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  1. 6

    Can I swap factory tilt/trim from Mercury version 85hp to US Marine version 85?

    For all I know, both of these things are a cluster of mismatched parts by this point....both of motors have cowls on them that also have US Marine emblems on the head side of the cowl. This was the prior owners paint job on the US Marine motor that made me switch cowls...clearly not factory...
  2. 6

    Has anyone made a diagram for CMC actuator tilt/trim valves/check balls?

    Manual simply says to fill with oil, run the ram all the way down until the motor bogs, run the ram all the way back up, and replace filler plug. I've ran it up and down a dozen times checking and adding oil afterwards as needed. After the 3rd or 4th cycle, the oil level stays full, but it...
  3. 6

    Can I swap factory tilt/trim from Mercury version 85hp to US Marine version 85?

    Ok, so why I'm referring to them as the Mercury "version" and US Marine "version" is I was told prior that the reason one of them has a two piece driveshaft and different lower unit set up is that it was due to changes made after Mercury started making the Force motors. The Mercury version, at...
  4. 6

    Can I swap factory tilt/trim from Mercury version 85hp to US Marine version 85?

    I have two Force 85 motors. One is a US Marine version without factory tilt & trim, that has had a CMC PT-130 added, which has been a thorn in my side for the past 3 weeks - leaking down internally, takes forever to lift motor then drops it back down in seconds, and still doing it after...
  5. 6

    Has anyone made a diagram for CMC actuator tilt/trim valves/check balls?

    Another case of CMC actuator leaking and not holding position. Pulled it apart, took it down to the local hydraulic shop and got all new seals for it - the 4 small pistons in the plate, the quad seal and spacers, rod bore seal, and the two between the plate and body. Got the seals installed...
  6. 6

    Finally pulled a fish out of Lake Pleasant, AZ, and it was huge!

    Well, as I said - on and off. It's not like I was out there every day for 14 years straight. Also, this lake is close to home, and we often take the 4x4s out to that area, camp in the area, etc. So now and again I'd drop a line in and see what happens. Next closest lake is 90 mins away...
  7. 6

    Acceptable to use aluminum plate as outboard shim?

    The first picture was on the old hull, just to better show the aluminum strip I was talking about. Transom actually feels solid on that one, but the deck had rotted out. Once I added up what replacement plywood and fiberglass was going to cost me, plus the time it was going to take to split...
  8. 6

    Acceptable to use aluminum plate as outboard shim?

    I moved the CMC tilt/trim unit from one hull to another identical hull, and like a doofus, drilled the holes in the wrong spot...on the old hull, the CMC was mounted as far up as it would go, leaving the top of the plate mounted over the aluminum strip at the top and leaving a small gap between...
  9. 6

    Finally pulled a fish out of Lake Pleasant, AZ, and it was huge!

    Haha, thanks!
  10. 6

    80's Bayliner fuel gauge/sender ohm range?

    Yes, could be a number of reasons...which is exactly why I prefer the "diagnose, then replace" method. But if I don't know what ohms the sender & gauge are supposed to be seeing, I'm still taking a wild guess on that part. I would assume that it's set up for US market, as I'm in the USA.
  11. 6

    80's Bayliner fuel gauge/sender ohm range?

    '85 Bayliner bass boat..fuel gauge reads half when the tank is full...I get that fuel gauges are just simple ohm meters that say fuel on them instead, but what I don't know is what ohm range they're supposed to be? Are these things pretty standard in the marine world, or are they like cars...
  12. 6

    Finally pulled a fish out of Lake Pleasant, AZ, and it was huge!

    Ok... Fine... Huge only in my mind :LOL: I've been fishing that lake on and off for 15 years, trying all kinds of artificial and live baits, and never once pulled anything alive out of it until today. Took the boat back into a cove, started casting a top water popper and saw a bunch of...
  13. 6

    Key Fob cost

    Heh...newest car I own is a 2004 Suzuki XL-7, and the only fob it has is for the aftermarket alarm system. Had a 2004 Cadillac STS for a while, and while it was certainly a nice car with some nifty features (I have to admit, the outside mirrors that automatically angled down when in reverse...
  14. 6

    Saddest day of the year.

    There's a few things I miss about living in Michigan....this winter nonsense is absolutely NOT one of them, lol. The summer heat of Phoenix may be brutal for a few weeks, but with a bimini, I can still be on the water 365 days a year. Then again, the lakes out here are dismal compared to...
  15. 6

    SAFETY ALERT: Bow Seating Hazard (Malibu)

    Grew up on Lake St. Clair near Detroit, running a 19ft closed bow Formula Thunderbird. There's been exactly one time I saw Dad drinking any alcohol - his retirement party. He certainly never was intoxicated on any level while driving cars/boats. However, there were several times I recall...
  16. 6

    Guessing young adult kids text back rather than call?

    "Young adult kids"? HA! Both of my parents, who are both around 75, virtually insist on texting. I can't even remember the last time I got a phone call from either of them. Me, at the ripe old age of 40, HATES discussions via texting. I've been this way since texting became a "thing" 25...
  17. 6

    85hp Force lower unit disassembly? Stuck driveshaft...

    Maybe the LU has been swapped...I don't know. Like I said earlier, can't really know for sure on something that's decades old and has had an unknown number of goober hands on it, lol. The powerhead looks virtually identical to my other 3 cylinder Force 85, and that one has the expected one...
  18. 6

    85hp Force lower unit disassembly? Stuck driveshaft...

    As far as I can tell, this motor has never seen salt, but of course it's hard to say for sure on anything that's 30+ years old. I googled the tool, and it looks an awful lot like a 4WD axle nut spanner...but of course I don't have any axle sockets that big,nor do I have any steel stock large...
  19. 6

    85hp Force lower unit disassembly? Stuck driveshaft...

    Picked up a boat over the weekend with an 85HP Force with a frozen lower unit. Was going to just swap over the motor from my other boat, but figured I might as well see what's wrong with this one first. Would seem silly to do a motor swap if it ends up just needing a couple bearings and seals...
  20. 6

    Is aluminum much lighter than fiberglass? Metal fatigue on old hulls?

    Currently have a '69 16 foot fiberglass triull bowrider with an 85HP OB...found out it's a bit heavy behind the Jeep. It works, but there is a definite feel of the "tail wagging the dog" at times. For now, I'm towing it with an F350 dually...a wee bit of overkill. I was looking at replacing it...
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