New here with a Force 120

[lillbush]

Hello everyone! This is my first post here. I have been reading on here alot. I am VERY new to this whole boating world. Anyway I have a 89 Bayliner with a Force 120 L drive in it. The boat had been sitting for a while with a broken crankshaft. I just put a new crank in it but have no spark. I am trying to test the stator but havent had any luck. I was also wondering if it was possible to pull out that motor combo and replace it with somethign with a little more HP?

Thanks
Matt

 

[jaymzinc]

Re: New here with a Force 120


Matt,
I too am new to the boating world, this month in fact. I purchased the same boat as you (89 Bayliner Capri L drive) because it was a great deal!....After much belated research I realized this was not the best boat to purchase, it did however fit my first boat purchase price point (under 3K) I was excited on the deal I got...only to find out that the L-Drive was a dead idea only a few years after it was originally introduced :'(. Force, is no longer, purchased by Mecury and is no longer supported (parts are not available from them and used stuff is pretty hard to find).. Sounds like your boat could have coil pac problems or something like my boat had....a bad flywheel and trigger assembly. The ignition system on the L-drive runs off maginets on the flywheel which powers up the coilpacks. As you advance the throttle to the carbs the trigger assembly advances the spark to the cylinders. if the flywheel/trigger assemblies goes bad...no spark. I would suggest checking your flywheel (it requires a special puller as the shaft is tapered) Check out the flywheel and trigger assembly for abnormal wear or obvious damage that is where it starts. I was lucky and found a used flywheel, trigger assembly from a local guy. My goal is to fix this and sell it and buy a better setup. Not to mention it's a 2 stroke engine and will most likely be outlawed in most areas like it has in mine :%.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: New here with a Force 120

In theory, you could put a150 Force powerhead on it. But they were never designed with sterndrive regualtions in mind and would be an explosion hazard. I'm not sure if the drive components would be adequate for the added ponies.

It was designed when US Marine owned Force and Bayliner. I've never seen one on anything else (Maxum is a purple Bayliner). Gearcase and powerhead parts will still be available, but the stuff inbetween is hard to come by.

It probably has a Prestolite ignition system. You can't get new parts for those. They can be found used and on eBay. Trigger wires like to break right where they exit the housing from repeated movement of the throttle. They break inside the insulation, so you can't see it. Being in a damp enclosed area, flywheel magnets tend to rust between the laminations and lose some magnetism. Your lack of spark could be caused by any of the components. None are immune from failure.

US Marine sold Force to Mercury and they dropped the L-drive immediately. They discontinued the Force line after 1999 due to pending EPA regulations. They didn't want the R&D expense for two separate lines.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: New here with a Force 120

Did it run before replacing the crank?

If it did, then double check all grounds before getting too hyper. The plate that holds the modules and coils is only grounded to the block by one small wire. If that wire is missing or broken you have no ground to the components and no spark. I ground all of my engines through multiple points to avoid this type problem

 

[lillbush]

Re: New here with a Force 120

The motor did not run before. The crank actually snapped where the flywheel attached. so the flywheel wasnt on when I got the boat. I actually got the boat and trailer for free. I had to replace the floor as well but thats done now if I could just get this motor to run we will be alright. I have been told by a few people my stator is bad. I am getting NO spark from any cylinder. all the grounds are reattached as I marked them before I took them off.