Opinions On Force Motors

[stuartsx5]

Hello all. I am looking at a 1995 Quantum fish and ski out of K.C. that has a 1995 Force 120 motor. I know the Force motor is a source of much debate on dependability and such but I am looking for an honest opinion on these engines. I have a Force on my Bayliner that I fish out of now but it is an '85 model 85 HP so it is old enough it is all Chrysler and is pretty much bullet proof. These later models, from what I can tell, are pretty much Chrysler upper end and Mercury lower end. Should I even be considering this boat/engine combo? My concerns are:

1. Is this engine durable?

2. Can I buy parts and if so are they as simple to work on as the old Force/Chrysler engine?

3. Is the Force 120 big enough to push an 18' Quantum fish and ski so I can pull a skier or a couple of people on a tube?

Also, if anyone has a fish and ski for sale, let me know. Or, if anyone is looking for a cheap fishing boat, I am trying to sell the Bayliner. The deck is bad in it but it has a second layer of plywood over it and I have used it that way for 8 years and it will probably go many more as is. Thanks.

[Guest Brian B.]

1995- I may be wrong, but I believe that is all old Merc technology- no Chrysler.. Like I said, I may be wrong.

Parts are readily available.

Plenty of power and then some for what you describe provided you prop it properly.

There is a bunch of boat/ engine snobbery in boating- the Force motors were fine motors- you will find goofballs that snicker when they hear what you are running- they have no idea what they are talking about- merely repeating what they have heard and hoping to sound cool.

I would run a Force in a heartbeat- and would buy it provided everything on it checked out, just as you would check out every motor.

(Friends laugh when they hear me say all I will buy from here out is Tohatsu- well new anyway... When they laugh I know I am talking to someone who has no idea what they are talking about boat motor related.)

[stuartsx5]

Thanks Brian. I called Ulrich parts counter and asked about the availability of parts and she ran through a list of parts that were available but none of them were internal engine components (rings, pistons etc.) so that was my concern. I love my older Force motor and if it was bigger I would move it to a new boat in a heartbeat. Only trouble I have had with it in 8 years related to the fuel line and then it didn't leave me on the water, just wouldn't open up and run so I had to idle everywhere I went. I had planned to do a compression check on it, is there any other check I should do? I know the owner had a mechanic change plugs, lower unit oil, impeller etc. this spring but he didn't know if a compression check was performed on the engine. I figure if this motor has run since 95 and has been maintained it should be good to go.

[Guest Brian B.]

On an older used engine I wouldn't give internal engine component a second thought- the value is too low to condiser a rebuild if you suffer catastrophic failure- just replace it again... IMO

Fuzzy on the details- can you run the boat 1) on the water and put the engine through a good run test? 2) at the very least on the trailer at a boat ramp?

That is going to answer any and all questions you have- you can fiddle with compression tests but running it will be an all inclusive test IMO- it will be a runner- or. It won't... Poor compression should present itself under operation.. (If it is an issue)

A runner with no exeptions- has a fair amount of value..

"Well.. If it had this/ that the other.. It would run better.." From the seller- value isn't a lot IMO- marine parts and labor on an unknown are just too high- move on to another

[stuartsx5]

Yes, it is in dry storage at Stockton lake at a marina with a ramp so we can put it in the water. I had assumed that if the motor ran smooth, topped out quick and pushed the boat to plane quickly then the motor would be good. I may also be able to talk to the mechanic that did the work on it this spring which would be a plus and it is possible he did a compression test on it anyway. Thanks for your input, just would like to move to a boat that fishes a little more comfortable than my repurposed Bayliner runabout and would also let the kids have some fun.

[Guest Brian B.]

We have a 2000 Skeeter with a 150 that is really good at "occupying" a barn... I don't know how folks haul- or run those big motors anymore. (But man is it ever fun..)

[stuartsx5]

I know what you mean. I have never had a motor bigger than this 85 Force and it is not a gas sipper. Used to have a 16 foot tracker with a 35 Merc on it. It was a fill up in the spring and again in the fall. Cheap to run but I sure got wet in that tracker plowin through the waves. I did drive an old Champion once with a 150 on it, scared the crap out of me at full throttle. Biggest problem I got is it takes two trucks or two trips to get the camper and the boat to the lake.

[fishinwrench]

Force powerhead design is categorized as big bore/short stroke, providing easy starts and smooth idling....But...low on torque and more prone to detonate.

They are very sensitive to precise ignition timing throughout the throttle range and it is important to use the "closest to perfect" prop for the load it is pushing.

They "appear" easy to work on but the difficulty lies in the details that most average mechanics and DIY'ers overlook.

IMO Merc screwed the pooch when they adapted their own ignition system to them. They should have stayed with the old chrysler ignition system.

The TRUE POS was the 5 cylinder/3carb 150, if ever there was an engine designed to fail....that was it!

[stuartsx5]

Thanks fishinwrench. I had heard that about the 150 Force. Even the die hard Force supporters told me to stay away from that one. When you say "detonate" what exactly are you talking about. I can usually mechanic if I have a good manual but for the most part I am more of a woodworker

[fishinwrench]

By "detonate" I am talking about piston damage caused by pre-ignition (igniting the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber when the piston is still moving upward).

It can be pre-ignited via improper or unstable ignition timing, or by a hotspot or glowing hot carbon particle in the combustion chamber. Over-oiling and poor quality fuel increase the odds of hotspot.