Abandoned Boat with Old Chrysler/Force

[Mscanon99]

Hi All,

I met up with a guy who inherited an older boat with a Force 85 motor. From what I can see, this must be a very early Force becuase the motor is white, the controls say US Marine and the markings by Force are a large decal that was pasted to the sides of the motor. These decals are the size of the side of motor. There are also some decals with something like "spiral induction/ or twin spirl turbo induction" I can remember them exactly, however they were on the back of the motor about half way up. No power trim/tilt on this old dog.

The guy has never run the boat, it came from his dead uncle and sat in his yard for 4 years.

The question is, was this motor any good when it was running and would it be worth my risk/time to try and rescue? The boat itself will be a project as well, at minimum new floors. If I pick the boat up, and it is worse than thought, I would junk it, however would the motor have any value?

Lastly, if I can get this boat to float again, assuming its just floors....what would you do to re-start the motor (or try to restart)?

Any advice would be great...I am not a total novice, I understand the issues with floors/motors...just wondering as it is an old Force and I don't have much knowledge on them.

Thanks.

MS

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Abandoned Boat with Old Chrysler/Force

Interesting situation....and it is going to depend on how much of a project you find yourself into.
I don't know that much about those older Force motors but Frank A. (amongst others) will be able to provide you with good info on how to mechanically approach it.
That said, I would carefully remove the spark plugs and shoot some 2 stroke oil into the cylinders and let it sit. Then perhaps try turning it over by hand to see it the motor is stuck....or not. (I'm not sure if liquid wrench or similar is suitable for inside the cylinders of these 2 stroke motors or not again some of the other members will have better info around this).
After that, I would move to do a compression test on it to see if any further work is warranted. If the compression is shot you might want to just part it out? Or.....perhaps get some info on how to renew it.
As well, drain the lower unit and carefully inspect the fluid in it. This will give you some signs as to what was going on in there the last time it was in use.
Signs of water?....milky looking fluid?....just water (yikes)....just oil? (sounds good)...does it turns easily and smoothly?
The lower units are fairly easy to remove to inspect and you will have to do this anyways to put in a new impeller (which it will undoubtedly need) and possibly a new water pump.
As for the boat....? well, again it depends on how much time and effort you want to invest vs. the current condition of the boat.
Just my two cents. You should post a few pics to give everyone an idea as to what you are up against...might prompt some good feedback.
Good luck.
BP

 

[maxum247]

Re: Abandoned Boat with Old Chrysler/Force

No trim and tilt. That would probably leave me out on a motor that size. I like my trim and tilt on my boat, spoiled I guess.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Abandoned Boat with Old Chrysler/Force

Swirl Charged induction was US Marine's (Brunswick) fancy wording to make old fashioned design sound better--like saying a trash man is a "Sanitation Engineer." It really only means the engine is a standard cross flow induction engine.

The engine was from around 1985. It is the direct descendant of Chrysler outboard (which was forced to divest in 1984) with absolutely no changes. I think Brunswick only made white Force engines for about 2 years. Was it good? Good is a general term. They were entry level engines and served their purpose. BUT: do not discount it--even though it has been sitting for a while, It is quite possible that it will start and run well with nothing other than replacing the water pump impeller, the fuel pump diaphragm, and changing the lower unit oil. Some run forever with no problems--some need to be fixed.

Force engines are: 1. old, 2. old fashioned design, 3. discontinued. Without the tilt, even if the engine runs, you MIGHT be able to get 700 and if real lucky with the right and motivated buyer, and the engine looks pristeen, you might get 1,000. BUT: selling a Force engine is an iffy proposition. Even though they are as reliable as other brands, they have a bad reputation, so don't count on getting that much.

Generally speaking, on ebay, parted engines are worth more than whole running engines.

Also generally speaking, If the engine does not run because of mechanical problems, even though they tend to be less expensive to repair than the other brands, it will cost equal to or more than the worth of the engine. Parts, however are still relatively easy to get even though Force engines are no longer made. And since over the life of Chrysler and Force manufacture, relatively few changes were made, many parts are interchangeable from year to year.

If you have the boat and engine already and do not already own a boat, and if you want to get into boating, this is a good and relatively inexpensive way--even if you need to repair the engine to get it running.

So: Don't look at repairing the engine to make money. Repair it because you want to use it or you want to gain experience with repairing basic 2 cycle engines. It can be a very satisfying and fun project.

 

[swrupert83]

Re: Abandoned Boat with Old Chrysler/Force

ALSO, depending on the state, without a title for that boat (you did say abandoned)..... you might have yourself a bona fide, genuine lawn ornament. Something worth looking into before spending anytime or money repairing that boat. you might be better off taking a chainsaw to the thing and piecing it out to the town dump.

as for the engine, I have an '85 85hp engine and it was very easy to work on. after two weeks (about 6 hours total), and alot of great advice in this forum, I had a seemingly dead engine back to life and running strong. real simple, easy to work on engine & parts are easy to come by.... so if the compression is good, you have spark, and a squirrel didn't go to town on the wires... give her a shot and dump her on another boat at the least

 

[Steve Mahler]

Re: Abandoned Boat with Old Chrysler/Force

I will chime in about compression - if it is low, or uneven, dont count it out yet- I had a 45hp with less than 45psi on one piston and it simply needed a head gasket - easy job. Other than a salt water motor that was beat, I have not found an old outboard (here in Upstate NY) that needed rings or piston work - frankly the seasons are short and most motors up here spend most of their lives in storage. Usually it is a full replacement of everything rubber and plastic - and they run great.

Most recent was a '57 evinrud big twin - think how old she is - just needed full set of seals, wires, impeller, carb kit- runs great. Amazing, really.