1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

Cyberfly · Nov 7, 2007

I am getting ready to buy a used 1985 15 hp gamefisher outboard from a friend of mine. Motor is in great condition needs nothing. Has been stored inside all of its life,, it looks almost new, runs great, idles good, no issues that I can see.
Is there anything that I should check out or look for with these motors? Are there any known problems that i should be aware of or check for before I buy it?? thanks for any info.. ron

bgbass.1 · Nov 8, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

I would do a compression check on it if thats good buy it. it will need a new water pump impella and decarb. but thats about it you could also clean the carb.

Cyberfly · Nov 8, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

Did a compression check on it and they were all over 135lbs,,

Impella, I can hendle,,how do you decarb it??

bgbass.1 · Nov 9, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

Buy a can of seafoam warm up motorr on muffs spray into carb. throut for about 10 sec. shut off remove plugs spray in cylinders and leave for a couple hours then start up on muffs and let run for a while it will smoke somthing awful. then put new plugs in. You should also change water pump cheap investment to not cook motor.

Cyberfly · Nov 9, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

Thanks again for the info. Im not sure Ive ever seen anything called seafoam,, what is it and where do I get it? Will Bass Pro shop or a boat/outboard motor place have it?
PS: I ran it on the boat for the first time this morning and this little motor pushes the crap out of my 15 ft B52 Riverhawk, i had to take my hat off, was afraid of loosing it overboard. This little motor is strong, way more power than my 9.5 johnson and not much heavier.. I will definitely put in a new impeller, plugs, and will do the seafoam stuff when I find it.

Thanks,
Ron

bgbass.1 · Nov 9, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

You can buy seafoam at napa or advanced auto parts. Glad to hear it runs good hope you have many years of fun with it.

javsam · Nov 9, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

They were good motors,I have a 1986 model and it still runs great today.They were one of the lightest 15 hp outboards you could buy,weighing in at 58 lbs.They can easally be changed from a short shaft to a long shaft simply by purchasing the long shaft(20 in) conversion kit( I bought one off ebay).Parts are still easy to get(napa) or ebay.I bought a new impellar for mine through Iboats, and was only 10 dollars.Follow the advice already given.

Cyberfly · Nov 11, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues?? BGBASS need your help

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues?? BGBASS need your help

Hey, BGBASS.1, my little 15hp Gamefisher gave up the impeller today. I started it up and it ran fine and was warming it up before I took off fishing, but I noticed no water coming out. I shut the motor down right away, before it got hot. Only ran it about 1 minute before I noticed no water. It was fine yesterday, ran it about an hour and since I toasted one about a year ago, Im paranoid so I watch it regularily. Seems strange that it would work one day and go completely out the next?? I thought they usually go a little at a time, not all at once. Im going to order one from iboats this coming week, unless my local boat man has one in stock...what do ya think??? Is this normal for an impeller to go out without warning?? thanks ron

pecheux · Dec 1, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

Cyberfly: I have a similar OB 1997 Force 15 hp, has approx 30 hours usage on it. Mine wont circulate water when ran on muffs ... it needs to have the lower unit in a bucket of water for the water to be sucked in via the impeller. My OB mecanic told me it was normal to be as such when the ribs at the water intake are on the outside as per my Force ob. I have no idea why it would be as such. My 9.9 Johnson has the ribs lines inside the inlet and it runs fine with the muffs. I personaly find this OB very pleasant to use, especialy the tiller gas handle precision and yes it is very light for it's size.

Cyberfly · Dec 4, 2007

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

Got a new impeller installed this weekend and it works fine, the impeller had seperated from the nylon hub and was spinning around free. $15 for the impeller kit and it works like a charm now... thanks ron

Nogotboat · Sep 21, 2008

Re: 1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

I have a Force 15. Any one know if you can get a kit so you can use it with forward controls?

1985 Force 15 hp Issues??

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