Seeking advice on 1990 Force 125 HP

[kwk]

I'm looking at buying my first boat, a 1990 18' Wellcraft with the original Force 125 Hp engine. I'm leary of the engine because of its age and it being out of production. However, the boat is in great shape and the price seems right for me. I haven't had it on the water yet, but the engine seems to run okay with the hose. Based on the excellant condition of the boat and the engine maintainance records, the previous owner appears to have taken good care of everything. How long might I expect the engine to last before it needs to be replaced? Does Mercury have plans to stop making parts for the Force engines? Is there anything specific I should look for to evaluate the engine? There looks to be a small amount of water in the lower unit oil, but not an excessive amount. Is any water in the LU acceptable?

 

[Backlash]

Re: Seeking advice on 1990 Force 125 HP

The first thing I would do to evaluate the engine is to run a compression check. The compression should be well over 100 psi and the difference between cylinders should not vary more that about 10psi. You should also put the boat in the water to give it a good running test. The engine may run great without a load but bog down under load. There should NOT be any water in the L/U. That usually isn't a big problem to fix however. Ask the owner for any maintenance records, etc. <br />Good luck.

 

[seaman]

Re: Seeking advice on 1990 Force 125 HP

Hi I just rebuilt my 1999 120 force Im so at ease now your right on the parts I dont know the cut off for your year you will have to go to a Merc dealer to see .Right now my parts are available for I think at least 4 or 5 years .You should always check compression no. #1 thing first off always on a used motor. If the boat checks out I wish you luck.Peolple are always saying that Forces are bad luck but Ive heard of other ones too its all in the maintenece and by the way Forces leak oil into the motor housing naturally if that is not excessive over the ,months you should be ok If your boat weighs alot like mine weighs 3000 and more with fuel holds 85 gallons I would not worry about winning any drag boat races just enjoy and also try not to sit and idle alot Forces dont like that at all Hope this helps