1988 Force Outboard 125 Cyl. #1 no comp.

[YoungIraqVet]

Hello to you all,

I need some help please. I have a 1988 Force 125, that my wife and i just bought. The man said it "runs great!" took it to the lake, not so much. Rpm never got above 2500, we never got above 5mph. I replaced the impeller kit, plugs, and gear oil, and fresh gas. Did a comp. test #1 cyl. is zero. all the rest is 115. What do I do to fix this problem? And I don't have much money. Please helpus with our first boat!

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: 1988 Force Outboard 125 Cyl. #1 no comp.

Sorry you got RIPPED!!!! If you are mechanicaly inclined then you should be able to fix it.Sometimes you can find a powerhead on e-bay or craigs list. if not then the fun begins.
First take the head off. Check for damage.It will probably need an oversized piston and new rings for all 4cyl..Take pics of all steps.
Buy an OEM shop manual.Clymer and Seloc aren't worth the $$$$.
Good luck, Jerry

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: 1988 Force Outboard 125 Cyl. #1 no comp.

1st Welcome to Iboats.
Next, unfortunately you have fallen into a situation that happens with many first time boaters in buying a deficient used product.
Its a tough lesson however failure is the best teacher sometimes. Before you buy a boat or motor take a few minutes to check out some of the more important elements. Always do a compression test on the motor...only takes a few minutes and it will tell you a lot.
Now without beating this buyer beware and due diligence stuff to death you seem to be after solutions to get out on the water on a budget somewhat within your current situation.
If I were you I would scour local craigslists and look for another motor...maybe even another Force 125hp, as it will be cheaper if money is the issue. As well, it will be easy to install if your controls etc are already in place.
They can be found and bought cheaply and I would simply substitute it and use yours as the parts motor in case the replacement has any issues.
However this time, get a compression tester and take it with you and do this simple test.
There are several other very good posts within the forum on excellent buyer procedure and there are some very knowledgeable people here to help troubleshoot your motor.
Don't give up....but you do have some work ahead of you and a few bucks to spend any way you look at it.
Good luck and keep us posted.
BP

 

[YoungIraqVet]

Re: 1988 Force Outboard 125 Cyl. #1 no comp.

Thank you to you both for your input. However dis-concerning this situation is, and the fact that i got ripped. I would say that I am pretty mech. inclined, so I would need a few tips, and or suggestions.

First, where would i find the right sized pistons and parts needed to fix the problem??? How much do you think it will cost, as a guess, to do everything necessary to get me back on the water?? So i can't just replace the old piston and rings on cyc. #1??? What damage am I looking for exactly???

I am going to start the tear down this week. Should I pull all cyc. or just #1 to check and see damage?

This site is a great site and I thank you for your time and input...

-Kris-

 

[baxtr]

Re: 1988 Force Outboard 125 Cyl. #1 no comp.

Yes you can just do the damaged piston, if there is no cylinder damage, you can even pull the piston out without tearing down the entire motor. But if there is scoring on the cylinder wall, it will have to be tore down and over bored.


worst case:

Repair manual 30 (necessity!)
boring between 60 and 75 per cyl
piston & rings 80
wrist pin bearings 12
gasket kit 80

I did a full tear down on my 125 2 yrs ago, never worked on an outboard before, got it done in 2 weekends (after the block was back from machining)