1994 120 Force question!!??

I had my boat out for the first time this year, FINALLY! And after running around at half throttle or so to run some fuel through it and get it warm, we stopped to do some still fishing and when I went to start it the "overheat" (?) alarm was going off. Have never had this happen before and wasnt exactly sure what it was. Water was coming coming out of the "spray holes" as normal, seemed like normal stream. Started normally and then the alarm was intermittent. it ran fine without alarm sounding, returned to dock and trailered home. Checked the alarm by grounding the lead and worked as normal. Checked gear case lube and found alot of water... put motor in vertical position and had lube and water coming out from around the prop shaft also, bad I would imagine?? Would this condition cause an alarm, and what is the prognosis for the gear case and the leak? I have never noticed it leaking while on the trailer, it is garage kept and never sign of a leak.

Also noticed slight fore and aft play in prop shaft, maybe 1/8". Thanks all!!!

Re: 1994 120 Force question!!??

have you ever had to pull the lower unit down? if so did you replace all the seals? before you went out did you check the lower unit oil? if you checked the lower unit oil did you pull both the vent and fill screws out? before you put them back in did you put Teflon on them to make sure there would be no leaking? what is the model number of the motor you have?

sounds like the seals are going bad, or maybe the screws were tightened all the way. if they are anything like mine you probably had to get an impact driver to take them out! with those questions answered maybe i can give you a better idea. my force 125 is a 1986 but im sure they are similar. someone will post on here who has your motor.

Re: 1994 120 Force question!!??

I did not check it right before, but did last season. It doesnt get alot of use, and the screws have always come out easily. One of them did not have the little washer/ seal on it and am not sure how long that has been. The lower unit has never been off the motor since i've had it, or ever as far as I know. Thanks for the help fire medic, from another fire medic!!

Re: 1994 120 Force question!!??

well the washer could be a possibility. not to sure there. maybe try putting teflon on the screws and see if there's a difference. i think you could run this in a trash can or tub of water and you will get a result.

the play in the prop..is the prop nut secured tightly? do you notice if its the prop itself or id it the entire shaft? 1/8 inch i dont think is critical yet. have you had any problems shifting? if so there could be more there going on then you might think.

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/Show.../47.png&inbr=1470&bnbr=250&bdesc=GEAR+HOUSING

the link above shows an exploded view of the lower unit. another possibility is the seals, now im not sure what type of unit you have but # 56,57 are seals. is there a possibility that these wore out? another problem you might have is the impeller is bad. you might want to take down the lower unit inspect it look at the impeller. you will want to invest in a seal kit and probably a water pump kit these are #88, 89 on the exploded view. again i dont know what type of engine it it just the make, year and HP of it, dont know the model number.

i wouldnt order any parts until you took it down and looked. before you waste the time doing that one more thing you can check is the thermostat. is it reacting like its supposed to? is there a possability you sucked something up and blocked the passage?

by the way where are you from and what FD do you work for?