Screamin283
Member
I have a Force 50 outboard on my boat now, just recently installed it. I am not entirely sure on the year as the ID tag with the model number is long gone, but its in the 1988-1992 range. Before I bought it, I checked the compression and it was exactly 135 on both cylinders.
Long story short, the engine ran great when I got it a month ago, and would start right with no trouble at all. When I would run it, I would have the lower unit submerged in a can of water since the hose muffs don't quite fit right on the lower unit.
As a precautionary measure, I cleaned out the carb shortly after I got it, but since the engine already ran fine it didn't help or hurt anything.
Last Friday, I managed to get some time to take it out on the water for the first time. When I got far enough out to throttle it up, it wouldn't rev up very far, and just sort of chugged along. I mean it was running steady, just with no power. When I got it back on the trailer, it turns out I had gotten some jerk's fishing line wrapped around the prop!
Got it home, and got all the fishing line off (had to remove the prop). I ran the engine a for a bit in a can of fresh water to flush the brackish water out, and the engine again started right up and ran smooth with no problems. On Saturday, i was looking through my manual and saw a WOT adjustment to the carb that I should check. And, low and behold, I wasn't opening the carb completely at full throttle, so I made the adjustment per the manual.
Didn't get a chance to run it until Sunday, but on Sunday it wouldn't start. It would sputter, but not start. After a few more attempts at starting it, I decided to check the spark since I knew it was getting gas. Using a spark tester, I determined that I wasn't getting spark at all, not at any distance I could set it at.
I checked over the kill circuit; the wiring is still fine and the kill switch plug is still securely installed.
I'm not entirely clear on what I am supposed to do now to diagnose the problem. I have read about disconnecting the CDI unit and seeing if I get spark that way, (To see if its a kill switch/wiring harness problem) but I am not entirely sure what to disconnect as there are many wires involved.
I also do not have a DVM that can measure peak voltage - am I basically screwed? I hate to give up, I've been fighting with this boat for a year (Originally was fighting with a Suzuki engine that refused to be alive anymore) and I just really want to get out on the water.
Long story short, the engine ran great when I got it a month ago, and would start right with no trouble at all. When I would run it, I would have the lower unit submerged in a can of water since the hose muffs don't quite fit right on the lower unit.
As a precautionary measure, I cleaned out the carb shortly after I got it, but since the engine already ran fine it didn't help or hurt anything.
Last Friday, I managed to get some time to take it out on the water for the first time. When I got far enough out to throttle it up, it wouldn't rev up very far, and just sort of chugged along. I mean it was running steady, just with no power. When I got it back on the trailer, it turns out I had gotten some jerk's fishing line wrapped around the prop!
Got it home, and got all the fishing line off (had to remove the prop). I ran the engine a for a bit in a can of fresh water to flush the brackish water out, and the engine again started right up and ran smooth with no problems. On Saturday, i was looking through my manual and saw a WOT adjustment to the carb that I should check. And, low and behold, I wasn't opening the carb completely at full throttle, so I made the adjustment per the manual.
Didn't get a chance to run it until Sunday, but on Sunday it wouldn't start. It would sputter, but not start. After a few more attempts at starting it, I decided to check the spark since I knew it was getting gas. Using a spark tester, I determined that I wasn't getting spark at all, not at any distance I could set it at.
I checked over the kill circuit; the wiring is still fine and the kill switch plug is still securely installed.
I'm not entirely clear on what I am supposed to do now to diagnose the problem. I have read about disconnecting the CDI unit and seeing if I get spark that way, (To see if its a kill switch/wiring harness problem) but I am not entirely sure what to disconnect as there are many wires involved.
I also do not have a DVM that can measure peak voltage - am I basically screwed? I hate to give up, I've been fighting with this boat for a year (Originally was fighting with a Suzuki engine that refused to be alive anymore) and I just really want to get out on the water.
