1992 Force 90 hp neutral idle vs in gear idle

[tommyveee]

My 92 Force 90 hp idles just fine in neutral. However once in gear the idle speed diminishes to the point where it often stalls out. That is true in both forward and reverse. Any ideas?

 

[Thomas P]

Re: 1992 Force 90 hp neutral idle vs in gear idle

i had same prob a couple weeks ago , i adjusted the idle up just a little bit, and that seem to help some but still did it sometimes so next i drained all the fuel becouse it had been sitting for a while with 4 to 5 gallons in it. that gas had gone bad with new gas and stabilizer it runs great now. i would try this first before getting into compression and carbs.

 

[JoeCrow]

Re: 1992 Force 90 hp neutral idle vs in gear idle

Ditto,
I had the same problem with my Force 125
I could set everything where it should be in the driveway and as soon as the boat was in the water (especially after it warmed up) it would die when I put it gear
I raised the idle and everything was fine

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1992 Force 90 hp neutral idle vs in gear idle

If you set the idle without using a tachometer, what sounds correct in the driveway will in reality be too slow on the water. Most people want to minimise the "clunk" as the engine is put into gear and set it too low.

Actual RPM should be 700-750 IN FORWARD GEAR, in the water. This usually works out to around 1000 in neutral. (this actually corresponds closely to automobiles which idle at about 650 in gear with an automatic tranny)

The idle needs to be set in forward gear since the prop is much less efficient in reverse.

Also, you need to remember that if you switch to a higher pitched prop, it will have more load even at idle and will lower the idle a bit. So if your idle speed is on the low side, it may need to be raised (or lowered) a bit with a prop change

 

[tommyveee]

Re: 1992 Force 90 hp neutral idle vs in gear idle

Thanks for the replies. I don't think its a gas issue, so I'll try setting the idle in the water. I'll report back with the results.