2004 BF 200 hp Issue

Purchased a new to me Everglades 223 with a 2004 BF200. Engine was checked out by a Honda tech and everything was good (compression, etc.) the seller also sprung for the 100 hour service (the engine only has 110 hours).

The boat sat for about 8 months without being used and with a virtually empty fuel tank. Not being real bright, I filled the tank without thinking about it and ran the boat.

After running it the first day I noticed a slight miss at idle. I ran it the second day and the miss got worse and on the way in I lost about 850 rpm. My assumption is crap in the VST and tank clogged up the high pressure filter and one of the injectors. The motor now has a very pronounced miss at idle that is regular (i.e., one of the cylinders is not firing).

My plan is to first figure out what cylinder is not firing by pulling the spark plug wires. Once I figure that out, I was going to check the plugs, replace all filters, clean the VST, and replace the injector on the cylinder that is not firing.

I also realized to late that the boat had a standard 25 micron quicksilver fuel filter which I am replacing with a 10 micron Racor filter.

Any thoughts as to anything else I should check/clean? I have the shop manual and am mechanically inclined enough to know when taking something apart is above my head.

Also, what would be the best way to flush the entire fuel system on the engine to make sure there is no more crap left behind.

Thanks.

Re: BF200 Issue

Sounds like a good plan - especially replacing the fuel/water separator with the Racor. Also, drain and check the onboard fuel-water separator and the low pressure fuel filter. I would consider replacing the plugs, especially if they are Denso's. Replace with NGK 1ZFR6F11.

I'm not sure how you can flush the entire system without tearing it apart. Perhaps one of the Honda Techs on this forum can help with that.

Setting up for 8 months, you very likely have phase separation in your fuel (assuming it had E-10 in it) and probably some sediment. I would drain and clean the fuel tank. I do that with a 12V fuel pump purchased from and auto parts supply company (e.g. NAPA) and fit a hose long enough to reach the back corner of my fuel tank, tilt the boat, and pump all the fuel into containers. You can then filter that fuel and use it in your car or truck. You may want to test the first batch and last batch of fuel you extract for signs of separation - pump it into a clear glass container and let it sit to see what separates out.

Also, I would pull and test the t-stats. Put them in a pot of water and heat them up - observe when they start to open and when they are fully open and check that against the manual specs. Also measure how far they open and check against specs.

Re: BF200 Issue

One other thought. After doing what you plan, consider running a can of SeaFoam through the engine in concentrated mode to clean up your rail and injectors. See instructions on the can.

Re: BF200 Issue

So I found the miss, one of the plugs was bad. However, I am back to the slight miss that was present befor losing the cylinder.

Drained the VST tank and the gas was clean. No junk came out. Not sure if I want to tear everything down just for the sake of it.

Could it be an o2 sensor issue?

Thanks

Re: BF200 Issue

Again, I would defer to any Honda Techs on this forum.

However, the HO2 sensor is not likely to cause a "slight" miss. Is the slight miss still only at idle? What is your tach reading at idle? It should be between 600 and 700 rpm. Idle speed is controlled by the ECM.

From what you described, I'm more inclined to think you still have a fuel issue. They can be difficult to track down. If you can borrow a portable tank and a "good" fuel line, fill it with fresh gas and connect it directly to the on board fuel water separator. If that eliminates the miss, then you have a problem in your fuel lines or the pick up tube in your tank.

Check all your fuel line connections to make sure you are not getting air drawn in. Temporarily replacing each link in the fuel line with a clear plastic hose will quickly reveal whether you are getting any air drawn in - you'll see the air bubbles in the clear plastic tubing.

If all that fails, then I would suspect a partially clogged injector.

Re: BF200 Issue

The miss is noticable up to about 4000 rpm. It is most noticeable at idle around 700 rpm, that is the engine has a shake at idle and you can here the miss. I pulled the plug wires after I changed out the bad plug and no cylinder seems to make the miss more or less noticable at idle or 3000 rpm.

I am leaning toward a fuel issue also. I am going to get a fuel pressure guage and start working may way through the low and high pressure fuel system. My hope is it is a partially blocked injector or filter.

One weird thing I notice however was that the low pressure filter is not staying completely full when the motor is running, although the water seperate is staying full.

I will have a better idea if I have a fuel restriction issue once I can run the boat again and see if I picked up the 850 rpm I lost with the bad spark plug.

Thanks.

Re: BF200 Issue

From my old auto shop days, that sounds like a vacuum leak.

I think I'm getting well past my level of competence here. There is an intake air bypass control (IAC) near the vacuum tank. I'm not sure of how to test that, but it is possible that it is clogged or malfunctioning. That could be the source of the miss. So besides testing the fuel pressure along the fuel lines, get a vacuum gauge and check the vacuum. Also, just for grims, take a close look at the vacuum lines connecting to the vacuum tank. One of those lines terminates at a check valve. The other one terminates at the IAC.

BTW, I'm off the air for the next 5 days. Try to get Hondadude (Mike) engaged in this thread.

My Honda acts the same! But I think is bad gas or dirty tank or restrict gas flowing some where that I couldn't tracing it down yet! I only notice when I get it up to 5000 RPM !

Hunglee75 - start a new thread - this one is 10 years old.

Specify year and model of your engine, and describe the issue in as much detail as possible, and anything you have done diagnostically.