NEED HELP 94 force 120 will not idle in nutral

I have a 94 120. the engine will idle fine when in gear but will not idle for more than a minute when in nutral. This includes when in the start position. it will start to idle fine but then sounds like it builds up compression and quits. I have checked timing and compression and everything is fine there. any known adjustments or thoughts??

Re: NEED HELP 94 force 120 will not idle in nutral

Start with the first post in the Force section.
A post by FrankA called a linc and sinc.Do this after you.
Clean the carbs,Checking float levels as you clean them,check the fuel pump.
What's the idle rpm's in gear?
Comp readings?

Re: NEED HELP 94 force 120 will not idle in nutral

Hi Jerry, in the time it took me to type this your reply came through but I though I'd post it anyway.

Hi wildvortex,

You may have a short in the kill switch wire inside the forward control which only shorts when the control handle is in neutral.

Low idle speed can also cause the engine to stall. The fuel pump needs pressure from the crankcase to function. The slower the idle speed the lower the pressure to the pump causing the engine to stall from lack of fuel. From memory the idle speed should be between 750- 800 rpm, in the water, in gear and tied to the dock. There is an excellent tuning guide “Synchronizing Carbs and timing on a 75-150 Chrysler or early Force by Frank Acampora” in the FAC section at the top of the Force thread. You may only have this problem in neutral as the engine may idle slightly faster in gear.I

I had this problem when I first had my boat. The engine ran fine but after a couple of minutes at idle it would just fade away and stall. I’m still not sure what the exact problem was. I serviced and retuned the engine and it went away. In the process I replaced fuel filters, fuel lines, primer bulb, put a kit through the fuel pump, checked for any air leaks in the fuel lines, reset timing and idle speed. I know the idle speed was low but an old diaphragm in the pump probably added to the problem as well.

Cheers
Dean

Re: NEED HELP 94 force 120 will not idle in nutral

Jerry, I can not remember the comps for sure but believe Mech told me they were 130 130 130 125. Replaced fuel pump last summer, fuel lines and primer this spring. Carbs have been cleaned and floats are fine. As for RPM I don't have a gauge nor would I know where to hook one up on this engine if I did. What I do know is that in gear Idle is actually a bit lower than Neutal.

Re: NEED HELP 94 force 120 will not idle in nutral

They sell an item.Called Tiny Tach it hooks to the motor and one spark plug lead.
I use one on outboards that have no Tachometer.
Not sure they sell it here.
On Amazon they sell a lot of different ones.
Starts at about $30 and goes up.
Just make sure you get the right one.J

Re: NEED HELP 94 force 120 will not idle in nutral

Jerry, thanks. BTW checked my paperwork and comp was 120 120 120 125

Re: NEED HELP 94 force 120 will not idle in nutral

Forgot to post an update. It happened to be that the timing was WAY off, don't know how it was even running. Starts great and idles great now. plus less fuel consumption.