120 force replacement

[richvr6]

I was looking to purchase a new powerhead which the seller is claiming it will only fit a 1995 motor, but I have a 1996 and wanted to know will it bolt on without any problems.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 120 force replacement

Right around there, Mercury changed the splines on the driveshaft. If your engine has a Mercury type lower unit and the number of splines on the new powerhead crank are the same, then the powerhead will bolt up with no problems. Simply ask the seller to count the splines.

What is the problem with your current powerhead? What is the new (used) powerhead costing? Very often it is cost effective to rebuild what you have. You can do it yourself or you can come up here to PA and I can do it for you.

 

[Maxum21]

Re: 120 force replacement

hey Frank, just out of curiosity, what would it cost roughly to rebuild a 120 Force powerhead? labor + parts

Rich, is this an ebay motor? would they give you a warranty? if not i would opt for a rebuild, or a complete outboard swap

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 120 force replacement

Well, Wiseco pistons cost about 125 each and it costs me 65 bucks a hole to bore the block. Gasket set is around 50 bucks and the head gasket is about 25-40. SO: If a person WANTED all four pistons replaced and the cylinders bored parts alone would be about 750. A mechanic is going to charge 100 bucks an hour for labor and on these Force engines I usually take about ten hours to disassemble and reassemble. I charge 450 labor.

So you can see that a complete rebuild will cost about 1200 or more. This compares favorably with a remanufactured block at about 2500 plus installation. It does not compare well with buying a used Force or a block on ebay, however, if you rebuild, you KNOW what you have.

The last engine I did was this summer and it was a 65 horse Evinrude V4. Damn thing was so old it was difficult to find parts and it took me double the time, but I quoted 450 and stood by it. The owner was insistant upon replacing all four pistons even though only one cylinder was scored. I had to hunt the internet and probably got the last four .020 over pistons made.

Usually, if only one cylinder is bad I recommend only boring and replacing that piston. The engine will never know the difference and the owner can save a little money.

If two are bad, then it is a judgement call as to replace only two or do all four and have a completely rebuilt engine