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BF225 midsection driveshaft bearing/bushing

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rednspeck

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First time poster here. Awesome site. Found this site while trying to determine whether to change out the midsection driveshaft bushing while changing my water pump. After reading a couple of horror stories, I think I'm going to try and tackle this. Has anyone changed the midsection bearing on their 225? Is was planning to use a blind bearing puller to remove it. Hopefully that goes smoothly. I was concerned about installing the new one. How hard is it to put the new one back in? Any tricks I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance.
 
There have been some real horror stories on this forum about what happens when that intermediate bearing fails. Let us know how it goes. I just went over 1,000 hours with my 07 BF225, so I took it to my dealer's shop for a 400 hour maintenance schedule. I told them to remove the intermediate bearing, inspect, and replace if necessary. I'll post the results when I talk to them next.
 
Having just replaced the extension case and bearing on one of my 225s due to the bearing failing and destroying the housing and the other bearing close to doing the same in the other engine, I suggest you replace the bearing. I paid only about 30 bucks each for the new ones and they went in easily with a bit of grease.

If you can't bet the bearing out with a puller easily I suggest using a metal cutting sawsall to cut the bearing and rubber grommet through the slot in the housing and then just pull it out with a visegrips. (That is how we get a cutless bearing out of big boats.) The bearing that didn't fail on my engine was so trashed I just had to tap it with a chisel and it shattered and fell out.

If you spray them down with salt remover each year or two I expect they should last a long time. I plan to service mine yearly.
 
please let us know , maybe pics also... I have 1400 hrs on my twin 2002 225hp and by what you'll are saying I need to do my asap...
 
I read on another forum where the later model 225's had a drain hole in the case of that bearing area and they eliminated the hole in the water supply tube? Any late model owners confirm this? Pictures of such a hole?
 
Here are some pictures of the bearing still in the midsection and of the driveshaft. Luckly my drivshaft isn't pitted and is in still good condition. I placed the new bushing over the driveshaft and there was not much play between the bushing and the shaft. From the pictures below the rubber around the bushing has crept through the "C" shaped housing. After seeing this,I decided to change it. I've been trying to spray the area with PB Blaster the last 2 days to try and loosen the buildup around the bushing. Going to try and tackle this today.
Bushing1.jpg Bushing3.jpg Bushing2.jpg
 
The extension case I used to replace the one damaged when the bearing failed has a 1/2" hole machined into the case just above the bearing housing. I replaced the water tube with the one sent with the extension case kit.

On my salvagable extension case, i had to use a dremel tool to clean out the groove that the c-clip snaps into as corrosion/salt deposit had filled it on one side pushing the c-clip off center as well.

To put the new bearing in I greased the outsides of the rubber and used a large diameter socket on an extension to push it tight into the housing.
 
Wow! Half inch hole! I assume the hole is located on the fwd. most area of the housing to aid in draining? What are your thoughts on modifying older cases, and do you think it will help? :confused:
 
Well my first attempt at replacing the bushing didn't go so well. Removing the bushing was very easy with the blind bearing puller that I was able to rent from Auto Zone. After I removed the old bushing, I quickly scraped out the housing where the bushing sits, then tried to insert the new bushing. Sprayed the area with Corrosion-x to act like a lubricant. Wouldn't go in easily so I ended up using a large socket on an extension and started tapping it in. After many taps I finally got it to seat, but the rubber surrounding the bushing started to disform like the original one where it would creep through the C-shape, but what was more serious is that the bushing had crept in the rubber surround thus disforming the rubber on the face where the washer and circ clip sit. After thinking about this and worrying that the bushing was not in-line with the drive shaft I decided that I had to try and take it out and try again. Unfortunately I could not get it out without destroying the bushing and no other dealers in my area had the bushing in stock so it had to be ordered and would be about a week. I guess that ended up being good, because it gave me time to thoroughly clean up the housing area. So I sprayed the housing area where the bushing sits with Corrosion-x and let it sit for a day. Afterwards I would use the side of a screwdriver to slowly scrap off the scaling and buildup in the housing area while trying to be careful not to scrape off the paint on the housing. Did this a total of three times. Everytime I would get less and less scaling. After the last cleaning/scraping operation, I used a dremel tool with a used wire brush attachment and cleaned out the housing before I put the new one in. After I got the new bushing, I started really worrying about getting it in and the problems I had the fist time. But I knew I had to do it, so I said a prayer and started. I coated the housing and the outside and inside of the bushing with marine grease this time. Got my large socket and hammer ready. Got the new bushing lined up with the housing and started to push it in. To my surprise, I could push it in very easily with a little force from my hand (didnt have to use the hammer) and eventually the new bushing was properly seated there the washer and circ clip could be installed.

In summary if you plan to replace the bushing on your BF225, use a blind bearing puller to remove the old one, thoroughly clean out the housing area of scaling, and use marine grease to insert the new one.
 
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Rednspec,

bummer about the first round but great to hear you got everything back together on the second go round. I have replaced two extension cases, one new$700, one lightly used $400.00 so two bearings is a cheap fix. I agree about the grease, tried wd40 my first to round but luckily only got the bearing half way in and could get it our easily. Grease did the trick.

My main concern would be if you have to scrape corrosion again for the next change that the bearing housing might be getting so oversized from material removal that the bearing would begin to spin in the housing. It seems to me that once the water is gone from the section of the extension case where the bearing sits at cruise that there is little cooling/lubricating the bearing and it will get hot and then any water that does hit it will evaporate and leave its salt behind to start corrosion immediately.

The new case I put on has a hole machined in it above the bearing, the used one didn't, just the water tube with a little hole in it. I hope to have my port engine knock solved soon and get the boat out and put 50 hours on it then pull everything apart and see what is going on.
 
is this bearing only in the 25" X or XX series BF225's? I have a 20" model and was wonder if this only applied to the long shaft and extra long shaft versions with the extension housings?
 
I really don't see what purpose they serve on the 25" model. I am considering removing the one I just installed into the extension case on one of my Hondas as it was gone and the case was broken open for quite some time before it was discovered and the engine ran and sounded fine. Now that I have one in there, I have to pull it back apart to make sure the little hole drilled in the water tube is pointing the right way to spray water on the bearing for lube and cooling, forgot to check when I reassembled the unit as I didn't realize what the little hole was for.

It seems to me that if the bearing is out of the water at operating speeds, gets warm or even hot, you spray a little stream of seawater on it all you are going to get is a quick deposit of salt that will begin to corrode the housing and bearing.

Does anyone really know how much play there will be from torque on that short shaft, 18 inches I think between the output flange on the crankshaft and the bottom of the water pump housing? It seems that the tolerance between the shaft and the inside of the bearing is pretty large already and the shaft would have to flex quite a bit to contact the bearing and spinning as fast as it does it would be more of a rattling contact anyway.
 
This is the most ill-designed part I've seen on the Hondas. (inaccessible anodes on the exhaust manifolds are a close second). In addition to the deposit issues, this bushing will be "lubricated" with sandy, silty water if you happen to get in the shallows! I too wonder about the necessity of this thing. If the driveshaft were thicker?? (More weight though).
 
Okay my mid shaft bushing not looking good on one of motors so dicieded not take a chance again replacing tomorrow . When back to old post to see what all used to get bushing back in due to lots of scaling .. going to clean with dremel and use socket w. Grease to put back.
Just a thanks to all who contributed to this post remembered see it before went back again to remind me

Thanks !!!!!!!!!
 
We'll replaced of my bushing today last time I feel I did clean cavity where bushing sits properly. Corrosion had build up and not allowed bushing to sit in cavity right and I forced it causing less then adequate fit. Well this time used dremel with extension grinding corrosion away greased bushing fit perfect that was trick
 
rednspeck said:
First time poster here. Awesome site. Found this site while trying to determine whether to change out the midsection driveshaft bushing while changing my water pump. After reading a couple of horror stories, I think I'm going to try and tackle this. Has anyone changed the midsection bearing on their 225? Is was planning to use a blind bearing puller to remove it. Hopefully that goes smoothly. I was concerned about installing the new one. How hard is it to put the new one back in? Any tricks I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance.
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guys does anyone knows what we do in case that the aluminium place that we should put the bush in is destroyed?
 
chawk_man said:
See this post on www.marineengine.com:

http://www.marineengine.com/boat-forum/showthread.php?462983-Honda-225-vertical-shaft-bushing

If the seat for the bushing is destroyed I think you will need to replace the whole mid-section. See item # 9 at:

https://www.boats.net/catalog/honda...5hp/bf225ak0-la-2007-and-later/extension-case

Given that a new one is just short of $1,000 on Baots.net, probably best to look for a used one on eBay.
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Thank u... Was thinking if there is chance to avoid the buy.... Corona virus in cyprus dont allow us now to get anything from abroad
 
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