First time out and WTH happened!?

[danimal260]

Been struggling with starting an outboard motor. Got some good info from forums which helped out a great deal. Replaced the fuel line from the tank to the motor today. Fuel line was quite hard and the primer bulb was deteriorating badly. So I took the boat (1989 Maxum 1700 w/ Force 85) to the river to check and be sure I could get it started and everything was good. So far it was. Wife and I took the boat to a Lake about 40 minutes away for our maiden voyage together. Got it unloaded and started great. Putted around a little then opened her up. She seemed to do well. Lake was pretty choppy though and we were bouncing all over. Not too big a deal. Well then all of a sudden the motor just quit. It would crank good but nothing. I heard what sounded like backfiring from the carbs or something. I don't know for sure. Kinda like a popping but from air. If that makes any sense. Looked at the motor and it was HOT and smoking some. Is this normal? I'm brand new to boating and don't know what to do. Traded my motorcycle for this boat and the guy we got it from knows boats and had it out a few times before we got it. Hoping I didn't screw something up. HELP!!!

[mmwjr]

Sounds like the bouncing knocked an electrical ignition connection loose. How many cylinders does it have?

I am not up on outboards so I cannot think of something more spefic than that.

Question when it was running did you notice a stream of water coming from the telltale pisser hole? This will tell you the impeller is good. If was not the motor will overheat and anything bad can happen.

Get yourself a manual for the motor and read up.

[danimal260]

Well looky here. Now hoping that the overheat didn't fry piston rings and I can get her started again.

[mmwjr]

Did you find all the broken off vanes? They can travel throught the cooling passages and get stuck causing heating issues.

[danimal260]

Going to try flushing it tomorrow. I feel like it's been like this for a while. There are some melted rubber pieces behind the pissholes in the leg. Going to get as much as I can out.

[CountryME]

danimal, welcome to club. Some of those force motors had a recall on the ignition coil. I got stranded in my dad's 1700 when the coil died. Standard trouble shooting for any motor, check for the three big needs, 1) Fuel (Mixed 50:1 with TWC-3); 2) Spark - Crank the motor with the plugs out and see if you have spark. 3) Compression - are your compression numbers in spec?

Once you have verified which one is missing, we can plot a path forward in your troubleshooting.

Keep us updated

-JP

[danimal260]

CounryME, did a comp test and got 90, 50, 65. Pulled the head and cylinders look good. You can still see the cross hatching from a previous hone it looks like. Had spark but not sure how strong. Don't have a tester for that. I grounded the plug to the block and cranked the motor. Blue spark. That's the extent to that test. Probably going to siphon the fuel tank and put fresh mixed in.

[CountryME]

Danimal, those compression numbers are not good. Normal should be 120psi. With compression as low as 50 and 65, you will be unlikely to get those cylinders to fire and the one at 90 may be the only one that fires. You may need to determine the low compression cause. Based on your story and the appearance of the cylinder walls, I would suspect your cylinder heads may have warped. Some places can do a glass plate test see if you are sealing. It may be time to enlist professional help.

Sorry the news isn't better.

-JP

[danimal260]

Being that the head isn't real thick, I can see this happening. I took some sandpaper lightly across the gasket surface to clean it up some by hand. Very little pressure. I planned on using a sharpie to mark the surface and take it across sandpaper again on a flat surface. I'll see where I get to after this and that will help me determine if I begin a rebuild or not.

[danimal260]

I did lay the head on my wife's granite island top and put light behind it. It is warped in the center. Not sure how bad yet. Going to get feeler gauges and a steel ruler to check.

[CountryME]

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you can get the heads fixed.

[danimal260]

So, got head sanded down to .0025 warp left. It was .010. Next question. I've got a boot that sits around the shift rod in the lower unit that is split and leaks oil when I lift/lock the motor up. I want to get a new one and when I called the parts dept of the local shop here, she asked me for the serial number. Only thing I've been able to find on this thing is a small old sticker with 856A9E. Which I know is for the powerhead. But how do I find it for the lower unit? I don't want to put the head back on and try to start this thing in water if there is a risk of water getting into the lower unit. Help!

[mmwjr]

Did you ask the shop where to find the serial number?

I would think it would be on the motor near its base under the cowl.

[danimal260]

Yeah. She wasn't real helpful at all. She said it could be on the cowl, on the leg, was always changed.

[danimal260]

Got the head sanded down and took the warp out of it. Replaced the thermostat and gasket and replaced the head gasket. Got her primed with fuel and she runs great. Cranking is even better. Now I need to replace the shift rod bellows (which are near impossible to find/get) and we should be good to go.

[mmwjr]

Did you find the serial number on the motor?

[danimal260]

Yeah. I've had that but the lower unit isn't the same. It's off a different one. Some had a seal some had bellows it seems.

[danimal260]

I feel this may be a stupid question but here goes. The area where the powerhead is, that should stay nice and dry, correct? If I'm getting water built up below where the carbs are, that's a problem.

[mmwjr]

I would not expect there to be water in this area.

Can you tell where it is coming from?

[danimal260]

Yeah. Found it leaking from the head gasket beneath the thermostat. Which I find really odd since it's new and torqued to spec. Maybe I got debris between it so I'll take it apart and see. Or use RTV sealant since it's a small leak. I don't know.