'94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

[doehunter]

Hello,
I'm buying a motor for my jon boat this weekend. My CL search has left me with a choice.

1. A clean looking 1994 Yamaha 40, remote steer, power tilt and trim and controls.
2. A cleaner looking 1999 Force 40, remote steer, power tilt and trim and controls.

The guy says the force was made by Mercury. I don't know.
I have heard that the Merc made Force motors were not up to par with real Merc's.
So far the only Japanese motor I've had is a Honda 8hp and it's prone to getting the low speed jets clogged, but when the carb's clean it runs really well.
Opinions?

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

I'd take the smoother better engine..the Yammy 3 cylinder over the rough shaking idle of a big bore 2 cylnder Farce

 

[emoney]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

IF they're the same money, get the Yamaha, only because of resale value. The Force is a Mercury product in 1999 and uses a Mercury lower unit and electronics. However, the Force is a discontinued make and there so many crazy internet critics (that have never owned one, for the most part) that the value is quite a bit less. Talk to a certified mechanic and you'll find out that every one of the makes can break down.

Now, if you can buy the Force for a significant savings and it's been maintained, then that's what I'd buy.

 

[Timestep]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

Only one choice, the Yamaha

Dave

 

[RRitt]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

if one is saltwater and the other fresh then take the fresh. if both are saltwater then keep looking. if all things equal than take the yammy. by 1999 mercury had cut so many corners that Force reliability was only a shadow of its former self.

 

[doehunter]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

Both motors are 2 cylinder, and 2 cycle.
The Force owner says it was bought from someone in New Mexico and he doesn't have a Texas title. They don't register or title outboards there so it could be legit. I'm nervous about it though because he never registered or titled it after he bought it and moved to Texas.
The good part is that motor looks brand new. $1600

The Yamaha is pretty clean on one side and has a good bit of light colored blotchy looking stuff on the other. The prop is beat up.
The guy says it was titled in his dad's name and he died. He claims they did all the paperwork necessary for his mother to sell it.
$1500
Neither motor has been around salt water so I'm told and they look they haven't.
The Yammy guy thinks the blotchy stuff might be lime from from the hill country lakes where the motor was from.
Funny it's only on one side. I'm thinking sun bleaching maybe?
Complicated huh?

Corporate decision made last night. My buddies don't like the Force, so I'm going with the Yamaha.

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

so I'm going with the Yamaha.

Wise

 

[RRitt]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

check the yammy carefully. if you see white residue then be patient and wait for a better motor. A walmart weed whacker with optional propeller blade is a better motor than any brand outboard with white residue.

If a lake has enough minerals, acids, or pollution in it then it can be like saltwater. I get parts sent in from TX and OK regularly that have saltwater damages even though they are from freshwater lakes.

It isn't the salt that damages the engine. It is the different metals of an engine reacting with each other. If the water conducts electricity then aluminum becomes one side of a battery and stainless the other. The first place to get hit is anywhere that stainless steel bolts are threaded into aluminum. The bolts seize into the threads and snap off. It makes routine maintenance tasks turn into an all day headache. Such engines are not worth owning regardless of brand.

 

[V153]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

Wise

Good decision. There's a saying 'round these parts: May the Force be with you, but not behind you ...?

 

[doehunter]

Re: '94 Yamaha 40 vs '99 Force 40?

check the yammy carefully. if you see white residue then be patient and wait for a better motor. A walmart weed whacker with optional propeller blade is a better motor than any brand outboard with white residue.

If a lake has enough minerals, acids, or pollution in it then it can be like saltwater. I get parts sent in from TX and OK regularly that have saltwater damages even though they are from freshwater lakes.

It isn't the salt that damages the engine. It is the different metals of an engine reacting with each other. If the water conducts electricity then aluminum becomes one side of a battery and stainless the other. The first place to get hit is anywhere that stainless steel bolts are threaded into aluminum. The bolts seize into the threads and snap off. It makes routine maintenance tasks turn into an all day headache. Such engines are not worth owning regardless of brand.

Hmmmmm!
I bought the Yamaha on Sunday.
I'm not sure where the white residue would be that you are talking about. The power head looks pretty good.
There was a bunch of white stuff on the lower unit in the ad pictures but the PO cleaned it off before I got there.
He said he thought it was lime build up!
All the bolts on the motor look good. Can't tell about inside but wouldn't the heads show a problem if there was corrosion?
Everything seems to work. It starts right up. The power tilt and trim works but when it's up high and I lower it, it sounds different.
Kinda like hydraulic oil going over a relief valve.
Would that be normal?