ollieoctopus
Recruit
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2011
- Messages
- 2
Re: Help! 50 hp force over heating!
I spent a month with overheat problems on my 1985 Force 50 hp. I went nuts changing impellers, thermostats, and seals. First, ear muffs will NOT work with these engines. Get a garbage can and fill it with water and run it that way. My problem was three-fold. First, a new impeller. I chewed a new one up by installing it the wrong way. My Clymer manual says that it has to be installed with the drive pin visable (away from the pump body), and the blades positioned as moving in a ccw rotation as you look at it before installing it on the foot. Second, exhaust gas that escapes into the water jacket from either the head gasket or the exhaust port cover can cause so much heat as to cancel out the cooling effect of the water pump. I replaced the head gasket (bolts-270 in/lbs on my engine) and it solved most of my problems. Third, I found that the bolts on the exhaust port cover were very loose!. I torqued them to 70 in/lbs. All three together solved my problem. I installed a pee hole by drilling and taping into the thermostat housing and running a tube out a hole drilled in the bottom cover on the driver's side of the engine. The 1/4 inch tubing was restricted to a 1/8 inch by drilling a 1/8 inch hole in a bolt and inserting it into the tubing. I get a very visable water stream that lets me know the pump is working without using up too much water. Lastly, I will NEVER own another outboard engine without installing a cylinder head temp gauge. I put a little piece of yellow tape on the face of the instrument to mark where the needle should normally be pointing. Hope this helps someone.
I spent a month with overheat problems on my 1985 Force 50 hp. I went nuts changing impellers, thermostats, and seals. First, ear muffs will NOT work with these engines. Get a garbage can and fill it with water and run it that way. My problem was three-fold. First, a new impeller. I chewed a new one up by installing it the wrong way. My Clymer manual says that it has to be installed with the drive pin visable (away from the pump body), and the blades positioned as moving in a ccw rotation as you look at it before installing it on the foot. Second, exhaust gas that escapes into the water jacket from either the head gasket or the exhaust port cover can cause so much heat as to cancel out the cooling effect of the water pump. I replaced the head gasket (bolts-270 in/lbs on my engine) and it solved most of my problems. Third, I found that the bolts on the exhaust port cover were very loose!. I torqued them to 70 in/lbs. All three together solved my problem. I installed a pee hole by drilling and taping into the thermostat housing and running a tube out a hole drilled in the bottom cover on the driver's side of the engine. The 1/4 inch tubing was restricted to a 1/8 inch by drilling a 1/8 inch hole in a bolt and inserting it into the tubing. I get a very visable water stream that lets me know the pump is working without using up too much water. Lastly, I will NEVER own another outboard engine without installing a cylinder head temp gauge. I put a little piece of yellow tape on the face of the instrument to mark where the needle should normally be pointing. Hope this helps someone.