At first I was upset that the G2 was like 9 but after seeing the top 3 it made sense😂. I literally felt so bad about a guy that had a force at a boat ramp I took him fishing. I knew they’d never get to go fishing otherwise 😩
Actually i love my 98 50hp fuel2noise converter Fires up everytime, never let me down. Last week someone asked if it was on fire…. No one longer appreciates the smell of a 1:50 twosmoke anymore 🤷♂️
My Dad bought a 1979 Mercury 140 tower of power. I was nine at the time. I have been running that same outboard up until two years ago. ( I’m now 52). That motor ran as smooth as a baby’s butt. Never had a issue.
That’s funny my dad bought 2 of them a 90 and a 115 in 75 the wire harness corroded out and the ignition took a crap on the 115 and can’t get parts is what I was told. They ran great. Any suggestions on a 115 replacement
@@slowscout if you are on Facebook there is page for the power of tower and has great information for parts. There is also aftermarket companies making all of the ignition components
I have a1986 Force 125, and a 1985 85hp and both run great never an issue maybe I'm just luckey.. But I believe it is the owners that make a good motor as most people just park them in the off season, and never matenance then as they should. After nearly fourty years the compression on both of mine is still 145+ on all clynders.
I am so happy to see Force number one on this list. I think my dad had the worst boat and motor combo ever probably in your eyes, he had a mid-80s Bayliner with a mid-80s force. There was times you couldn't even get that off the trailer.
Dude...the Evinrude G2 rocks. Didn't sell that well but it was the best outboard of all time. A shame it wasn't more popular because it was a high tech piece of kit.
Funny thing is my trusty 96 Starcraft tin dinker has 50 force. Yeah it smokes a little, yeah every 3-5 trips I got adjusted the idler. But that little 50 has been through hell with me. Hitting cypress knees, rocks, hitting stuff in the marsh. Yet I have not bring into a shop get motor work done to it, 26 years still running lol. I think I got 1 out of billion that wasn’t a bad one 😂.
@kwd1253 I don't know if you had that one in a billion one or not but if any motor is junk it's because of lack of care, maintenance, fuel mixture mistakes, etc. The theory of a 2- strokes operation is the same principle across the entire spectrum
This is freaking awesome,my family was in the boat biz for many years and we started out as force/mariner,then mercury after 96-ish.My buddy traded in a Suzuki 150ss and when I sold it the guy came back and said it quite on him,ended up just a bad stator.keep up the good work fellas.
Valuable insight from a life long boat mechanic. I love your episodes. I found your experiences on Chrysler outboards interesting. My grandparents bought a home on Pine Island Florida in 1967 and after failing with Mercury he swore by the Chryslers holding up better in the salt water. He used the 120 primarily. I know they were always run very hard in rough conditions at times.
Haha..the "Tower of Power". We had one when I was a kid and there was always SOMETHING you had to phuck with to get it to run right and when I was, it went through gas like you were pouring it overboard. Replaced that with a (then new) 150hp Merc Black Maxx and wish to God i still had it. People got into trouble when they'd either forget to refill the oil injection tank or if the oil injection system had an issue, but if properly maintained, that was the best bass boat engine I ever ran
I had a Force 90hp for 5 years. No problems except trim and tilt. It didn’t produce 90hp. Water skiing , cruising, with good oil, no smoke. Ran it WOD frequently, tried a few different pitch props, always ran the same speed. I feel lucky now.
Most of the Force failures were from people running bad gas or cheap oil, the people that bought them weren’t seasoned boaters and didn’t know how to take care of them. As shown in these other comments, people that actually take care of them properly have good luck with them.
Exactly 💯!! And I would say this is true with all outboards. People that put an outboard away for the season without Fogging it or draining the carburetor and using any remaining fuel for the snowblower shouldn't even own an outboard!! Lol 💸 😅
I will have to say, I bought a new Nitro 700LX back in the 90's with a 90 hp Force. I fished out of it all year for 6 years and beat on it. yet never had a single issue with it, but I maintain my stuff. I sold it and upgraded to a new 2002 Ranger 518VX with the 200hp Opti. Still running it today.
That seems to be the common theme with forces. Cheap people buy cheap motors and treat them like crap. Then they break. I have a 50 hp force, so far I like it. Simple, easy to work on. If I could afford a better motor, I'd get one. But so far, I'll run the force till it dies and take care of it.
I had a 99 ficht on my old Ranger with around 650 hours on it when I sold it three years ago. Sipped oil and fuel and ran like a champ. I had it for 8 years I think and besides routine maintenance the only problem it had was a cracked capacitor in the ecm that needed to be fixed for starting in cold weather. The lower unit did give it up right before I sold it, but it was the original, so pretty good. I'll tell you I hated indexing those damn spark plugs though lol
Believe it or not. My Dad and I had a 150 Force in the mid 90’s. Dad was an old boat racer and we modified the hell out of the engine and on our 16’ 89 Cajun we would leave mercs, evies all takers. It broke peoples minds. Funnest boating of my life.
My uncle had a Johnson fast strike that was in the shop more than on the water. I’m sure by the numbers OMC made a decent motor, but we never had luck with them.
Just sold an old 86 Bayliner that I had inherited from my brother when he moved. Had an 85hp Force on it. Think he had about 300 hours on it. Motor hadn't been run in over a decade. Pulled the plugs, fogged the motor, put in new battery and cranked it over no problem. Put the plugs back in, filled the tank and the damn thing started the second time cranked it and idled great. Guy that bought it has been running it for about a month now and told me he loves it. Starts and runs everytime.
My fiance and I bought an older bass boat last year with an 89 force 125 on it. Stator went out on it last year, but after that, it's been a great running motor. Idles really well and gets us to where we want to go and back.
Sold my 86 Capri with 125 Force after owning it 15 years. Had over 2,000 trouble free hours on it. It was over 10 years old when my buddy's new Yamaha 250 blew up. LOL😂
The 1995 Evinrude Intruder 150 was a solid motor. It wasn't on his list thankfully, but I got mine for free thanks to my impulsive and eccentric neighbor who thought he was a jack of all trades. It started running rough for him. He would go out there trying this or that for an hour, then start cussing lol. He rebuilt the carbs, new plugs, new coils, power pack, fuel lines, etc. But it was just super hard to get started and then ran poorly while stalling when u put it in gear. One day a delivery truck shows up and he purchased a brand new 200 Mercury. I noticed the old Intruder on a trailer. He said it's worn out and going to the dump. I asked if I could have it and he said if you can get it to your house,then go for it..... The next day on Sunday I check compression and it's fine, spark is good. I then notice some very fine dust coming from under the flywheel that looks grayish. I pop the flywheel off and discovered half a magnet cracked and dislodged. I ordered a used flywheel and installed it that Friday. The motor fired right up, but still ran terrible. I figured it was the carbs. I took it to a local outboard mechanic. He laughed and said whoever rebuilt these carbs had 0 clue as to what they were doing. I said go ahead and just rebuild and tune all of them. I have had that motor since 2007 and it has left me stranded once when the starter quit. But while it's a gas guzzler, it's a strong motor..... After fixing it, my neighbor actually thought it would be fair if I paid him at least something for all the money he put into it 😱. I told him I would provide him with some fish..... We have never really talked since, which I think is petty
I had the 115hp version. It was an absolute stud. Mine was a "98 model. I owned it for 11 years and NEVER had an issue. Just regular maintenance. Everyone would always comment on how reliable it was. I would buy an older one right now if I could.
Carburetor for four-stroke Mercury is because they're using ethanol gas if they use non ethanol and put a little seafoam in each fill-up you never have a problem
OK, nice video. I had a 2.6 ducted Sea Drive. It should have been #1 on your list. Not enough money in the world to keep it running. I replaced it with a Suzuki 225, with two plugs per cylinder. Best two-stroke I've ever owned, ran it countless offshore miles for years and had almost no issues. It was fast too. Loved that motor. Take it off your bad list. Today I'm running a pair of '21 Suzuki 200 hp. Very nice engines.
I’m restoring a 1974 Allison sst and I was given a running force 120. Hadn’t had it in the water yet but I hope it last long enough for me to find 2.5l merc.
My 97 force 40hp has been reliable as hell for over a decade. Not the smoothest but it idles good and the only thing I ever had to do besides maintenance is a starter. I have not been easy on it and it still hauls but. Maybe I just got really lucky.
@jacklucy2 exactly 💯! This is just pure high-school rhetoric!! Nothing at all wrong with Chrysler and Force outboards! Except for maybe the mechanic that has a pre-supposed opinion!
I had a stack of evy's and john's through the 70s, 80s and 90s, and they never let me down. The old motors were made to last. I would not buy a new outboard these days.
I know a guy that had a Fitch…. It was a good thing he put a brand new trolling motor on that boat, he put more hours on the trolling motor then the outboard that thing left him stranded everywhere haha
I have an old evinrude v4 cross flow, the thing is from the 70s and still running strong... would love a 4 stroke or e-tec though, the noise gets to me now and again when trying to have conversations while on plane
I had a force 125, late 80’s, most reliable outboard I ever owned. Maybe I just got lucky. I had a Johnson 65hp before and that force ran so much smoother with much less vibration. But knowing they are prone to issues I won’t get another. I don’t buy new outboards for several reasons, they are all crap, they are all priced way higher than they should be, they all rely too heavily on electronics. I have my favorites, old evinrude/ Johnson, smaller mercury’s, and for stern drive mercruiser alpha 1 with a Chevy small block.
Hit the nail on the head..for fun back in the day we put a chrysler 100hp on nitro methane...surprisingly it lasted for 2 full quarter mile passes and idled at 4k rpm...😆. I never seen a piston turn into tooth paste...it oozed out the block.
First boat was a 1982 Renken bow rider with a 1982 Chrysler 115 2 stroke. I brought it to a mechanic to go through it and he told me this is a red headed stepchild but somehow this one was in great shape. It was loud, shaky and smoked like hell but it always ran never gave me a problem. Didn’t have so much luck with the 2006 Yamaha 225 4 stroke though.
We bought our Suzuki when Covid was just getting started. (we weren't even wearing masks yet) so hopefully we are safe. Carburetors are great for engines that are used regularly, but on outboards that sit or troll a lot, over time they just lose their tune and don't work right. I see small boats with electric trolling motors all the time simply for the reason that their trusty old carburetor outboards just don't troll right anymore. My marine mechanic has the Merc Opti max on his list as well. Good video by the way.
Tower of power - changing the #6 spark plug....uuggghhhh... What where they thinking when they designed that??? It has an excellent hole shot though!! Are the carbs designed to leak a little?
I was a Sears tech for 20 years.The models with tecumseh powerheads were nothing much more than a lawnmower engine under the cowling(ignition timing and carb were slightly different.They had many issues. I do remember Sears had other manufacturers too with issues but We had a couple models with a Japanese powerhead.We had dozens here in south florida getting run hard in salt water,ran great with no abnormal/early failures.
Mercury vs Chrysler Force. I have the one by Mercury, 120 HP, and it runs quite well. I do agree with the leaking carbs, I have no idea why the replacement/oem seals are cork. Once I leveled the float correctly and don't trim it till the pump maxes out she doesn't leak.
Had a OMC Johnson gt 175 with the direct injection oil pump. Popped the heads every time due to lack of oil. Then started putting oil in the gas tank. Last longer, but pop goes the weasel. Replaced it with a 175 merc efi.
Most of the sears motors were Eska, actually pretty good for what they are. I have a 40 year old one. Still runs like a top. The late model ones were made by force I wouldn't touch one of those.
I got a 98 ficht 150 with 890 hrs and still runs great, very dependable motor as long as it had the recall. Pin it and trim it. Wished 2 strokes was still manufactured
I had a 115hp mariner tower of power and these motor had a sick personality. It would get you out to the middle of the lake and then never start back up. The trolling motor became the primary engine. Smartest thing i ever did was unfiltered from my awesome tidecraft and sell it on Facebook market place. I seriously thought I was gonna have to sell it for scrap metal weight but the Lord put it someone's hands.
I have a mercury 115 power of tower bought it from a guy that didn’t know much about it. Just need a tune up and carbs clean. It hasn’t miss a single beat since and owned it for 5 years now still going strong as brand new. Plus I just pick up a mercury 175 that’s been sitting for 15 years after a tune up that bad boy fired up like it never been sitting at all. Crazy the rare finds on them good motors.
I have a 2005 175 Ficht engine. One of the best engines I've ever owned. I did have to have the top head computer rebuilt by DFI Industries in Alabama. Came back better than ever. The best engine I owned was a Johnson 150 GT (1981????). Always ran, ran ran. And super fast.
I have an Evinrude E-Tec 150 2012. Had to replace the stator after 400h. Had the engine rebuilt after 500h due to a blown piston (piston 1). Now at 700h it blew another piston (piston 6). So far I've had repair costs of more than 6000USD, I'm done fixing it. Gonna replace it with a new Yamaha 150 VMAX SHO.
Good job. Toastmaster expert quote: Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them. I'm a former toastmaster and then got too busy for the program. You followed that format, so I told you. I am thinking of being a RUclips presenter via slide show of my home repair projects. No time for me to do the action videos but am doing progress pics. I can do a good narration of the organized pics. I am deciding if it is worth my while or a waste of time. I hope to get back into boating after I get a good but used full size pick-up truck to tow the boats.
I still wake up at night in a cold sweat and run to the garage and make sure there's not a blue motor on the back of my boat. The Evinrude Ficht stranded me way too many times to count after I bought it new in 2000.
@@TeamMarineService I think early to mid 90’s , it’s on a vanguard boat , I’m not sure but I thought possibly 1994 , just looking at the boat , doing research as best I know how.
I had a early 90s 15hp Game Fisher also. We took it to Lake Fork. 1st time out. The 1st stump we rolled over a stump the prop nudged it and the prop didnt spin. Little did we know they put shear pins in the prop shaft!!!!!! We had to be towed in! I used make my own shear pins out of welding wire for it. Total junk
Isn't the alternative to a sheer pin a friction fit rubber bushing that shreads itself to protect the gear but leaves you with a barely working prop. Some people/shops can press fit a new bushing in and most often you can limp home on a torn bushing. But not sure a sheer pin is as bas as you make it out to be - if you carry a spare;)
I had a '98 Force 120hp. I ran the crap out of it. I know it wasn't the best motor ever made, but it did give me some fun times fishing. I didn't own that boat/motor long, after 1.5 years and a starter motor, I traded it off for a new boat that had a Yamaha. I have not looked back. I did run 100% regular gas and Pennzoil Marine 2-stroke oil. Could be the reason I didn't have problems like others have stated.
Those are fighting words with tower of power. But, yeah... six cylinders are tall buggers. They are antiques that have been ridden hard and put away wet.
I got a 1988 force 50 for 400 bucks. Im brand new to outboards but can turn a wrench. I was hesitant but it had really good compression and looked really clean. Figured what the hell. Gotta be better than a dead motor right? Out of the gate had a stator problem which did not inspire confidence, but i fixed that easy and the thing runs good! Gets me going fast, and for a cheap motor, it just needs to get me where i need to fish and i have a good kicker motor as a back up. I think for just getting started, if you just want to get out fishing and to learn about working on outboards without breaking the bank, not a bad choice. This thing is super simple and easy to work on. Maybe I got lucky but so far, as a DIY guy I am not disappointed. Maybe someday i will sell it and upgrade to a nicer motor but so far, Im fishing so im happy.
@@user-ym9wb2mk5e the 98 Force is the best Chrysler 4 cylinder ever! Upgraded crank, big ends, combustion chambers, ignition. I am currently buildng a ported (ports pistons sleeve trenches) one ( Wiseco pistons) with large OMC twin throat carbs and Chrysler Hydroflow LU. Aiming for 6800 rpm (Avgas).
Had 1999 force 120 for 6 years had 150 psi on all cylinders and was amazing. Had almost no hours on it when I got it so probably why it was good it didn't have time for a beginner boater to trash it. May be the only other good Force out there
New to the channel I know the video a year old lol but I’ve been running suzuki DT225 I dropped a cylinder got rebuilt and 10hrs latter dropped the same cylinder put a hole in the piston I’m thinking about switching to Mercury mid 90s
My dads boat had a Yamaha 100 4-stroke carborated. Ran flawlessly for approximately 25 years until we sold it with my dad’s passing. The gentleman that bought it said it’s still running great after he cleaned it up a little after it sat in storage for 5 years. One of the reasons when I bought my last fishing boat in 2020 I insisted on Yamaha
I was once a strong proponent of North American made outboards but no more. Too much heartbreak with the realization the manufacturers wanted to only clip their coupons instead of trying to improve their product. I would be very very careful if I wanted to buy a motor today and really research the engine and THE DEALER before I made a move. One last thought; I once reached out to OMC for assistance and the company instead accused me of not servicing my equipment. Soon after the company declared bankruptcy.
I don’t feel the G2 deserves to be on this list, you never gave much of a reason for it to be. in fact it should be on your top 10. It had some growing pains but it was a completely new engineering design,and does well in so many categories. They have a good reputation in my area and as far as power head failures go, I haven’t really herd of any and for a 2 stroke I think that deserves some credit.
We take a service technician's frame of mind when making these lists sometimes too. The G2 was a pain to work on period. Poor engineering and design leads to wasted hours disassembling and reassembling.
My father bought a g2 225 equipped 23' the power had was bad, so he ended up with the suzuki 250 and haven't had to do anything outside of normal maintenance
The G2’s are a straight POS. If you have one on your boat I’m sorry! Your boat is now worthless. The guys with Ranger boats have to sell them for what the boat is worth minus the motor. Parts for the G2 are getting very hard to get as the supply dwindles.
You are dead wrong on the Mercury Tower of power. Those were great motors that you could not kill. However I think you’re absolutely right on the Chrysler outboard‘s. The only good thing about those was the damn good starter motor. The one outboard missing from the list was the Hiawatha. We had a 7.5 hp outboard, and it rarely ran. I think those were sold by the gambles department store, and you could buy those with the green stamps
Ran a 1999 40hp Merc 4 stroke and those carbs were horrible! I rebuilt them several times and once parts on the acc pumps broke you were screwed. Had some one off shit that wouldn't cross over to the yamaha's. I currently run a Ficht (DI) and find it to be less problematic than the optimax proXS engines I've owned and far less maintenance.
I think I have the only good running Ficht. I bought the boat in 2011 and was told my engine was going to blow up soon. It is a 2001 135hp V6. I have had my issues, but it still runs strong due to my great mechanic and regular maintenance.
Just had a 7.5 Force given to me from a friend who is developing dementia and will never fish again. Is it worth having it serviced or should it go in the scrap yard? Thanks
At first I was upset that the G2 was like 9 but after seeing the top 3 it made sense😂. I literally felt so bad about a guy that had a force at a boat ramp I took him fishing. I knew they’d never get to go fishing otherwise 😩
The G2 had to make the list because it killed Evinrude. We also personally hated working on them!
Actually i love my 98 50hp fuel2noise converter
Fires up everytime, never let me down. Last week someone asked if it was on fire…. No one longer appreciates the smell of a 1:50 twosmoke anymore 🤷♂️
@@RHaarFlyup I mix it heavy to keep away the chatty Cathy’s
I had a 70hp Force.she ran great.just had to change plugs every 6 months..😮
99
My Dad bought a 1979 Mercury 140 tower of power. I was nine at the time. I have been running that same outboard up until two years ago. ( I’m now 52). That motor ran as smooth as a baby’s butt. Never had a issue.
That's awesome Chuck!!!
That’s funny my dad bought 2 of them a 90 and a 115 in 75 the wire harness corroded out and the ignition took a crap on the 115 and can’t get parts is what I was told. They ran great. Any suggestions on a 115 replacement
@@slowscout if you are on Facebook there is page for the power of tower and has great information for parts. There is also aftermarket companies making all of the ignition components
I have a1986 Force 125, and a 1985 85hp and both run great never an issue maybe I'm just luckey.. But I believe it is the owners that make a good motor as most people just park them in the off season, and never matenance then as they should. After nearly fourty years the compression on both of mine is still 145+ on all clynders.
Exactly 💯!! This guy even thinks Sears actually made things, like outboards!! His list is ridiculously biased
Sears never made a single thing they sold!
may the force be with you and never behind you
I am so happy to see Force number one on this list. I think my dad had the worst boat and motor combo ever probably in your eyes, he had a mid-80s Bayliner with a mid-80s force. There was times you couldn't even get that off the trailer.
Was it the model of boat that sunk because the wake coming off plane would flood the boat?
Dude...the Evinrude G2 rocks. Didn't sell that well but it was the best outboard of all time. A shame it wasn't more popular because it was a high tech piece of kit.
Comment below of if you've ran any of these outboards and what your experience was like.
Funny thing is my trusty 96 Starcraft tin dinker has 50 force. Yeah it smokes a little, yeah every 3-5 trips I got adjusted the idler. But that little 50 has been through hell with me. Hitting cypress knees, rocks, hitting stuff in the marsh. Yet I have not bring into a shop get motor work done to it, 26 years still running lol. I think I got 1 out of billion that wasn’t a bad one 😂.
I had a 1999 200hp Evenrude ficht that ran good. I must of been lucky
I had a Chrysler, it ran great for a year. Then it wouldn’t stay wot. Sold entire boat
@@aaronz942So, you run a motor for a year and don't expect to have any maintenance or carburetor adjustment to look into?
@kwd1253 I don't know if you had that one in a billion one or not but if any motor is junk it's because of lack of care, maintenance, fuel mixture mistakes, etc. The theory of a 2- strokes operation is the same principle across the entire spectrum
This is freaking awesome,my family was in the boat biz for many years and we started out as force/mariner,then mercury after 96-ish.My buddy traded in a Suzuki 150ss and when I sold it the guy came back and said it quite on him,ended up just a bad stator.keep up the good work fellas.
Valuable insight from a life long boat mechanic. I love your episodes. I found your experiences on Chrysler outboards interesting. My grandparents bought a home on Pine Island Florida in 1967 and after failing with Mercury he swore by the Chryslers holding up better in the salt water. He used the 120 primarily. I know they were always run very hard in rough conditions at times.
Haha..the "Tower of Power". We had one when I was a kid and there was always SOMETHING you had to phuck with to get it to run right and when I was, it went through gas like you were pouring it overboard. Replaced that with a (then new) 150hp Merc Black Maxx and wish to God i still had it. People got into trouble when they'd either forget to refill the oil injection tank or if the oil injection system had an issue, but if properly maintained, that was the best bass boat engine I ever ran
I had a Force 90hp for 5 years. No problems except trim and tilt. It didn’t produce 90hp. Water skiing , cruising, with good oil, no smoke. Ran it WOD frequently, tried a few different pitch props, always ran the same speed. I feel lucky now.
Most of the Force failures were from people running bad gas or cheap oil, the people that bought them weren’t seasoned boaters and didn’t know how to take care of them. As shown in these other comments, people that actually take care of them properly have good luck with them.
Exactly 💯!! And I would say this is true with all outboards. People that put an outboard away for the season without Fogging it or draining the carburetor and using any remaining fuel for the snowblower shouldn't even own an outboard!! Lol 💸 😅
I will have to say, I bought a new Nitro 700LX back in the 90's with a 90 hp Force. I fished out of it all year for 6 years and beat on it. yet never had a single issue with it, but I maintain my stuff. I sold it and upgraded to a new 2002 Ranger 518VX with the 200hp Opti. Still running it today.
That seems to be the common theme with forces. Cheap people buy cheap motors and treat them like crap. Then they break. I have a 50 hp force, so far I like it. Simple, easy to work on. If I could afford a better motor, I'd get one. But so far, I'll run the force till it dies and take care of it.
Thank for the great laugh today I needed it. I agree completely, this was the most entertaining one so far! Thanks again smiles for days.
Best quote, "There was one out of....there's one that ran good, I think."
Haha we remember it. Miraculous!
@@TeamMarineService I have a force 40 and it runs not the best but it runs lol
I had a 99 ficht on my old Ranger with around 650 hours on it when I sold it three years ago. Sipped oil and fuel and ran like a champ. I had it for 8 years I think and besides routine maintenance the only problem it had was a cracked capacitor in the ecm that needed to be fixed for starting in cold weather. The lower unit did give it up right before I sold it, but it was the original, so pretty good. I'll tell you I hated indexing those damn spark plugs though lol
My 99 Ficht 150 has always been great to me!
Hey.. any thoughts on the ETEC engines by Envinrude?
@@andresetc Not big fans of E-TEC's
Wow you got a good one Austin. Great to hear!
Believe it or not. My Dad and I had a 150 Force in the mid 90’s. Dad was an old boat racer and we modified the hell out of the engine and on our 16’ 89 Cajun we would leave mercs, evies all takers. It broke peoples minds. Funnest boating of my life.
My uncle had a Johnson fast strike that was in the shop more than on the water. I’m sure by the numbers OMC made a decent motor, but we never had luck with them.
Just sold an old 86 Bayliner that I had inherited from my brother when he moved. Had an 85hp Force on it. Think he had about 300 hours on it. Motor hadn't been run in over a decade. Pulled the plugs, fogged the motor, put in new battery and cranked it over no problem. Put the plugs back in, filled the tank and the damn thing started the second time cranked it and idled great. Guy that bought it has been running it for about a month now and told me he loves it. Starts and runs everytime.
My fiance and I bought an older bass boat last year with an 89 force 125 on it. Stator went out on it last year, but after that, it's been a great running motor. Idles really well and gets us to where we want to go and back.
Well, he did say there was one that ran good, guess you have it.
Must be 2 out there then my 120 runs great
I have an 125 horse force on my 1989 bayliner and it still runs great!
My 85hp force is still going strong and I'm not easy on it at all
Sold my 86 Capri with 125 Force after owning it 15 years. Had over 2,000 trouble free hours on it. It was over 10 years old when my buddy's new Yamaha 250 blew up. LOL😂
The 1995 Evinrude Intruder 150 was a solid motor. It wasn't on his list thankfully, but I got mine for free thanks to my impulsive and eccentric neighbor who thought he was a jack of all trades. It started running rough for him. He would go out there trying this or that for an hour, then start cussing lol. He rebuilt the carbs, new plugs, new coils, power pack, fuel lines, etc. But it was just super hard to get started and then ran poorly while stalling when u put it in gear.
One day a delivery truck shows up and he purchased a brand new 200 Mercury. I noticed the old Intruder on a trailer. He said it's worn out and going to the dump. I asked if I could have it and he said if you can get it to your house,then go for it..... The next day on Sunday I check compression and it's fine, spark is good. I then notice some very fine dust coming from under the flywheel that looks grayish. I pop the flywheel off and discovered half a magnet cracked and dislodged. I ordered a used flywheel and installed it that Friday. The motor fired right up, but still ran terrible. I figured it was the carbs. I took it to a local outboard mechanic. He laughed and said whoever rebuilt these carbs had 0 clue as to what they were doing. I said go ahead and just rebuild and tune all of them.
I have had that motor since 2007 and it has left me stranded once when the starter quit. But while it's a gas guzzler, it's a strong motor..... After fixing it, my neighbor actually thought it would be fair if I paid him at least something for all the money he put into it 😱. I told him I would provide him with some fish..... We have never really talked since, which I think is petty
I had the 115hp version. It was an absolute stud. Mine was a "98 model. I owned it for 11 years and NEVER had an issue. Just regular maintenance. Everyone would always comment on how reliable it was. I would buy an older one right now if I could.
100% correct. I spend more time fixing carb 4 strokes than any other motor as far as tuning them.
Carburetor for four-stroke Mercury is because they're using ethanol gas if they use non ethanol and put a little seafoam in each fill-up you never have a problem
OK, nice video. I had a 2.6 ducted Sea Drive. It should have been #1 on your list. Not enough money in the world to keep it running. I replaced it with a Suzuki 225, with two plugs per cylinder. Best two-stroke I've ever owned, ran it countless offshore miles for years and had almost no issues. It was fast too. Loved that motor. Take it off your bad list. Today I'm running a pair of '21 Suzuki 200 hp. Very nice engines.
I’m restoring a 1974 Allison sst and I was given a running force 120. Hadn’t had it in the water yet but I hope it last long enough for me to find 2.5l merc.
I had a tower of power 150 and that thing was a tank!!! Loved it!! Just so loyal!!! Every time I hit the key that motor with fire and run!
Agreed great engine! love my 1150!!
Actually have a 99 120 Force and have had zero issues with it.
My 97 force 40hp has been reliable as hell for over a decade. Not the smoothest but it idles good and the only thing I ever had to do besides maintenance is a starter. I have not been easy on it and it still hauls but. Maybe I just got really lucky.
I love Force Outboards!!! Haha
Lies! lol
@Billy Noles Pure Garbage!
I had a 50 for 10 plus years and a Chrysler…never had an issue.
@jacklucy2 exactly 💯! This is just pure high-school rhetoric!! Nothing at all wrong with Chrysler and Force outboards! Except for maybe the mechanic that has a pre-supposed opinion!
Kind of surprised that Mariner didn't make the list. I am an outboard Tech, Certified OMC, Honda and Merc. I have worked on them all. Hated Mariners.
I had a stack of evy's and john's through the 70s, 80s and 90s, and they never let me down. The old motors were made to last. I would not buy a new outboard these days.
I bought a ‘96 bayliner with a 120 Force and our first trip out blew up the carrier bearing in the lower unit and hated it ever since!
I know a guy that had a Fitch…. It was a good thing he put a brand new trolling motor on that boat, he put more hours on the trolling motor then the outboard that thing left him stranded everywhere haha
Oh man, no good!!!
Worst part is he bought another boat with a Evinrude..
My Merc four stroke is one cold natured motor, but once it starts it runs great.
I had a 96' 90 force on a tracker, most reliable motor I ever had. Never failed me
I’ve had a 90 and a 75 and the boats fell apart before the motor. That 90 never got any maintenance of any kind, and still wouldn’t die.
I have an old evinrude v4 cross flow, the thing is from the 70s and still running strong... would love a 4 stroke or e-tec though, the noise gets to me now and again when trying to have conversations while on plane
What size e tech
I had a force 125, late 80’s, most reliable outboard I ever owned. Maybe I just got lucky. I had a Johnson 65hp before and that force ran so much smoother with much less vibration. But knowing they are prone to issues I won’t get another. I don’t buy new outboards for several reasons, they are all crap, they are all priced way higher than they should be, they all rely too heavily on electronics. I have my favorites, old evinrude/ Johnson, smaller mercury’s, and for stern drive mercruiser alpha 1 with a Chevy small block.
Hit the nail on the head..for fun back in the day we put a chrysler 100hp on nitro methane...surprisingly it lasted for 2 full quarter mile passes and idled at 4k rpm...😆. I never seen a piston turn into tooth paste...it oozed out the block.
I had the Force 40hp 1994 model. It only needed sparkplugs about once a year. Never had any other problem with it. Sold in 2000.
First boat was a 1982 Renken bow rider with a 1982 Chrysler 115 2 stroke. I brought it to a mechanic to go through it and he told me this is a red headed stepchild but somehow this one was in great shape. It was loud, shaky and smoked like hell but it always ran never gave me a problem. Didn’t have so much luck with the 2006 Yamaha 225 4 stroke though.
We bought our Suzuki when Covid was just getting started. (we weren't even wearing masks yet) so hopefully we are safe. Carburetors are great for engines that are used regularly, but on outboards that sit or troll a lot, over time they just lose their tune and don't work right. I see small boats with electric trolling motors all the time simply for the reason that their trusty old carburetor outboards just don't troll right anymore.
My marine mechanic has the Merc Opti max on his list as well. Good video by the way.
Got my 20hp merc 4 stroke since 2008, never ever had a problem. Gets abused beyond hell, never missed a beat!
In a battle of Ficht vs G2 who wins?
I myself would go with the Ficht!
Tower of power - changing the #6 spark plug....uuggghhhh... What where they thinking when they designed that???
It has an excellent hole shot though!!
Are the carbs designed to leak a little?
It was the same way changing the #4 plug in my 85hp thunderbolt that I had
Came here for Force. Did not disappoint.
HAHAHA
I was a Sears tech for 20 years.The models with tecumseh powerheads were nothing much more than a lawnmower engine under the cowling(ignition timing and carb were slightly different.They had many issues. I do remember Sears had other manufacturers too with issues but We had a couple models with a Japanese powerhead.We had dozens here in south florida getting run hard in salt water,ran great with no abnormal/early failures.
Mercury vs Chrysler Force. I have the one by Mercury, 120 HP, and it runs quite well. I do agree with the leaking carbs, I have no idea why the replacement/oem seals are cork. Once I leveled the float correctly and don't trim it till the pump maxes out she doesn't leak.
Do you remember the in-line 5 150 forces tower of power
@@dang5553 No, only had the 120 . Sold the boat 6 months ago.
Wow now that's a list! All J-U-N-K!!!
#Truth!
Had a OMC Johnson gt 175 with the direct injection oil pump. Popped the heads every time due to lack of oil. Then started putting oil in the gas tank. Last longer, but pop goes the weasel. Replaced it with a 175 merc efi.
GT stood for Get Tools!
Lol
I had a Tracker motor I was told was a Force. Could never keep it running. I am glad that was #1
Most of the sears motors were Eska, actually pretty good for what they are. I have a 40 year old one. Still runs like a top. The late model ones were made by force I wouldn't touch one of those.
I got a 98 ficht 150 with 890 hrs and still runs great, very dependable motor as long as it had the recall. Pin it and trim it. Wished 2 strokes was still manufactured
You are the rare exception to this show
I had a 115hp mariner tower of power and these motor had a sick personality. It would get you out to the middle of the lake and then never start back up. The trolling motor became the primary engine. Smartest thing i ever did was unfiltered from my awesome tidecraft and sell it on Facebook market place. I seriously thought I was gonna have to sell it for scrap metal weight but the Lord put it someone's hands.
I have a mercury 115 power of tower bought it from a guy that didn’t know much about it. Just need a tune up and carbs clean. It hasn’t miss a single beat since and owned it for 5 years now still going strong as brand new. Plus I just pick up a mercury 175 that’s been sitting for 15 years after a tune up that bad boy fired up like it never been sitting at all. Crazy the rare finds on them good motors.
Your list is correct. I still like towers of power, though.
I have a 2005 175 Ficht engine. One of the best engines I've ever owned. I did have to have the top head computer rebuilt by DFI Industries in Alabama. Came back better than ever. The best engine I owned was a Johnson 150 GT (1981????). Always ran, ran ran. And super fast.
I have an Evinrude E-Tec 150 2012. Had to replace the stator after 400h. Had the engine rebuilt after 500h due to a blown piston (piston 1). Now at 700h it blew another piston (piston 6). So far I've had repair costs of more than 6000USD, I'm done fixing it. Gonna replace it with a new Yamaha 150 VMAX SHO.
With 30 years in the Industry,I concur with your top ten.
Was waiting for the force if it wasn't on here I wasn't going to subscribe lol but you have now earned my subscription lol
I had a Johnson 90hp, 3 cylinder. The tech that worked on it always said it was a Chrysler disguised as a Johnson......Happy day when it was gone!
ruclips.net/video/IPVx_0mo8A4/видео.html
When I was a boat mechanic in the 90s I made a good living replacing and rebuilding Johnson/Evinrude 60hp powerheads.
On the DT Suzukis the lowers all split at the bearing carrier. I've never seen a 115/140/150 without a cracked lower here in MD.
Good job. Toastmaster expert quote: Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them. I'm a former toastmaster and then got too busy for the program. You followed that format, so I told you. I am thinking of being a RUclips presenter via slide show of my home repair projects. No time for me to do the action videos but am doing progress pics. I can do a good narration of the organized pics. I am deciding if it is worth my while or a waste of time. I hope to get back into boating after I get a good but used full size pick-up truck to tow the boats.
I still run a tower of power sometimes. Pretty finicky and hard to work on, but otherwise it's been a great engine.
Same. They are antiques though. Like comparing a Honda Civic to a 57 Chevy Bel Air.
What’s do u guys think about the 90’s model merc 2 stroke EFI’s?
Good or bad?
Good for the most part
I still wake up at night in a cold sweat and run to the garage and make sure there's not a blue motor on the back of my boat.
The Evinrude Ficht stranded me way too many times to count after I bought it new in 2000.
What is the best 90 new made ?
What about Evinrude Spitfires?
How’s the 85 Yamaha?
What year?
@@TeamMarineService I think early to mid 90’s , it’s on a vanguard boat , I’m not sure but I thought possibly 1994 , just looking at the boat , doing research as best I know how.
I had a early 90s 15hp Game Fisher also. We took it to Lake Fork. 1st time out. The 1st stump we rolled over a stump the prop nudged it and the prop didnt spin. Little did we know they put shear pins in the prop shaft!!!!!! We had to be towed in! I used make my own shear pins out of welding wire for it. Total junk
Isn't the alternative to a sheer pin a friction fit rubber bushing that shreads itself to protect the gear but leaves you with a barely working prop. Some people/shops can press fit a new bushing in and most often you can limp home on a torn bushing. But not sure a sheer pin is as bas as you make it out to be - if you carry a spare;)
Whats your opinion on 2021’s Suzuki’s
From what we have seen they have been least affected when compared to yamaha and Mercury especially.
I had a '98 Force 120hp. I ran the crap out of it. I know it wasn't the best motor ever made, but it did give me some fun times fishing. I didn't own that boat/motor long, after 1.5 years and a starter motor, I traded it off for a new boat that had a Yamaha. I have not looked back.
I did run 100% regular gas and Pennzoil Marine 2-stroke oil. Could be the reason I didn't have problems like others have stated.
Those are fighting words with tower of power. But, yeah... six cylinders are tall buggers. They are antiques that have been ridden hard and put away wet.
Haha True!!
I got a 1988 force 50 for 400 bucks. Im brand new to outboards but can turn a wrench. I was hesitant but it had really good compression and looked really clean. Figured what the hell. Gotta be better than a dead motor right? Out of the gate had a stator problem which did not inspire confidence, but i fixed that easy and the thing runs good! Gets me going fast, and for a cheap motor, it just needs to get me where i need to fish and i have a good kicker motor as a back up. I think for just getting started, if you just want to get out fishing and to learn about working on outboards without breaking the bank, not a bad choice. This thing is super simple and easy to work on. Maybe I got lucky but so far, as a DIY guy I am not disappointed. Maybe someday i will sell it and upgrade to a nicer motor but so far, Im fishing so im happy.
Team marine, didn't mercury acquire the force outboard line later on towards the end?
Yes
When I order parts, for my 98 120 hp, it’s all Merc made or Sierra cross referencing numbers.
@@user-ym9wb2mk5e the 98 Force is the best Chrysler 4 cylinder ever! Upgraded crank, big ends, combustion chambers, ignition. I am currently buildng a ported (ports pistons sleeve trenches) one ( Wiseco pistons) with large OMC twin throat carbs and Chrysler Hydroflow LU. Aiming for 6800 rpm (Avgas).
You might say Chryslers are junk, mine was 40 years old before it needed pistons, how many new engines will run that long,
I was an outboard mechanic since 1976 .. He is correct on all .
Dont Forgot Scott Attwood my olf man had one and we would get all excited to go boating and it would sit on beach all weekend.
Every single Chrysler I've owned has been awesome. I own a 55 and a 45 now and to this day not a problem ever
ruclips.net/video/IPVx_0mo8A4/видео.html
Im running a 84 25 Evinrude on a 1519DS lol. E25RCR. Shes a good motor still to this day. I use it duck hunting on the flats!
Ever work on an Elgin?
What about the mariner 2 stroke 115?
Had 1999 force 120 for 6 years had 150 psi on all cylinders and was amazing. Had almost no hours on it when I got it so probably why it was good it didn't have time for a beginner boater to trash it. May be the only other good Force out there
We had a FORCE 70 that was good one too.
They were like 90% junk and 10% of them were wroth having lol
I had a 98 or 99 force 40hp on a 17ft tracker never had a problem with it. Has it for about 15 years
Can you do the Johnson venom 225
New to the channel I know the video a year old lol but I’ve been running suzuki DT225 I dropped a cylinder got rebuilt and 10hrs latter dropped the same cylinder put a hole in the piston I’m thinking about switching to Mercury mid 90s
Wow that's bad news Jose! What year is that Suzuki?
My dads boat had a Yamaha 100 4-stroke carborated. Ran flawlessly for approximately 25 years until we sold it with my dad’s passing. The gentleman that bought it said it’s still running great after he cleaned it up a little after it sat in storage for 5 years. One of the reasons when I bought my last fishing boat in 2020 I insisted on Yamaha
I was once a strong proponent of North American made outboards but no more. Too much heartbreak with the realization the manufacturers wanted to only clip their coupons instead of trying to improve their product. I would be very very careful if I wanted to buy a motor today and really research the engine and THE DEALER before I made a move. One last thought; I once reached out to OMC for assistance and the company instead accused me of not servicing my equipment. Soon after the company declared bankruptcy.
I don’t feel the G2 deserves to be on this list, you never gave much of a reason for it to be. in fact it should be on your top 10. It had some growing pains but it was a completely new engineering design,and does well in so many categories. They have a good reputation in my area and as far as power head failures go, I haven’t really herd of any and for a 2 stroke I think that deserves some credit.
We take a service technician's frame of mind when making these lists sometimes too. The G2 was a pain to work on period. Poor engineering and design leads to wasted hours disassembling and reassembling.
@@TeamMarineService fair enough, I can understand that.
i have a friend that had a g2 in his bay boat and the power head blew up, he ended up with a yamaha
My father bought a g2 225 equipped 23' the power had was bad, so he ended up with the suzuki 250 and haven't had to do anything outside of normal maintenance
The G2’s are a straight POS. If you have one on your boat I’m sorry! Your boat is now worthless. The guys with Ranger boats have to sell them for what the boat is worth minus the motor.
Parts for the G2 are getting very hard to get as the supply dwindles.
You are dead wrong on the Mercury Tower of power. Those were great motors that you could not kill. However I think you’re absolutely right on the Chrysler outboard‘s. The only good thing about those was the damn good starter motor. The one outboard missing from the list was the Hiawatha. We had a 7.5 hp outboard, and it rarely ran. I think those were sold by the gambles department store, and you could buy those with the green stamps
I agree, I thought tower of powers were pretty decent
What years do you mean by covid motors ?
Anything made from March 2020 to December 2021
My F25 yam with carb still runs perfect. Starts every time and does sit a lot cause I only like nice weather boating. Had it over 20 yrs now.
Ran a 1999 40hp Merc 4 stroke and those carbs were horrible! I rebuilt them several times and once parts on the acc pumps broke you were screwed. Had some one off shit that wouldn't cross over to the yamaha's. I currently run a Ficht (DI) and find it to be less problematic than the optimax proXS engines I've owned and far less maintenance.
You know the pain! How many hours are on your ficht Joe?
Bought my Suzuki 200 December 2019. Thank God I made the decision before covid.
IIRC, some Force outboards used cast pistons. Ours was terrible. It never ran well. Oil was always meticulously mixed and pistons actually melted.
Thoughts on a 1989 Jhonson GT150
What do u think about Mariner motors? I thought they were made by Mercury . But Is there any difference in the good in bad years?😊
Alot of late 70s mid 90s Mariner were made by Yamaha. If it says made in Japan,good chance it is.
My brother-in-law had a force Engine,the carbs seat nut kept coming loose.
No one their knew to put a little lock tight on it.
But what about those rare Volvo outboards?
I think I have the only good running Ficht. I bought the boat in 2011 and was told my engine was going to blow up soon. It is a 2001 135hp V6. I have had my issues, but it still runs strong due to my great mechanic and regular maintenance.
Just had a 7.5 Force given to me from a friend who is developing dementia and will never fish again. Is it worth having it serviced or should it go in the scrap yard? Thanks