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2008 bf225 overheat alarm sounding at idle

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chd_power

New member
I have a 2008 honda 225 with 213 hrs on it. I have been getting a over heat alarm only at idle and it happens after a couple of minutes. It has a strong pee stream but I went ahead and replaced the whole water pump just in case. This did not fix the problem. I am not sure where to go from here. I would not think the thermostat would be the problem because of the strong pee stream and how fast the alarm goes off. Has anyone had this problem before or have any advice.
 
Hi chd_power,

The 225 has 2 thermostats, one for each cylinder bank. You should remove and test them. The thermostats have no effect on the tell tale pressure, so it is possible for it to overheat with failed thermostats. I assume you have seen it was the red overheat light on causing the alarm to sound.

Cheers
john
 
When you remove the t-stats, backwash the water passages using a garden hose and some rags wrapped around the opening to get as much pressure on the backwash as possible. It is possible that a piece of the old impeller broke off and is lodged somewhere in the water passages.
 
Thanks for the info. I will take the T-stats out and replace them. The old water pump was in almost perfect condition so I dont think anything is in the line but will try it just in case something else may be in there. I will update once this is done.
 
Also, just for grins, remove the water intake screens at the bottom of the engine under the anti-cavitation plate, and make sure they are clean and there is nothing impeding the water intake at that point.
 
Have you put your hands on the water jackets? they should be hot around 180 deg F. If they are not hotter than that then it may not be an actual overheat problem.Are you sure the alarm is not for the O2 sensor. A rapid buzzer after a couple of min. at idle, but goes away when you throttle up. That was the symptom on my 2007 225. It would be fine when running at speed and then when back at idle it would start up again.
 
Brian - good point. Actually, on the BF225, I believe the water jackets should be 160 degrees F with the correct t-stats that are operating correctly. If you have access to a heat gun, that is the best way to check them.
 
Ok, thanks for all the suggestions, The intake screens were taken off and looks really clean, I just replaced both T-Stats and put boat in water. Alarm sounded again after about 4 minutes at idle. Had a strong water flow out of top port, While alarm was going off- I put my hand under flow of water and it was nuke warm. The old T-stats were a little clogged and rusty but the new ones did not make alarm go away. The alarm beeps for about 2-3 seconds and goes off then does it again. There is a red light that comes on. On my dash there are 4 lights, 2 on left and 2 on right. It looks like it is a check engine light and not a temperature light. I will see if I can get a picture of this and post it. I have not idea where to go from here.
 
Send the picture. Also, did you put you hands on the water jackets, or measure temp with a heat gun. If the water jackets are around 160 F and the pee water is luke warm, you likely do not have a water circulation problem. I'll get to my manual and try to find how to test the water temp. sensors. I suspect one is bad, or has a loose wire.
 
Just to confirm the alarm. The red overheat alarm is coming on and you are getting a continuous (not an intermittent) alarm, correct?
 
I have not checked anything with a heat gun. I had a friend who told me that it was the overheat alarm cause he had the same problem. I dont think this was the case. I change the T-stats and put it in the water to see if the alarm was still activating and I checked myself this time. The alarm is sounds for approx 1 second with a pause and then 1 sec and continues this pattern until I turn motor off. The light that comes on is not the temp but the check engine light. They are close togeather but the light below the engine sign is the one that is showing red. I am guessing this is the programmed fuel injection indicator. I read one of your earlier post for someone else and think this is a bad o2 sensor. I think im going to just take it to the dealer. I hate to do this because they are three weeks out from even looking at the boat.
 
Okay, I assume the red Check Engine light is on and the green oil light is on - correct?

If so, then you need to retrieve the codes from the EPROM in the on-board engine computer - the Electronic Control Module or ECM.
Take off the engine cover and the plastic cover over the electronics on the front of the engine. There you will see a red four-pronged female plug. Use a paper clip to shunt the lime green/white wire to the black wire – that is, the two wires thatare closest to the engine when the red service connector is correctly set in it’s holder. Ifin doubt, invest in a SCS service connector, which you can order online for about $20.00. Partnumber 070PZ-ZY30100.

Once connected, turn on the key switch and observe the number of blinks on the check engine (MIL) light. Ifthe MIL comes on and stays on without blinking, you have one of the followingconditions:
• Short circuit in the service checkconnector wire
• Short circuit in the MIL wire
• Short circuit in the sensor systempower supply
• Open circuit in the power supply lineto the ECM
• Faulty ECM

Ifthe MIL comes on, then goes off after a few seconds, there are no codes in theEPROM.

Ifthe MIL starts blinking, then count the blinks, which will indicate the faultcode. You may get long blinks and short blinks. For example, two long blinks, followed by five short blinks, would be a fault code 25.The blink sequence will repeat itself until you turn the key off. If there is more than one fault, you will get multiple fault codes. For example, three short blinks, followed by two long blinks and five short blinks would be fault codes 3 and 25. Post the number of blinks and I will try to tell you what the error code is. Or, send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I will send you the codes.

If you get only one blink, that repeats about every three seconds, that is a code one - a faulty O2 sensor. If a faulty O2 sensor is indicated, first check the wiring and connector. A loose or corroded connection can set off that alarm.

 
Hi rdcolman

Firstly, if you have a problem you need addressing start a new thread, this topic was about overheat alarm on a 225 not about trim rams.
Also I am very interested in the air controller computer that can stop overheating. I am not aware of any such item called an air controller computer, and certainly there are no recalls here in Australia for replacing air controller computers, but considering according to you that the trim rams are a huge problem beceause of the salt. Well we must also have different salt to what you have as we dont have a problem with the rams like you describe. I have seen one we needed to replace, it was 12 years old and it was a corrosion issue due to poor grounding of adjacent vessels, not a problem with the unit itself.
If you find the Honda is not to your liking, it is your choice to use an inferior product, but there is no reason to start brand bashing here, we are here to help those with real problems, and we dont really care what your opinion of this product is.

Regards
John
 
The boat is at the shop. I will update you guys as soon as I find out what the problem is. They are about two weeks out from looking at it. They seem to think "without looking at it" that it is the o2 sensor. It will be covered by warranty if this is the problem. Again, thanks for all who replied to my problem.
 
Hi dcolman,

Well it is interesting you are in Australia, perhaps the east coast has different salt. You kept telling us your overheat light was coming on, but now we have the real story, it was the check engine light coming on. This is totally unrelated to an overheat situation. Yes Honda do replace the O2 sensor and computer if it is applicable.
Now these trim rams, Honda in Australia have a 5 year warranty for private use.
If the trim rams failed under normal operating conditions, Honda will replace the faulty items free of charge.
Now you claim you are having to pay for the parts then I smell something fisshy, obviously Honda have decided that your claim is not a valid warranty claim, so I would be interested to hear the complete story.

Regards
John
 
Hi dcolman,

Well I have spoken to the Honda Marine Australia tech support and they are very interested in your problem. While they may not be interested to pay for corrosion damage to your outboards, they are interested to help you resolve the issues causing the corrosion that you currently have. If you would like to post your contact number I will have them phone you or alternativly you can call 0392701384. and they will attend to your problem.

Regards
John
 
Hi chd_power
And others.
Re the MIL alarm comming on at idle i posted a very similar issue a couple of months ago for my 225, and thanks to the great help from "chawk_man" and others with the diagnosis, took it to my local dealer and had the O2 sensor in the exhaust and ECM changed under warranty. Engine has run well ever since. I also had the oportunity to talk to the Honda tech rep at the Melbourne boat show recently and found them very approachable and very willing to share info.

Gppd luck in getting yours fixed.
 
If they do not heat ratio, it may not be an actual overheating problem.Are you sure alarm O2 sensor. The couple quickly one minute after the buzzer. Is idle, but when you throttle away.Tera Gold...
 
Finallly, Boat mechanic just called and boats ready to go. It was the O2 sensor but also, he had to replace the ECM. He said it had gone bad as well. Thankfully they covered all of this at no cost, under warranty. Thanks for all the help with this, you guys do a great job helping others and I know it is appreciated.
 
I had a similar fault/symtom on my BF90 08 model. I took it to the dealer the other day to get it resolved after 4th time, they did a test of the engine in the water drum with no load and couldnt get it to fault( each time mine faults they pull a O2 sensor failure from the code). They took it for a test run on the water, still no fault. I believe my problem is more intermittent, but I have the same symptoms ie.alarm beeping and Engine light on. I was told to go take it out again to see if I can fault it then to take it back to go through the whole issue again. I have asked them to change the ECM on spec but they wont go down that path until they can get it to fault themselves. Did yours alarm every time at idle or was it more intermittent??
 
Mine would come on everytime I was at idle. I would do it after about 4 minutes at the boat dock, right when I put it in. Once I got going it was ok. I do alot of fishing for cobia, so I idle down when coming up to a rig or structure. It would almost always sound an alarm when I idled down. Not saying it happened everytime but i would say 9 out of 10. Needless to say I did not have a problem getting my alarm to go off. Hope this helps
 
No worries,
thanks for that mate, I am taking mine out this afternoon for another test idling around some low tide snake drails for some Barra.
 
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