85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

I've cleaned the carbs. Put new plugs in it. Drained and cleaned the tanks, put a new primer bulb on it. Opened the vent on the tank. When you first leave the dock it runs amazing starts right up accelerates strong. I've ran it wide open for a couple minutes all the way up to 20-30 minutes. Once you shut it down though it starts acting up but not all the time. It's not a temperature problem because I've let it sit for a couple hours and it still did it. It seems to be missing a little when it does it as we'll. I've pulled the cover and true to idle it up by hand and you can kinda feather it a little to get the rpms up but it misses and still wants to die. Where should I start looking and or replacing? Also where can I get the gasket that goes between the reeds and carb plate?

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

Also there has been a couple times idling back to the dock after one of its fits where it just seems to come out of it and it runs like it should. It has me wanting to pull my hair out!

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

Welcome to the site!!Year? Model#? Profile,location?You might be close to someone who can help?
The floats adjusted right?
Check all the connections, ground too.
Compression test?

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

Most of the time when the problem is not constant but intermittent like in your case it's most likely electrical in nature. However, you still need to troubleshoot and verify it is actually electrical. When the problem starts, try pressing on the fuel priming bulb to see if it gets better. If not, clamp on a strobe timing light on each of the plug wires and watch the consistency of the strobe or spark on each of the plug wires. Any inconsistency in strobe indicates electrical problem with the misfires. You can do both of these checks even on the driveway as long as you can recreate the problem you are having.

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

It's an 88 85hp. I live in orleans ne. I'm going to rebuild the fuel pump and carburetor. It can't hurt right? Then we'll see how it runs. I'm really leaning towards electrical though. I've taken it out the last couple nights when it's cool out and it ran like a dream.

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

Unless you just want to do the rebuild on the fuel pump and carbs, I recommend doing more troubleshooting to at least isolate the problem area. First is it electrical or mechanical, i.e. fuel related, loss of compression after engine heats up, bad reeds, sticking carb floats, etc. The easiest area to isolate is electrical by just watching the sparks with a timing light. Obviously, if the strobe is not constant there is misfiring hence electrical is the source of the problem. Even better is use a $5 spark tester to test the strength of the spark on each cylinder. If the strobe is constant at all RPM's then the source problem is mechanical.

Then isolate the fuel system first by watching the priming bulb if it deflates, installing a see-thru fuel filter to see if the fuel pump is delivering fuel properly (if not check fuel filter first) and the carbs. You can tell if fuel is being delivered into the cylinder by checking on the plugs. Any plug that is wetter than the rest is mostly not firing properly (indicating electrical problem) while the drier one indicates improper fuel delivery. You can use a spray bottle to directly spray to a suspected carb not delivering fuel and should notice a change in RPM when you spray into the carb or carbs.

If there is no change in RPM, then most likely the problem is neither fuel or electrical but could be the reeds. But if the reeds are not operating properly, you should see blowback of fuel mixture to the front of the carb. You can test by activating the kill switch to make sure the engine doesn't start and then placing your palm against the front of the suspected carb (cover only half of the front like you are choking it), crank the engine and you should only feel suction and no blowbacks. Try not do this too long as it will flood the affected carb. Any indication of blow back is an indication of improperly operating reeds.

Remember, only do the troubleshooting while the symptoms are present or when the engine is acting up. Personally, I believe it is electrical but you need to confirm it through troubleshooting first. There was a similar case posted before and it finally turned out to be a rubbed out trigger wire rubbing against the trigger housing that was causing the misfiring.

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

While your rebuilding the pump and carbs, Clean out the fuel recirculation system too.

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

foodfisher said:

While your rebuilding the pump and carbs, Clean out the fuel recirculation system too.

Click to expand...

What and where is the recirculation system. I am fairly mechanically inclined but am very new to outboards

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

A little update... I've taken it out twice now at night when it's much cooler out and had zero problems. Symptom or solution?

Re: 85hp force dies "usually" when you give it throttle but not always.

Running good after dark?? Get a big jug of sunscreen and go!!
The recirc system is on the fuel pump side of the motor. Looks like a long skinny dog bone.
Inside it has a reed and keeper and a screen.The screen is NLA so if yours is good/clean/not clogged be careful with it.
F85748-2/ F85472-2 Gasket part #s.
If it's getting too hot under the cowl? It's possible the floats are sticking or need to be adjusted?