Honda BF9.9A/15A Oil Leak?

Hello,

I just purchased a sailboat with a 9.9 Honda outboard. I do not know much about boats or motors, but the seller assured me that the motor was well cared for and had been serviced on a yearly basis. The motor seemed at first to run well (it has a hose connection which the seller used to demonstrate that it runs while the boat was at her house). However, the first time I got out on the water, the motor shut off after a few minutes of running, started lightly smoking, and would not start again. This may have been because of my error - didn't give it much time to warm up (stupid!) and was running it with the choke still on (again, stupid!). When I got back to my house, I tried running the motor again using the hose connection. It started up and idled no problem. However, some oil leaked out of what looked like the exhaust hole (a rectangular slot in the back of the engine, below and to the right of the engine cock lever - just a guess that it's the exhaust hole, it's not labeled in my manual) as shown in the attached pictures. The leak was a very slight trickle, but was not just one or two drops. I tried again 5 hours later with the same result. I checked the oil level, and it was full. Could it be overfull? What else could have caused this? Any help would be much appreciated.

Other possible problem: When using the hose connection to run the motor out of the water, the manual states: "Be sure that water flows from the water check hole while the engine is running." It shows a picture of water flowing out of the water intake screens on either side and the propeller, but not out of the "water check hole" (which is further up near the top of the motor). When I run the motor using the hose connection, no water comes out of the water check hole, it just comes out of the water intake screens and the propeller. I'm not sure if the manual is just unclear, and what they really mean is that water should come out of the screens and propeller (as the picture shows and as I experience), or if it does really need to come out of the water check hole. Does anyone know?


Sorry if my questions are unclear or are stupid. I really don't know much, so any help would be appreciated!

Thank you!

Well, I hate to say this to you but, despite what the previous owner told you about the "care" this outboard received, if it were a horse, I would say it was rode hard and put away wet. She looks like she was dropped on her head!

It sounds as if you should have this outboard assessed by a decent mechanic. It may be useable, but it may certainly need a water pump and it looks like it is badly carboned up internally. That's what is probably causing it to "drool" oil out the exhaust. That might be an indication of a thermostat that has not worked in some time.

If you want to use and depend on this outboard, find a good mechanic or shop and spend a few bucks for an "estimate".

Hi illliniphoenix,

Sorry about the "tone" of my previous post. I was in a bit of a rush and should have waited to answer you. It seemed a bit "harsh" when I reread it.

There are no stupid questions. Just people too stupid to ask questions. So, don't worry about that. That is why we are all here. We all have questions at one time or another.

I don't like running an outboard on the "hose connection" or earmuffs as they're called. It will give you false results. Most homes have around 70 psi water pressure and that is plenty to make an outboard cooling system look good in the driveway but still have a problem out on the water. I use a "test tank" made from a trash can filled with water to simulate actual conditions. Also, some of these outboards have intake holes for the water pump that aren't covered by the "muffs" and that can cause the pump to cavitate (suck air) and be damaged. As a matter of fact, if you were using the "flush adapter" that screws into the thermostat housing, the engine should probably not be running at all.

While it is possible that there may be some sort of debris in your tell tale (water check hole), it is more likely that you have a bad pump impeller. They can go "bad" from just sitting for a long time.

I still stand by my previous statement that you should have this thing looked at by a qualified mechanic. Even if the lady that sold you the boat didn't intentionally mislead you, she was, at the very least, wrong in her assessment that the engine was "well cared for".

The exterior corrosion is a good indicator that the motor has not been maintained that well.
It looks like it may have been left in salt water.
salt can crystallize in the cooling system causing blockages.
Fish a piece of light wire up through the tube and see if that helps unblock it.
I would also check your zincs and make sure they are still intact

Thanks both of you for your responses. jgmo - no offense taken! I will definitely take the motor in. Thanks guys.