Help! 125 Force Will not start

[kingero7]

Bought my first boat with an 89 125 Force. Before taking it out..took it to the shop to get it checked out. They said it was a great engine and should not have any problems. They hooked it up to the hose and fired it up to show me it worked. I take it to lake....will not start. I take it back to shop...they hook it up to the hose and it starts right up in 2 seconds. I take it back to the lake and of course it will not start. Not sure if pressurized water has something to do with it or not? Also they hooked up a deep cycle battery for the starter.....Is that ok or should I hook a starter battery to it?

FYI...When I took it in they serviced the lower unit...new spark plugs ect. Also tried using choke to start...still would not start. After trying multiple times to start the engine a little bit of gas and oil came out of the engine...guessing it was flooded? Also when attempting to start.....the motor turns over it just will not fire (when i am at the lake)....I try everything I can think of and then ultimately I run the deep cycle battery down.

Thank you for any help

 

[roscoe]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

You should have a starting battery.

Did they check the compression on the engine?

If compression is good, your starting procedure may be the problem.

pump fuel primer bulb till firm.
Advance throttle to 3/4 +.
Activate choke.
Crank engine till it fires.
Subsequent attempts to start should be without the choke so you don't flood it.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Are you doing the right procedure to start it? If like my 88, you need to pull out the shift handle to unlock the F/N/R part. Then advance the throttle, as its now unable to shift, but you can give it some gas now.
THEN..punch the key IN to activate the choke in the on position...

 

[kingero7]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Ya the compression is at 135 on each cylinder. I push the neutral button in crank throttle forward and try to fire it and it will not fire (I also pump the primer bulb). I have tried using the choke as well and it does not help. The only thing i can think of is that they hooked the engine to a deep cycle battery and not a starter battery....but would that make a big deal?

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

The problem is that you have one of those force engines (they were a special run and not many were made) that is allergic to lake water. They only start in the driveway on muffs or in a tank of water. LOL

The battery does not make any difference--although a starting battery is what should be used. Starting battery has a higher discharge rate under load which is what a starter motor needs. But they will usually crank over quite happily with a fully charged deep cycle.

Again, water supply does not make any difference.

I am sorry to tell you that if the engine started easily twice at the shop, the problem is not with the engine, it is with your starting procedure. Best thing to do at this point would be to bring it back to the shop and watch carefully as they start it. Or, if you can find someone else on the lake with a Force, ask them to start yours. Ask them to explain how they are starting it.

The thing that always amazes me is how people who sell a boat do not show the buyer the basics. And it is not dumb on your part, it is just different than say, starting a car.

Simple things can mess you up--Example: today I went to the ATM. It would not take my card. Bank person went out with me and bingo--it took the card. Oh, do I feel like a fool. Now, every ATM I have ever gone to will pull in the card automatically. This one has some recent security enhancements to foil card readers and I needed to push in the card. Except, before she showed me, I was worried that if I pushed in the card it might jam in the machine. Now that I know, I will not have further trouble.

 

[kingero7]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Oh man...thats depressing...honestly did not think it would be this hard to start a boat. Well I appreciate the help...anybody that owns a 125 force that has some magic way to start the engine....please tell me your secrets!! Also I did have them show me how to start it and even walked through it twice...still cant fire it when I am at the lake.


Appreciate the help Frank

 

[ship5182]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Do you have the safety kill switch engaged when you are trying to start? You didn't mention it. I once spent a couple of hours trying to figure out why my Force 150 would not start until I noticed I forgot to engage the safety switch.

 

[kingero7]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Honestly not sure...had no idea there was a safety kill switch. Any Idea where it is at?

 

[ship5182]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

It is on the dash next to where you put the key in to start it. It usally looks like a small push button, You clip a small plastic horseshoe looking clip to the button to hold it down while the engine is running and the clip is attached to you with a cord so if you get thrown away from the drivers seat it pulls off the button and the engine dies.

 

[kingero7]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Ahh..nah its an older model and doesnt have that.

 

[gregmsr]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

I have a 1989 w/Force 125 and it has the kill switch. Are you sure? What kind of boat did you buy?

 

[ricky thurman]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

my 87 125 horse has a kill switch, but it is a button that has to remain pushed IN rather than be held open, but yes it should be right next to or maybe right below the ignition switch.



also....choke the engine from the get go until you get it to at least fire. You'll just have to figure out the little quirks with that engine. Once you do it'll be a piece of cake every time.

 

[kingero7]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

It is a 81 skeeter with a 88 125 force motor. Not sure where the kill switch is but I will have to look for it. Any suggestions where it might be?

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

It is a 81 skeeter with a 88 125 force motor. Not sure where the kill switch is but I will have to look for it. Any suggestions where it might be?

Be a button on the dash panel, or on the gearbox..
Why don't ya do the simple?. Take it back to the guy that starts it in 2 seconds?
No way in hell we here can give ya more info....he can, you can't?
Then pay attention to what he does.....ya gotta be missing something obvious...best I can tell ya...

 

[birdman23]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

With my Force 125 i sometimes have to go back and repump the bulb as it loses pressure fairly quickly without the engine running. Also mine will not start properly when it is trimmed up. dont know if all motors are like that but you may try letting yours down before you try and start it

good luck

 

[ship5182]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Did you get it started?

 

[kingero7]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Havent had a chance yet because of work. I am going to go to bass pro and get an engine flusher....so I dont have to go to the lake to figure out I dont know what I am doing. If I can get it started using the engine flusher I will take it to the lake on Tues and try it out (80% chance of rain on Sun and Mon). Ill give an update on Tues if I can get it started.....I sure hope I can and I appreciate all the info from everyone

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Havent had a chance yet because of work. I am going to go to bass pro and get an engine flusher....so I dont have to go to the lake to figure out I dont know what I am doing. If I can get it started using the engine flusher I will take it to the lake on Tues and try it out (80% chance of rain on Sun and Mon). Ill give an update on Tues if I can get it started.....I sure hope I can and I appreciate all the info from everyone

Make sure you get one specific to the Force. They have the pickup at the gearcase (need a good 4 inch spread), not the cheapy skinny Wallyword type..

 

[kingero7]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

Sunday ended up being a pretty nice day...so I went and got the flusher. Hooked it up and tried all the quirky ways to try to fire the engine. by the way....I do not have a kill switch on the boat. Eventually I get it started after having to jump the battery. When I had the guy at the shop show me he had the throttle cranked all the way down but it wouldnt work for me so I just edged it forward about 4 inches and it will not start if the engine is up b/c the gas drips out of the intake manifold....so the engine has got to be close to being all the way down to start. For whatever reason I wasnt having any luck when it was all the way down (its crazy...I know but it worked). So get to the lake and on about the 3rd try it STARTED! It was great....ran it 30-45 minutes. Few questions about it.....

1) 5 MPH range steering works great......full throttle it turns easy to the right but an absolute struggle to turn to the left? any thoughts?

2) I was at full throttle and slowed down just to float and the engine died (didnt need them but good thing I bought paddles at bass pro also). it fired again after the 3rd try but is that a big deal?

3) 16ft skeeter with 125 force....any idea how fast it goes?.....gauge doesnt work

You guys are great.....appreciate all the help and feedback. Initially thought I had bought a lemon but apparently a pretty decent motor.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Help! 125 Force Will not start

On the steering, you need to adjust the trim tab at the rear of the gearcase. The bolt is at the front, looking up at it from the ground.
If it hard steers left, it needs to be turned in the same direction. Looking at it from the rear, loosen the front bolt, and swing the front to the left (as it pivots at the rear) about a 1/4 inch. Try it and if more needed, turn it a little more.
This does get a little confusing, so if it gets worse, go the other way.
Can't help ya on the speed, but would say somewhere 35 easy