1988 Force 125 Starter questions

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berglindr

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May 28, 2009
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Have a 1988 Force 125, that I got last year. Ran great all year, and have even had it out this winter a couple of times. Last time I started the motor was 1 month ago, and went out today to run it, and no luck. Good battery, checked all cables/connections, and starter seems to not get enough power to turn the motor.

Here are all the troubleshooting steps I've done:

-Bypassed solenoid and starter still won't turn motor
-Disassembled starter, cleaned and reassembled
-Cleaned starter and re-lubed shaft (turns fine)
-Tested starter (unmounted) ran fine
-Re-mounted and tested (bypass and normal)
-Bendix is engaging flywheel, but not enough power to turn motor

I've done most of the basic troubleshooting such as cleaning terminals/connections/wires, bypassed battery, etc. Anything I am missing? Or should I just go replace the starter?

Thanks!
 
danny9696

danny9696

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Jan 4, 2009
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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

I had a problem kinda like yours on a truck that came into my shop a few years ago, the battery tested good so I replaced the starter and still had the same problem and did as you said with checking everything, it came down to the battery, dont have a clue why but it would pass a test but not turn the engine, had to eat a lot of time for that one! anyway its worth a shot just to try befor you buy a new starter, good luck
 
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pnwboat

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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

Double check your battery connections. If they are OK, then do like Danny suggested. Have the battery tested just to be sure. Most likely you either have a bad battery or bad starter. Looks like you've checked everything else.
 
JustJason

JustJason

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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

load test the battery then do a point to point voltage drop test. That will find your problem.
 
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berglindr

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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

Thanks for the replies and information. Like I said, I did run it about a month ago with no problems. From all of your responses, looking back at what I got, the battery is old, just figured since it was taking/holding a charge that it was good. One other note, I did take that battery over to a friends boat, and he was able to turn over his motor. He does however have a smaller motor (Johnson 70). I am assuming having to turn over a bigger motor would cause more of a requirement on the batter. Thoughts?


I will look at a new one, its about due anyways, and then possibly look at new starter. Thanks again to all, and if anyone else has any advice/comments, they are much appreciated!
 
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Pan84

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Dec 11, 2009
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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

could be bad ground, clean bracket under starter nuts, and negative wire on the motor and the problem will leave
 
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berglindr

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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

Pan84, thanks for the reply. Have already tried to bypass the whole connection process by jumping straight from battery to starter. Same outcome. (Grounded directly to starter) Prior to doing this, the ground wire was getting hot, so thats why I bypassed it, figuring I had a bad ground wire or connection.
 
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john from md

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Apr 13, 2008
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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

1. Go to pep boys or walmart and have a load check done on the battery.

2. Check the voltage drop at the starter red wire and starter ground. With a good starter and battery, it won't go below 10.5 volts.
 
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Pan84

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Dec 11, 2009
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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

I had a same problem. I was trying connect negative wire directly to the starter, try other starter, try other battery, negative wire was very hot, and starter turn very slow. Then I took wire wheel with drill, and clean all surfaces on a starter which touch with the motor (upper starter cover, inside bracket on the motor,treads on the bolts), and connect ground wire to the motor (not to the starter, ). No more problem
 
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berglindr

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Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

All,

Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions. Finally went and got a new battery tonight. Came home, hooked it up, crossed my fingers and turned the key. A little spit and sputtering because it was cold, but fired up after 3rd crank. Ran the motor for 15 mins and ran fine. Disconnected battery and tried the old battery and it started up again. Don't know what the problem was, but everything seems fine now, after new battery (and old one). Regardless, it fired and ran beautifully! Thanks again to everyone that replied, and look forward to the weekend on the water!
 
Frank Acampora

Frank Acampora

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Jan 19, 2007
Messages
12,004
Re: 1988 Force 125 Starter questions

For future reference: On the positive terminal of the battery, put a 3/8 lockwasher under and over the wire terminal, then tighten down the wingnut. On the negative, use two 5/16 lockwashers. The sharp edges bite in to both the battery terminals and the wire terminals and ensure a good connection--even if there is a wee bit of corrosion.
 
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