Force 120HP on a 1700 Capri

[ptc]

Need some advice.

I am looking at a 1996 Bayliner 1700 Capri with 120HP FORCE outboard motor and galvinized trailer. The boat looks in good condition.

My problem is the 120HP Force outboard motor. From reading the forums I understand there are possible problems with this motor, and that it is no longer being made.

What should I look for in the Force outboard motor, as tell tail signs of problems? The boat is not in the water, it on a trailer therefore running it may be a problem.

If I needed to purchase a replacement outboard, what would I be looking at cost wise for a replacement.

Finally, I expect to go out on local freshwater lake (in Florida) with the boat.
There will be 5 of us in the boat - expect to do a little tubing, and fishing. Is the boat a good size for these activities.

Boat, Motor and Trailer asking price is $4000

All input is GREATLY Appreciated

 

[IMPATIENT 1]

Re: Force 120HP on a 1700 Capri

i've gotta 1998 120hp force on a 98 17ft maxum similar to the capri, its ok but if i knew what i know now, i'd run like hell from anything force. i bought the boat in nov for 4700.00, super clean boat and set-up, and have spent around 800.00 bucks more on it making the force 120hp run like new. so far i've replaced the reed valves(had a broken reed on #1), replaced the stator and flywheel(flywheel magnet came loose, took out stator), replaced water pump(just because, peace of mind), replaced a bad #1 ignition coil, replaced a split exhaust cover plate, replaced headgasket. its been nothing but trouble, wish i'd went with a different boat and outboard

 

[fab9racing]

Re: Force 120HP on a 1700 Capri

I purchased a 1998 maxim 17ft 120 force that was from nrth texas has seen nothing but fresh water all its life, upon inspection i took a compression gauge and found it to have 165 on every cylinder so i has assumed i was pretty safe took it to the lake for a quick run, and found that idled really low, and the guy tod me he had never had it serviced and from the looks of it i could believe it the boat looked brand new all the bolts on the engine still had all the factory paint the spark plugs looked as tho they had never been out well to make a long story short i took the boat, tried to fix the low idle and was presented with a dead #1 cylinder found a broken reed plate so i replaced the reed plate got #1 firing and it lasted about 1hr then the cylinder galded so i replaced piston in that hole everything else looked fine since then i have bought 2 other boats with force motors both with 120s on them both had engine problems however i got them cheap and i have found the motor are easy to work on and parts are available the local boat shops seem to not stock anything but i have managed to get all that i needed now to rebuild the last 2 with new pistons and electronics sometimes i find ppl dumping stuff on ebay for a song and dance so i pick everything up i can have managed quite a collection of stuff but i have 3 boats running the force 120s and i am still learning the motor, and i will tell you this great fuel economy i have a mariner 150 in an 18ft stratos with fuel injection great running engine bought it brandnew and it will suck 18 gal down in a day of fishing where i can run a force 120 just about all day sking and stuff and only use 12 gal, so if you are mechanicaley incline i would recommend the force for the price the motor is really simple

 

[moparman]

Re: Force 120HP on a 1700 Capri

it's a good motor,but just like any other brand it depends on how its been serviced.Any motor will give problems if not taken care of .The only couple things I am aware of are the exhaust plate splitting [letting water in to the bottom cyl.Look like a blown head gasket,but before pulling the head look along the gasket seam of the exhaust plate for a crack.You may have to flex it to see the crack]and the second thing is broken reed valves [over rev ?].Like I said it depends on how the motor was treated previously.People tend to shy away from force motors but you can pick them up cheaper if you don't mind doing your own service. just my two cents worth

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Force 120HP on a 1700 Capri

I have had a pair of Force 88/85hp on a Cebterconsole for 21 years.They have been in salt and fresh and were still running good when I removed them to repower.
They had over a thousand hrs on each motor. The only prob lem in 21 yrs.
The first week 1 powerpack lost spark on 1 cylinder.I just changed them around and it worked.
NEVER had a problem with the lower units.
The head gasket blew and needed replacing.

So it in how you take care of them anf LUCK!!!!
Jerry

 

[algoboating]

Re: Force 120HP on a 1700 Capri

i run a 1995 capri 1800 whit a 120 force runs 50 mph a good boat for the price and parts for a force are the same as a merc .All but the head that is

 

[A.R.K.]

Re: Force 120HP on a 1700 Capri

I picked up a boat with a similar setup last year, except mine is the 90 HP Force. I think it is more or less the same engine minus one cylinder. On the 17' Bayliner the 90 Hp moves it along well with 4 people inside.

As has already been stated, the most important thing with any outboard is the maintenance. You can find a 4 year old Honda that is junk and a 20 year old Force that runs like new. A big reason why you see a lot of Force motors with problems is because they were sold on low end boats mainly - whose owners often didn't know, or give a hoot about maintenance. That said, do I think a Force has the quality of an Evinrude or Yamaha? Not really, but I don't think they are awful either. I liken it to a Chevy vs a Honda or Toyota.

Anyway, when I bought mine, I found out that it was owned by one guy who lived on a small lake, and had it serviced regularly at the marina near by. It was a consignment sale at this particular marina and they showed me maintenance records going back to 1999 or so. This was the major deciding factor for me. Also, compression was strong and consistent, and the boat was like new. I hope the one you found is similar!

Good luck!