1997 Mercury Force 75 HP 2-stroke, general questions

First I would like to say that this site has been extremely helpful for a newbie such as myself. I've managed to change the impeller, lower unit gear oil, plugs, tested my thermostat and was able to get the pee valve to finally start pissing water. I know it might not seem like much for most but I had not one clue as to what I was doing so this site rocks!!! Anyways I'm still learning and have a few questions just to ease my mind on a few things. BTW this motor has been idle for 5 years and started up on the 4th try after all the changes. I was told it only has 30 hours on so I'm pretty excited that this motor will last me a long time if I take care of it.

My first question is pretty silly but is this motor a Mercury or a Force? When ordering parts which company do I search under? When I ordered the impeller I know I originally got the wrong one and had to get the other one. Of course I don't remember which one was what. My feeling is that it is a Mercury motor. Any clarification on this would be great.

My second question is again pretty silly but when looking at the motor from behind the boat... there is a 2" long by maybe 1/2" wide opening just below the engine cover. I want to verify that this is an exhaust and water isn't suppose to be streaming out of this hole. (I have a pee valve to the right of this that pisses water out so I'm assuming this other opening is exhaust only) Again any clarification on this owuld be great.

My last question is when I have the muffs on and the motor running water is coming out of the propeller, vents above the lower unit and other areas. Is this normal? I run the engine for 10 mins and the motor has yet to get hot so I'm assuming the water flow is doing its job. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything and blow the motor.

A couple more things and I should have the boat out on the water in a week or two. I will post back my first expierence as a new boat owner... I hope it is a possitive one. Thanks in advance for any help.

Re: 1997 Mercury Force 75 HP 2-stroke, general questions

Welcome to iboats.

You have a great motor, properly maintained it should last a lifetime.

Mercury bought Force and produced them from 1990 - 1999.
Previously, they were made by US Marine, and Chrysler before that.

Correct on the exhaust relief hole.
On some earlier models the hole also splattered water.
But on your motor, just a little exhaust.

Normal on the water coming out everywhere.
The motor leg and exhaust are not sealed.
The water builds up in the leg and finds its way out the vents, weep drain holes, and any other opening it can find.

Sounds like you are off to a great start.

Happy boating.

Re: 1997 Mercury Force 75 HP 2-stroke, general questions

Roscoe,

Thanks for answering all my questions and I'm sure to be back with more when I come across something.

Re: 1997 Mercury Force 75 HP 2-stroke, general questions

I have the same motor you have that I bought last fall. I also am a newbie and had some of the questions you had. Keep an eye out on E-bay for a Force Service Manual and a Force Technician Handbook (they are year specific). I just bought both last week for $4 each. The Service Manual was for a 1996 model which I think is basically the same as the '97. The Technician Handbook covers all HP engines but has a section for the 75 HP. There's tons of good info and diagrams. Early on I bought a manual on a CD which was of some help but it covered several years and sizes. The photos and diagrams left something to be desired.

One of the first things I encountered with my 75 HP was that it would not idle properly. By using this forum I found that the fuel pump diaphragm needed replacing which was an easy fix for around $20 for a rebuild kit. Since your motor has set for a while you may need to do the same.

Good boating!

Re: 1997 Mercury Force 75 HP 2-stroke, general questions

Nice question JAE and nice answer Supreme Mariner Roscoe. I had the same thoughts Jae. I just got a 1984 75HP Chrysler on a boat that had sat for almost 2 years. Started right up after a few little tweaks and I notice there is no **** hole. But right above the blade is a shaft where it was spitting\spraying water (according to the manual it's called the Exhaust Snout). I too was hoping that this is where the water exited after cooling the engine. I would hate to burn it up. In anycase, I only ran it for a bit to make sure it would idle and it ran fine. I will be changing the Impeller this weekend, hoping maybe there is another **** hole somewhere and the block will start pissing.

Re: 1997 Mercury Force 75 HP 2-stroke, general questions

Hello I have a 1997 Force 75 hp longshaft outboard motor
and can not see how much it weighs. Does any body know??
thx ben

Re: 1997 Mercury Force 75 HP 2-stroke, general questions

I swapped out my 1976 70 HP Johnson which weighed in at 239 POUNDS with a 1998 Mercury Force 75 HP, it, according to some answers website weighs in at 296 pounds.