85hp Force Problem...

Alright, I am new to the thread and never posted on a thread before so sorry if I sound a little dumb.

Bought a 85 Glasstream with a 85hp force on it about a month ago for a steal (my first boat) and the middle carb was sticking so I had it rebuilt. Finally got it in the water and the first 3 times out it would run in Idle but would die out when you gave it throttle. Seemed as though it was not getting enough gas when it went into gear. After alot of tweaking with a few friends it finally would run but stayed in gear even at nuetral position. Ran a little weak also (or to what I thought it should do). I have changed out the fuel lines, ball, rebuilt the carbs (all three now). It seems to run fine hooked up to the hose but in the water it has started dying when you give it throttle, again. It seems to want to kick into gear at nuetral also. Could this be the cables needing adjusting or what should my next step in troubleshooting be?

thanks

Re: 85hp Force Problem...

Oh yea.... there is also a huge amount of play in the controls before it gets gas...

Re: 85hp Force Problem...

You need to fix your control problems. The motor should not be going into gear at idle. That can be adjusted with the shift cable at the motor end. When the throttle is fully advanced the throttle plates should be exactly horizontal. Look in the carb and you will see the throttle plates open as you advance the throttle. You can adjust this with the throttle cable at the motor end.
Once you get the controls set up properly, then you can start looking for other problems.

Re: 85hp Force Problem...

Hate to disagree, but unless they are completely out of whack, adjusting shift cables will not solve the problem and may make it worse.

First: Control issue! The force single handle control is designed so that the engine will go into gear before the throttles open. To do this, there is about 3 inches of "free play" in the control handle in both forward and reverse. This is not actually free play as the shift is moving, but once the handle is moved past this point, the throttles will start to open. This is normal.
BTW: Do not "ease" it into gear. A quick snap is the preferred way. It minimises wear on the internal drive dogs.

Shifting: With the handle in neutral, spin the prop by hand. If you hear clicking, the linkage is biased too far forward and needs to be adjusted. Under the bottom carb is a rod with two nuts. Since forward is down, you will need to loosen the nuts and raise the rod a bit. Easy does it. A little goes a long way. Try 1/2 turn at a time. Back at the engine, below the transom clamps, where the shift rod enters the casting, there should be about 3/8 inch clearance between the rod and case in neutral.

Power: Remove the airbox and check that all three carbs are opening equally and to the horizontal position in full forward. If not, adjust the carb link bar on the side so all three open equally, and adjust the ball ended link on the cam so they open horizontally or substantially so--it doesn't need to be perfect.

Dying in the water: Sounds like it is not getting enough fuel so since you have done the other things, change the fuel pump diaphragm. ALSO: If the idle is too low, the engine will stall at idle or stall when put in gear. Be certain the idle speed is 700-750 IN FORWARD GEAR in the water. Usually somewhere around 1000 in neutral but that varies with propping so the water figure is the accurate one.

Since you do not have a history on the engine, change the lower unit oil and install a new water pump impeller. 30 bucks here will save a lot of grief.

If you intend to do much work on the engine, buy a manual.

Re: 85hp Force Problem...

Doesn't sound to me like you are disagreeing. It's a lot easier to check the shift cable than to adjust the linkage. Since he and his buddies were "tweaking' it's probably more likely they improperly adjusted the control cables, but yes I agree, get a manual.

Re: 85hp Force Problem...

chuckz said:

Doesn't sound to me like you are disagreeing. It's a lot easier to check the shift cable than to adjust the linkage. Since he and his buddies were "tweaking' it's probably more likely they improperly adjusted the control cables, but yes I agree, get a manual.

Click to expand...

We didn't mess with any of the cables. Only thing we did there is replace the steering, since the old one had the teeth chewed out and would only turn right. Messed a lot with the carbs until it finally ran. At that point we realized it was staying in gear at the neutral position. Next day though, wouldn't stay running with throttle. Original problem came back.

Thanks though for the help from the both of you. It is greatly appreciated. The boat has been sitting for 2 years before I bought it, and yes there is new gas and a new tank, so I knew there would be a few problems. Couldn't pass up the deal on it though. He bought it for 2400 three years ago and used it for a summer then I got it for 500. Just needs these kinks fixed and new carpet.

Thanks again