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Alarm on 225HP 4Stroke at Low RPM

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Angus

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"I have two 225HP 4-strokes wi

"I have two 225HP 4-strokes with about 100 hours on them. Recently, I began experiencing a problem with both engines. After running the outboard at idle RPM for about 1-2 minutes, I will get an audible alarm (one second beep on / on second off) and a visual "check engine" light illuminates. This problem is not limited to either engine, it happens with both (albeit at different times for each engine). If I keep the RPMs above 1000, the problem never occurs. I have taken my Racor (S3232) out of the line and connected fuel directly to the tank, and still experience the problem. I have also checked the oil and added a quart for good measure. Are there any other thoughts on a likely culprit? Because this is affecting both engines, I am guessing it is something to do with fuel or electricity, rather than a mechanical problem. The engines are only 1 year old, and the boat is new -- I don't think I have the "ethanol gumming up your engines" problem as I don't believe this boat has ever seen anything other than E10 gasoline. Ideas?
-angus"
 
"I could definitely do an oil

"I could definitely do an oil change, but the oil levels are good and I added an additional quart just for good measure with no effect. I can certainly change out the oil, I just don't think it is the cause of the problem."
 
"Most likely it is the oxygen

"Most likely it is the oxygen sensor. Classic symptons for O2 sensor failure:

1. Engine alarms/check engine light comes on after engine has idled for a while. If you throttle up, alarms stays on but engines run great.

2. Turn off key, restart engines, no alarm, give it gas right away and maintain higher RPM's (doesn't matter if engine is in gear or not) alarm never comes on. Stop and idle for a few minutes, alarm comes on again.

It sounds like your engines are still under warranty. Take it to Honda dealer and they can run the engine with the HDS and it will tell them what fault code the engine has logged - but again, I'm 99% sure it's the O2 sensor. BTW, it won't hurt your engine to run contune to run them, but it sure is annoying.

Eric "Honda Dude" Peterson"
 
"the alarm you are getting is

"the alarm you are getting is a code indicator alarm. that means that there is a code stored in the computer for your engine(s) find an HDS (honda tech have one) and it will get you the problem,"
 
"I had the same problem on one

"I had the same problem on one of my 06 engines, took it to the dealer and they said I had no compression on one cylinder plus it had water, but the engine was running strong. It has 106 hours"
 
Looks like i have an engine wi

Looks like i have an engine with this same problem. The engine runs at idle a few minutes then sounds an interment horn and ck engine light comes on.

How do i pull up the codes using the paperclip and or led test light?

Can i clear the codes once read? how?

I looked over the 225 today and where is the harness to jump and get the codes?

Thanks
 
"Took mine to the dealer they

"Took mine to the dealer they said it had low compression on two cylinders and that they had water, they are replacing the motor."
 
"One of my engines ran similar

"One of my engines ran similarly after an engine service. It turned out the tech had not seated one of the fuel filters properly when reinstalling. I could smell fuel when I pulled the cowl.

BTW, I have just found this website and am looking forward to all the good info.

el_gato"
 
"I am on my third honda 225 al

"I am on my third honda 225 all with aprox. 100 hrs. Now it is back at the Honda dealer with the same symptoms as before, low rpm sensor and check engine lite. Low compression and blown pistons come next. Honda told me that my motor is mounted to close to the water line, but they mounted the motor last time on or about May 2007.This does not seem to be a problem on 200 Hondas,I have seen other Hondas that sit low in the water. this motor is on a 23 ft. deep water Wooldridge welded alumium boat. I am searching for more information any help would be greatly appreciated!!!,Searocket"
 
"One tech told me that when st

"One tech told me that when stopping or comming down from plane, make sure my tabs are on the full "bow down" position, and not to stop suddenly, so as to avoid following waters comming in through the exhaust."
 
"Angus,

Sorry to hear of yo

"Angus,

Sorry to hear of your problems. We just traded our 2002 Honda 225 on an Evinrude e-tec. Our Honda had about 150 hours on it. As you can tell from the number of hours over 5 years, our motor was out of service a majority of the time. We took a huge loss on the trade, but are back in the water! We had the same water ingestion problems, and the motor was never the same. We originally posted our saga on iboats.com. If you care to read about the problems with these motors since they came out in 2002 look up the thread from sumrsalt.

sumrsalt"
 
"I just started having the sam

"I just started having the same problem on my 06 225. This is a real eye opener since I specifically bought the boat based on the dependability of the Honda motor. The motor has 122 hrs on it. The motor was serviced at 100 hrs with new oil, etc.

The owners manual pointed to possible issues with fuel injectors. I guess I will drag it down to the dealer for warranty repairs. I'm just glad I was not 30 miles out on the ocean when it happened. This does not leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling!

Keep everyone posted on the issue."
 
"All,

This problem is not g

"All,

This problem is not going to go away!

Honda will string you along until your warranty runs out. Then you'll be in the same boat we were in (pun intended), with a huge monetary loss to get out from under the silver anchor.

For those of you who are still under warranty, I'd try as hard as possible to get your money back. The more I hear of these problems, the more it really pisses me off that we went along with the stories we were told by our dealer and Honda.

We stuck with our motor mainly because of our success with Honda cars, generators, and motorcycles. Don't be gullible like we were."
 
"I have a 2007 Honda 225, also

"I have a 2007 Honda 225, also the check engine light is going on only when idling. I also notice fuel in the water, so it must be leaking. I also noticed that the exaust has a lot of black residue on the outside of the cowling. Any ideas?"
 
Hello
i hace twins 225s and i

Hello
i hace twins 225s and i know for a fact it is the o2 sensors
i was in the bahamas and one started beeping than the other.
thake it back to honda they do it under warranty.
 
"I tried to respond to this po

"I tried to respond to this post a while back and for some reason my response never got posted so I will try it again.

I took my boat over to the local Honda certified mechanic and they diagnosed the problem to be the O2 sensor just as most of these posts indicate. The sensor was replaced under warranty and everything is fine (for now).

The real problem is the design of the exhaust manifold that allows water to enter through the exhaust ports and damage the O2 sensor. My exhaust ports are well above the minimum water line but since my boat is used a lot in the ocean, the swells appear to be causing the problem. My mechanic mentioned that I should qualify for a replacement manifold that addresses this issue but the regional Honda service rep mandated that they do the less expensive repair under warranty and only replace the O2 sensor(address the symptom and not the problem). If water can infiltrate an outboard motor and cause problems with normal usage, there is a serious design issue.

I am concerned that Honda is shifting away from taking care of the customer properly and focusing on making money. I have always been a big fan of Honda (cars, generators, motorcycles, etc) but now I am wondering if my decision to use their outboard motor on my boat may have been a bad choice."
 
"I had same problem and replac

"I had same problem and replaced o2 sensor. It is hard to beleive that waves of the open ocean can cause this. What were they thinking on when designing the engine? i seriously do not believe it is a design problem. And,eventhough it is an old post, it would be difficult to understand that Angus' both engines had the same problem at a time."
 
How can i pull codes on a 05 2

How can i pull codes on a 05 225 honda as i have
the same problem at idle. it will make you nuts.
thanks. please help
 
"Mark and all - repeated faili

"Mark and all - repeated failing HO2 sensors is often the sign that water is being ingested high into the exhaust pipes. Honda Service Bulletin #56 addresses the issue. For anyone needing the bulletin, send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I will send the PDF file. It tells you what engine serial numbers are involved, and how the problem occurs. If engine is still under warranty, they should replace the manifold pipes."
 
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