Force Outboards any good?

[Bubba1235]

Looking at a boat with a Force O/B (85 HP) on it. I am clueless about outboards (I'm an I/O sort of guy) but I have been told to stay away from the Force O/Bs. Anyone care to comment?

Thanks,

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

Like women, some are good and some are bad. When they are good, they are very good. When they are bad, they are very, very bad. However, if you treat her right and don't abuse her, she will give you much pleasure. LOL

The engines went out of production in the late 90s. Some parts can be problems to get but most are still available.

I maintain that Force engines on the whole are no worse and no better than the major brands. If you do have a problem, most mechanics and marinas are not willing to work on them so you must be willing to do maintenance and repairs yourself. For the most part, no special tools or skills are needed and repair parts are generally a bit less expensive than other brands.

Like the "easy girl" in high school who had a reputation (even though she was a virgin) Force engines have a rep and some people consider them good for nothing but an anchor--even if they know nothing about them. However, this makes them less expensive to buy.

So, It's your money and your choice. However be aware that every boat and engine sold is in "running condition" according to the seller. Be very critical in inspecting it before you buy.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

IMO -

If you are DIY and the only thing you care about is an engine that starts and runs every time you turn the key then Force is the best outboard you can possibly own. If you are going to depend on a local J/E Mercury dealer or marina then Force is probably the worst engine you can own. They will give your engine to the least competent mechanic, charge you full book, and blame Force for any mistakes they make.

It all started with mercury. They fubar'd the engine. Since the original company (chrysler marine) was no longer around to defend itself they put all the blame back on Chrysler/Force. From there it flowed out to their dealers and mechanics. And, as Frank would put it, Force got labeled "easy" by the boy who didn't get any.

In reality, Chrysler and USMarine are your basic piece of 1960's Detroit engineering. They are designed to run for as long as possible with the minimum amount of maintenance and expense. Nothing fancy or flashy. Just a dependable workhorse with a minimum amount of fuss. The mark of truly great 1960's engineering was to use as many off the shelf parts as possible without compromising reliability. The perfect example of this 1960 mentality is the Chrysler Force rectifier. It is an industrial standard square bridge that you can get from any electronics supplier for $5.

Engines made by mercury come from a completely different mentality. They are engineered to maximize corporate profits. The perfect example of Mercury engineering is the rectifier. They replaced the $5 radio shack model with a $167 mercury one.

IMO, the sweet spot for Force is 1988-1992 USMarine with split driveshaft, 2w trim, and clamp style transom brackets. If you are a good DIY then you'll have a motor that only costs pocket change to maintain and runs like a clock every time you turn the key.

 

[need2know]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

im not a force fan at all i have nothing but problems but my buddie has one and he love it just make you check it over first

 

[slasmith1]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

Thanks for the feedback, as I don't know diddly about outboards (and zero desire to learn) I think I'll take a pass on this one.

As the former owner of a force outboard that is a wise choice.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

As the former owner of a force outboard that is a wise choice.

im not a force fan at all i have nothing but problems but my buddie has one and he love it just make you check it over first

There is a dividing line between the good force and the bad Force. It starts with Mercury. Chrysler Force was a darned good engine before Mercury got hold of it. It was Darth Mercury who exploited the dark side for profits. The previous owners were actually interested in something other than bleeding your wallet dry. Put the blame where it belongs. On Mercury.

 

[Dave K.]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

I have a slightly older Force, mine is a '84, 85hp. Actually, I think its the first year of Force. This will be my fourth year with her though.

Now lets see, new plugs, gear lube, rectifier (Radio Shack's model) just bought a new squeeze ball, oh yeah new plug tips (3yrs ago) & a battery cable, hhhhhmmmm, Yep, I guess I've spent about 100 bucks on maintenance so far.

Must be a good one.

 

[rsw21282]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

i have a late 80s 85hp force and not really knowing how little they are worth or given credit, i bought one put about 300 bucks into it resealing lower end, impeller, plugs, and this thing crapped out on me so i cleaned and checked everything i know how up to the ignition coils and cd boxes, and decided to take it to a mech. wouldnt you know it 1 of my ignition coils are bad and 1 cd box, the bad thing about this(besides the fact im not sure how to test these components) is a new coil is 70bucks and a cd box is 250 so instead of putting that much more money into it searching for used parts, the mech has a 2002 50hp yamaha he wants to sell me for 2k so if it costs to much more money seems like is should break out the extra doe and get a newer one, only thing holding me back is i have money invested already and my compression is really good so seems like just an elec prob. Anyway my point being if you get one a lot of the parts are more expensive so you may have to do some used parts looking.

 

[RRitt]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

If you are going to rely on marinas and dealers then you should get rid of your force as quickly as possible. Your story is typical of how they will treat you. They charged you $300 for something that you can do at home for about $25 and 4 hours of relatively easy work. If your linkage is properly adjusted and your motor isn't dying when you put it into gear then at least they did better work than most dealers.

Regarding your ignition ... a whole new ignition system (brand new in box) can be gotten for $125. stator, modules, coils, trigger ... everything. Maybe you need someone more interested in fixing your old engine than selling you a new one. Actually, that's dumb. You'll never find a dealer like that. If you aren't going to do the work yourself, then either sell the Force or get used to being screwed.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

You can get replacement coils and CDI boxes on EBAY for close to 100 bucks for both. Cheap and easy fix once you get the part. I have a complete replacement ignition system, stator, trigger, coils, and two CDI boxes all new that i paid approximately 250 bucks for off ebay. I took my time (over a year) and bought it all as i didn't need it at the time and paid cheap prices. I figure for the piece of mind its worth it. But the best part, if anything goes wrong, i will have no problem fixing it. Good luck

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

My 90'/90hp has been a great troublefree runner over the two seasons I have had it. I'm hoping for the same for this upcoming season.
That said, I too have been proactive in looking for replacement parts just in case. I picked up a complete (3) cylinder ignition off Ebay w/ 3 coils/2 CDI boxes etc (no stator tho') for about $60-70 to my recollection. I must have hit that one lucky I guess.
As RR said you have to be a little pro-active on these motors and keep an eye out for parts. If your motor has good fundamentals (compression/lower unit/etc) and with a little bit of elbow grease, and help from the people within this forum you should have pretty good luck.
As someone once mentioned here the good thing about these Force engines and the bad publicity they received means that you can pick them up used for about the cost of a lawnmower because the ol' triple F: "Force Fear Factor".
My two bits
BP

 

[NYBo]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

Force outboards are terrible, suitable only as anchors!

(C'mon, guys, Go with me on this so we can drive the resale values down.)

 

[bman1bpm]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

are you talking new or used ignition parts that cheap?

 

[RRitt]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

are you talking new or used ignition parts that cheap?

new. sea way surplus marine

 

[bman1bpm]

Re: Force Outboards any good?

awesome, thanks good to have another parts supplier!