1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

[podaddy]

I had my 125 lower unit come apart during a recent fishing outing. It appears that everything but the forward gear and the pinion went to a watery grave. From one or two website, the individual parts are extremely expensive, so I have looked for a replacement lower unit on sites like e-bay.

My question is, how do I know if the unit matches up before I spend a bunch of money on the item and shipping. The pictures looks so similar that I cannot tell if there are differences. Is there a quick way to know if certain year units match up or if there is a foolproof method to see the differences.

Thanks

 

[john from md]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

Search for posts from Frank Acampora. He has addressed this several times.

John

 

[sjaltobelli]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

Check shaft length before purchasing. They are usually something like 20", 25", or 30". Beyond that make sure there is 7 bolts (6 showing and 1 hidden under the zinc). I actually just purchased a used lower unit from a 125hp 1987 engine to replace my cracked unit on a 90hp 1990. Most of the units around that time are interchangable. A few differences may be the prop shaft accepts a different size prop nut and the water pump is slightly different. Like John said, check Frank's posts.

 

[sjaltobelli]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

If you are looking for internal components, I may be able to help you. The gearcase I have has a crack in it, but when I drained the oil, it did not have any water or metal shavings in it. I can offer it to you at a great price. Send me a message if you are interested.

 

[podaddy]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

I might be interested in the parts, I wish I knew if whatever caused the parts to leave needed to be fixed. I cannot see any damage but don't know why the prop shaft and prop left the unit so suddenly

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

Check haw many bolts hold your lower unit on. What is your shaft leanth 15,20,or 25 in. Check the number of spines on the shaft, 13, or 15. There might be some differances with the water pump housing from one unit year to the next but with a little finess they will work. Check your pm.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

Before you buy any parts, check the inside of the housing. There is a semi-circular Groove that holds two half circle clips. these clips hold in the whole assembly. They can be very difficult to get out so it is to my thinking a very rare thing to just lose the innards.

Anyway: If the groove that the clips sit in is damaged or if the four bolts that squeeze the rear prop shaft bearing carrier and the reverse gear bearing carrier together broke or came loose, it is possible to lose the whole guts.

Not having the bolts, you can not see if they broke, but you still need to check the groove. If it is not well defined and in good condition, then you need to replace the gearcase.

 

[podaddy]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

Thanks, I'll check the groove tonight, Also will remove the unit and check the length. Is there an easy way to know if 20 inch or 25 inch wothout dismantling?

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

Try this.
http://www.iboats.com/ref/images/shaft_length_small.gif

 

[podaddy]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

Thanks, that is simple enough. Greatly appreciated, for sure

 

[podaddy]

Re: 1987 Force 125 Lower Unit

Frank

I checked the groove and it looked good, one little indication where it looks like the clips had been removed before. Could going quickly from forward to reverse cause that assembly to disengage and eject when placed in reverse. We didn't find the guts in the lake and my friend went through a full tank of air. I am stuck between buying the gears from the message above or buying a lower unit on e-bay. Any recommendations?

Thansk

Steve