88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

[firemedic2396]

I hope someone can help me. My 1988 force 125 runs like a top. Idles smooth, runs with lots of power. It just won't hardly start. I replaced the battery and it's fully charged. With the motor trimmed down for normal operation it barely cranks over. It will not turn over fast enough to start, heck it barely turns over at all! If I trim it all the way up so the carbs are hanging at a 45 degree angle it turns over a lot better and will fire up and run fine. There is fuel pouring out of the top carb when I do this. I replaced the main jet and the little plunger under the float on that carb but it still does the same thing now. I would really appreciate any advice you guys may have for me. Thank you in advance!

 

[pnwboat]

Re: 88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

Well, if you trim the motor all the way up, it is normal for fuel to leak out. Sounds like you've got a bad battery cable connection. Either the positive cable on the starter solenoid, or the negative cable where it attaches to the engine block. Have you taken the cables off and cleaned both sides of the connector with a wire brush?

 

[firemedic2396]

Re: 88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

Well, if you trim the motor all the way up, it is normal for fuel to leak out. Sounds like you've got a bad battery cable connection. Either the positive cable on the starter solenoid, or the negative cable where it attaches to the engine block. Have you taken the cables off and cleaned both sides of the connector with a wire brush?

I have tried jumping over the solenoid with no improvement. The connections look good but I will check them all again. The starter gets really hot when I try cranking it too much especially down where the brushes are. I took it apart and cleaned it out. The brushes looked good to my inexperienced eyes. Could it just be a weak starter? Thanks for your response, I really appreciate it.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: 88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

Clean the starter BEFORE you toast it.
Clean all the connections,check the battery leads for weak/hot spots.
Load test the battery.
Then a compression test.

 

[firemedic2396]

Re: 88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

Okay, All the connections are fine. I even took a pair of jumper cables and ran directly from the battery to the ground on the motor and to the starter itself. The motor barely cranked over and the cables started overheating. My theory has always been that since the carb is dripping gas back into the boat when I choke it, the carb might be dumping so much fuel into the engine that it's driving the compression up so high that the starter can't turn it over. When I tilt it up the carb is not able to dump fuel into the engine and it turns over decently. I need advice guys. Do you think that is a reasonable theory or is the starter just bad? Should I buy a new starter or take it somewhere to be rebuilt? Thanks, Rich.

 

[NYBo]

Re: 88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

I can't imagine that a starter would work fine with the motor tilted but crash and burn with the motor down unless the armature is moving laterally or something. Maybe a bad section on the commutator that is being contacted with the motor down?? Bad bearing in the end cap??? Have you removed the starter and checked it for obvious defects, such as binding when it's in a vertical position?

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

I think it is possible that you are correct about flooding the top two cylinders. Before starting: Try draining the top carb bowl and then cranking the engine before the top two cylinders get any gas. If it cranks over fine, then Bob's your uncle! In that case, rebuild the carb again, reset the float level, or replace the whole carb.

 

[firemedic2396]

Re: 88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

Thanks for the advice. I'll check those things out.

 

[firemedic2396]

Re: 88 force 125hp will not start unless it's trimmed all the way up.

Just a quick update for anyone else who may be experiencing the same problems. It turned out to be a bad starter. I replaced it and now everything is great! I have never seen a starter act the way this one did.