87 Force 85 HP - Sitting since 2001

[davescountry]

Hello all - I am really needing some advice here.

I looked at a boat today with a 1987 Force 85 HP on it. The fellow who is selling it bought it new with the boat in 1987. It has been sitting since about 2001 and hasn't been started.

The boat itself looked pretty good. It has been kept inside. The guy selling it seemed like he took pretty good care of things. Although I did ask him if he had ever changed the water pump / impellor and he said 'no' he never had to. I have an old Johnson and have always changed mine every few years just out of general maintanance.

The guy selling it had drained it of gas, so that is probably a good thing. He put a new battery in today and I was able to test most of the electrical system and it all worked fine. I was able to turn over the motor and it cranked, so i can tell the head is not seized. I pulled the engine cowl and the engine looked surprisingly clean and the wiring appeared to be in good condition.

The guy did not offer to put any gas in it to see what it would do. He did not really say that I couldn't but he did not offer to let me either. I don't think he was hiding anything, I just think he does not want to put out much effort in getting rid of this.

So, I guess I have a few questions for everyone. The first being, what is everyone's opinion on the liklihood that this motor will run out OK with little to no problem.

Next, if it is likely that there will be problems, what would those likely be? I am thinking it will probably need a carb rebuild. I have no experience with Force motors, so I have no idea of what that might be like. I have rebuilt a few older model Johnson carbs,and although not fun, I can do it.

I don't even know if this motor has electronic ignition or points. I guess that might be another problem area.

I guess I am considering making this guy an offer, but not sure yet. I may ask him if I can bring a gallon of gas along with me and see if it will fire. I was also thinking about trying to check for cylinder compression and spark, although I don't know what the compression should check out at.

I am really looking for any and all input. Things to look for, things to test, what I might be getting in to, pretty much anything. Any opinion is valued.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 87 Force 85 HP - Sitting since 2001

Well, that's an electronic ignition engine. The power packs and coils don't go bad from just sitting. So if it was running when he stored it , it will most likely run now. You would just need to do basic maintenance--Change oil and impeller in lower unit and water pump, new plugs and clean carbs. rebuild of them won't be necessary unless there are problems. Change fuel pump diaphragm. Grease all moving points that need grease. Most of the electronics are mounted on a plate on the side of the engine. Problems with them are relatively easy to fix. You can crank over the engine with no fuel to check for spark.

While major internal damage requires a rebuild, These engines are relatively simple, but why buy a problem unless you get a good enough deal to compensate for time and money to fix it.

Brand new, compression was around 145 so if all cylinders are say 125 or more and within 10 psi of each other it's probably ok. Most of the times, when there is powerhead damage, it is a melted piston and there is little to no compression on one or more cylinders. Basically, remove all three plugs and perform the quick and dirty compression test: turn the flywheel by hand with your thumb over the plug holes. Each cylinder will either have compression or it will not. That tells you right away if the engine has any binding and if any pistons are melted.

If it has spark and does not give indications of internal damage, then most likely it will start and run.

The question is, how much does the seller want and what are you willing to pay for a 20 year old boat and engine? If he doesn't want to bother too much, he may be to lazy to research and may give you a good deal. On the other hand due to lack of caring, he may be asking premium money. You need to check a couple of the big selling boards and see what similar boats are worth.

Just as a rough example, two years ago I bought a (1988) 21 foot cuddy in good condition with a 125 force, for 3800. It had no trailer and I thought I paid a little too much, but I wanted the boat. At that time it was difficult to find a 21 foot cuddy with outboard power and I had lost two others to other buyers--so I was motivated.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 87 Force 85 HP - Sitting since 2001

I have a 1985 85hp Force. It is much easier to work on than my Evenrude. You should be able to have the carbs off in 5 minutes, 10 without a manual. Mine has 130psi on all three cylinders and runs like a top. As long as its running fine, I'll keep it.