Broken Bolt on Mid leg of 1983 FORCE 85 HP

[Jack Daniels]

Have a quick question, last season when tailoring home, i didnt have the transom saver on tight enough. As a result, the motor bounced a little bit and broke off the bolt that holds the bracket that allows you to tilt the motor all the way up and lock it into place. The bracket is still ok but the bolt is broken completely off. So my question is, is this something that can be removed with a broken bolt remover, was the original bolt welded to the mid-leg, can i drill and re-tap, or should i just take it to a machine shop to have them fix it. Its really doesn't harm the operation of the boat, it just makes it a pain in the butt to launch and load. Thanks for the help.

 

[wickware]

Re: Broken Bolt on Mid leg of 1983 FORCE 85 HP

Do you have a picture showing this problem or a link with a picture that can be related to the problem? If there are factors as rust, corrosion or etc. involved, please mentioned them also. Without seeing a problem, it's not easy to relate to when we do not have that same product or have knowledge of it.

Good Luck!
JOW

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Broken Bolt on Mid leg of 1983 FORCE 85 HP

That is a 5/16 bolt with a 3/8 shoulder and 3/4 inch head. They tend to corrode in and become very difficult to remove, many times twisting off. You can drill it out and if the threads get dicked-up, there is enough meat on the casting, you can re-tap to a larger size.

You can even drill through and use a bolt and nut, There are a lot of options here. The only cautuion is to allow clearance between the bolt head and the engine clamp. That's why the riginal is a very thin 3/4 inch head.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Broken Bolt on Mid leg of 1983 FORCE 85 HP

Thanks frank. That's basically what i was looking for, the sky's the limit. Thanks again.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Broken Bolt on Mid leg of 1983 FORCE 85 HP

AND don't trailer it with that bracket again! It is basically a storage clip. It was never designed to bear bouncing loads from trailering in the locked up position. Unless you are doing 5 MPH or less and don't hit any bumps, it will always break.