1988 Force 125 Idles great-won't run though

[bkbarrier]

Seems to run ok when i'm in neutral at an idle but when i try to put it in gear and go, the boat will only get to about 15-20Mph/2500rpm at full throttle. I have had the carbureators rebuilt, new plugs installed and the compression checked at the local boat repair shop. All ok. I replaced the fuel line from the tank to the motor (including the bulb)myself. The boat vibrates harshly and won't go. The shop would charge another $125 just to take it to the lake to diagnose. Any suggestions? Coils? Wiring? Fuses? The motor is on a 18' bass bayliner. oh, the boat had sat for over a year in a garage but ran fine when the owner (friend of mine-i was with him the last time it was out) put it up. I also drained the old gas out and put fresh in.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Idles great-won't run though

Does the motor sound like it is putting out a lot of rpms at WOT. Do you have a tach? Is it possible your prop has a spun hub?

 

[bkbarrier]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Idles great-won't run though

NO, good thought though. RPMs won't get over 2500 to 3000 while in gear. i do have a tach. Is it possible that fuses or battery connections could be causing a problem? I noticed yesterday upon inspection that the battery terminals and wiring connections didn't look very secure. I purchased new terminals and will fix that tonight after work. Could that somehow cause this type of problem? I had been getting some irratic readings from the gauges. I feel like i'm reaching a bit here.

 

[CoachHolland]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Idles great-won't run though

Have you checked the plugs to look at their condition? What are you seeing when you pull them?<br /><br />You mentioned a harsh vibration... are all plugs getting fire? It sounds like a bad miss, which could be your stator or power pack.

 

[bkbarrier]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Idles great-won't run though

i will pull the plugs tonight also. I'm guessing that if one is more "clean" than the others, perhaps a coil or somethings could be bad?

 

[bkbarrier]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Idles great-won't run though

i don't know enough about boat motors to know the function of the stator or power pack. What do they actually control or do? Could the motor idle great but have this problem if one of them wasn't working properly? about how much would it cost to replace them and could i do it myself easily? I have a seloc manual for the engine.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: 1988 Force 125 Idles great-won't run though

Originally posted by bkbarrier:<br /> i don't know enough about boat motors to know the function of the stator or power pack.

I do, and that could be the prob. Stators and packs are notorious to go south. Both failed on my barge. Pull the plugs and ground them out to the head. If the top 2 or bottom 2 don't fire, its a pack. It would cause the vibration too. But also make sure your prop aint all beat up too...could cause the same thing...Good Luck!