best instructions for rebuilding 1995 Force 120 HP

mattsmall1972

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May 14, 2006
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I posted here last year after my buddy's 1995 Force 120 HP engine started running very rough after we had a serious amount of water in the gas. We removed the heads and found a nick in the bottom piston, as well as a deep groove in the cylinder and head.

I am interested in rebuilding the engine myself, but am in need of good instructions. My question is: will the factory manual as found on ebay have everything I need to make this happen?

Thanks.
 

Frank Acampora

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Jan 19, 2007
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Actually, I have a hard copy factory manual for 3 and 4 cylinder engines and it goes into detail on rebuilding. If the ebay one is a true Factory manual, you can not get better.

Rebuilding is really very easy and no special tools other than a flywheel puller, inch pound torque wrench and foot pound torque wrench are needed. I usually take about four hours to disassemble but I have done quite a few and can do them with my eyes closed. If you have never rebuilt any outboard, figure an extra 2 hours to disassemble and reassemble.

Before you ask: The stock bore is 3.375 and pistons are available in .010, .020, and .030 oversized. Do not try to go .040 as this leaved the cylinder walls too thin. Pistons are cam ground with a major and minor diameter. They are sized for correct clearance if the cylinder is bored exact to the oversize. SO. Let the machine shop tell you how much overbore the cylinder needs and order the piston in that size. YES--you can replace one piston and the engine will never know it.

Before you actually do the disassembly, "mike" the bore and double check to see if the scratch can be honed smaller. VERY often, a piston can be replaced by going through the reed openings and even with minor scratching, will deliver good compression.

The stock pistons are cast and have a semi-keystone top ring. It is common for these engines to break the top ring and drive it up through the top ring land. If you have the money, it would be a good thing to replace all four pistons with Forged aftermarket square ring pistons. I like Wiseco but there are as many opinions about them as there are oil threads or ethanol gasoline threads. Ultimately, it is your engine so do what you think best.
 

mattsmall1972

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May 14, 2006
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Awesome. Are you saying that the cylinder could be hined without complete disassembly? I am very interested in this procedure. The groove is at the top of the cylinder and it seems like it would be accessible, although it is the bottom cylinder.
 

Frank Acampora

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Jan 19, 2007
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YES! If the scratch is not too deep, a sears 3 stone hone, about 30 bucks, (or other brands) can be used to hone the cylinder in place. Do NOT use a "Bottle Brush" hone.

You remove the piston and rod. Reach into the bore and stuff rags around the crankshaft. Use plenty of oil and run the hone slowly with a constant in-and out movement using a hand drill. The object is to get about a 60 degree cross-hatch pattern.. Since it is the bottom cylinder, It may be necessary to unbolt the lower cowling and lift it up so you can work underneath it. Do not get too aggressive with the hone, just remove the glaze and cross hatch the cylinder. Clean the cylinder well to remove any fine grit left behind.

Now, I can not see the scratch you describe so it is a judgment call on your part. Basically, if it doesn't catch your fingernail and honing will take out most of it, then you are good to hone. If it is deep enough to catch a nail, then the cylinder must be bored oversized and that requires complete dis-assembly of the engine/
 

mattsmall1972

Petty Officer 1st Class
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May 14, 2006
Messages
238
This is a significant groove, not just a scratch. Thinking it over, it may even require a new sleeve. :-( Thank you for the information in any case. I'll go ahead and order the manual.
 

Frank Acampora

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
12,004
If the groove is less than .015 deep, a .030 over bore will clean it up. Take it to a machine shop and let them tell you. Re-sleeving can be done, but the sleeve is expensive, it must have ports cut in it, and special equipment is necessary for inserting the new sleeve. Not all machine shops can do this work. All in all, it gets expensive so if it needs re-sleeving you may as well look for a good used block.
 
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