Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

[Robert D]

Just fired up a 1992 Force 150 I purchased 2 years ago. Hasn't run in at least that long, and looks to have less than 100 hours as prior owner claimed. (Incredible how clean...even inside the carbs, the reeds, etc.) Judging from the person I bought it from and seeing his garage and boat collection, I have no reason to doubt his estimate of 'maybe 60 hours' is accurate. So I back it into the water to do a test. Anyway, the thing started right up. No tuning needed! Idles perfect. I installed a temperature guage and pee tube. I used the pipe fitting that is plugged at the top of the head for the temperature guage....it wramed right up to 180 degree's and stayed constant, regardless of what RPM I had it at for 45 minutes. The pee tube....well, there's no room under the cowl for a 'T' fitting, so I drilled and tapped a hole in the thermostat housing. Pressure out the tube isn't great, but steady. Shoots water maybe a foot or two at best. I figure I'm on the wrong side of the thermostat. Well, after warming up.....I see some steam coming from the exhaust ports in the leg. Not much, but noticeable. I'm assuming 'normal', as temp was right on at 180 degree's. This was done on a day where the air temp was 60 degree's, water was maybe 50 degree's. Idles perfect, no misfires. It even charged at at even 14.3 volts. Anyone have any thoughts on the steam? If it is in fact 'normal'...I guess I got a steal on this motor at $800. (On e-bay, in the wrong category....foun dit by sheer accident!)

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Steam in the exhaust is normal. It's especially noticeable after cruising at 3000 - 4000 RPMs for a while and then slowing down to idle speed. You'll see steam mixed with the exhaust for about a minute until the motor cools down.

 

[Robert D]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

OK....sounds good. Backing the trailer into the water on a cool day, and running it for 30 minutes around 2000-2500 rpm in forward gear, and the steam was minor but steady. I'm thinking that although the temp guage showed 180 the whole time, never fluctuating once it warmed up.....it's still not the same as running it under a good load for a while. I'll take it out for 'sea trials' Saturday morning and run it for a while. I need to test the transom out as well, make sure it all holds together before I let the kids on board. (This boat has been a complete rebuild....transom, stringers, deck, paint, carpet, railing, guages, steering, control cables....10 months I think!)

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Wow sounds like you really got involved in a "project" there. I'll bet you really have a sense of accomplishment after going through all that. Congratulations!

One thing that I would consider before you take it out is to replace the water pump impeller. The rubber fins tend to deteriorate with age. 180 degrees seems a bit high. Hottest thermostat that I've seen for the Force motors is rated at 143 degrees. I have a 1988 125HP motor with a 130 degree thermostat. The highest temp. that I've seen on my gauge is 150 degrees. That's right after I've been cruising above 3000 RPMs and shut the motor down. Normally while under way, it runs right around 130 degrees or lower. My temp. gauge sending unit is mounted in the exact same spot as yours is. I also have a water pressure gauge. Water pressure at idle (750 - 850 RPMs) is around 7 PSI and it goes up to a maximum of about 19 PSI above 3500 RPMs.

 

[Robert D]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

I did the pump impeller last night just to be sure. Was still in good condition. I'll have to check the real temperature with one of those laser devices. The sending unit and guage aren't a 'matched set' so I'm not sure how accurate it is. I'm pulling the thermostat again tonight....I'll look for any markings on it and test it in a pan on the stove. I'm thinking the constant steam might in fact be due to being too warm??? We're also moving the 'sea trials' to Sunday, due to weather.....should be 68 and sunny at the lake

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Yes double check the actual running temperature with the laser. Most of the thermostats are stamped as to what temperature they are. If yours is, then it will be no problem testing in a pan of heated water.

Best to be cautious.

 

[Robert D]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Thermostat marked as 130 degree's, and it opened in a pan of water at 134 degree's. Got one of those laser temperature devices, and will double check it at the lake this weekend. Also, I moved my tell-tale line to the correct side of the thermostat, near the temp sending unit. (Quite easy to see with the thermostat out. Plenty of room to drill, and tap 1/8" npt with the shop vac sucking out any debris while working on it.) Will port more after the test on Sunday...and I'll check the actual running temp with the laser thing, at a couple locations. (Between spark plugs on head, side of cylinders, etc.)

 

[Robert D]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Sea trials today, ran beautifully. GPS showed max speed between 56 and 59 mph, depending on which way in the lake I was heading. The Force 150 stayed between 135-150 degree's. The 150 was at an idle for several minutes, but never exceeded it. The steam issue disappeared in normal use, but as was mentioned here....there is steam after a high speed run for a few minutes. I lasered checked the engine, and the temperature is accurate it seems. The surfaces of the head read 2 or 3 degree's cooler than the guage, but the guage is buried in the water jacket, so I suppose there's a minor difference. Extremely pleased!

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Good to see everything worked as expected.

 

[Robert D]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Here's a link to some pictures from today, plus some video! http://picasaweb.google.com/rdezsofi/1972ReinellTriHullRestorationAndTest#

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Great job on the boat, motor, pics and videos!

 

[Robert D]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Thank you. I'm quite excited still, at 11:30 p.m. The boat is quite a ride, knowing I basically built it from damaged hull up. I never expected it to be so fast....sort of scared me at first, when I realized I had more throttle

By January, I'll have that 9.9 kicker motor and bracket set up. Next August, I'll be out at bouy 10 on the Columbia catching Salmon. Too bad I missed this year. They increased the limit to 3 per day. The best season in years. Till then, it'll be Sturgeon and Steelhead fishing.....and I think both me, our toddler and the wife now love this boat

I have a thing about bass boats.....I just don't get it, all that horsepower, no windshield, just to get to the fishing spot?......and for the first time I caught up with, and PASSED one with a 120 or 125 hp Yamaha. The poor guy was looking back at his motor wondering what was wrong as I cruised by. Can't be normal to see a tri-hull blowing by, right? I had to trim the motor down a bit to prevent the porpoising, and then it grabs speed up to about 60 mph. Very smooth. I was hoping for 50...this was beyond my expectations. I added a lot of weight....but I guess I took so much out as well, in rotted wood, etc. It weighs less on the state truck scale now, than before I started.

Ya, just in time for winter.....but I couldn't rush it to get it done by June without compromising safety. Oh well, there is next year! It will live it's life in the heated garage here in Oregon all the time, except when boating. The wife is talking about maybe mooring it during the summer now at the lake. (Now that it doesn't leak at all!) One more note: As we have a 2 1/2 year old that loves boats, I had to spend a weekend making sure there were no sharp corners, edges, or exposed fiberglass hairs under the dash. This thing is so clean, I couldn't scratch myself if I tried.....maybe some day the factories could do this as well????

 

[Robert D]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

Final note: Out today, 56 degree weather, water is at 59 degree's....and everyone's outboard is showing steam. Funny I never noticed this before.

 

[pnwboat]

Re: Force 150, steam in exhaust ok?

I never noticed how many Force engines were out on the water until I ended up owning one and working on them. Funny how the things you never paid attention to before can all of the sudden stick out like a sore thumb.