after running tomm.) anyway thank you sir saved a poor man a few hundred dollars.

ryan