2005-2007 Honda BF225?

I am new to this site, guys over at THT suggested to post here. I am looking at a few used boats that have twin 225s on them, 05-07 years. I know very little about the Hondas, all I know is that in my area (NE FLA) there are less Honda marine dealers than the other brands. Everything I can pull up on these motors is that they are great and parts are easy to come by (b/c they are the V-6s they put in cars?). My first concern is of course getting them serviced, why is the dealer network smaller. What should I look out for on these particular year 225s? Of course will have a cert Honda mechanic check them out. Any and all information is much appreciated.

thanks for the help!

Glad you got over here, the usual suspects will chime in with some great info, but this site is not as "well-traveled" as THT.so, it may be a day or so to get some feedback. I'd start by searching BF225 on this site, lots of good info. That should bring you up to speed on some of the things to look out for.

jackintheboat said:

I am new to this site, guys over at THT suggested to post here. I am looking at a few used boats that have twin 225s on them, 05-07 years. I know very little about the Hondas, all I know is that in my area (NE FLA) there are less Honda marine dealers than the other brands. Everything I can pull up on these motors is that they are great and parts are easy to come by (b/c they are the V-6s they put in cars?). My first concern is of course getting them serviced, why is the dealer network smaller. What should I look out for on these particular year 225s? Of course will have a cert Honda mechanic check them out. Any and all information is much appreciated.

thanks for the help!

Click to expand...

Yes - search the site for issues with the 225.

I have over 1600 hours on my 225 and it has been a great engine, but they do need to be maintained rigorously IAW the maintenance schedule in the owners manual.

There are two known weak points on the 225.

One: On the older engines, and I'm not sure when this was fixed, the middle drive shaft bearing (bushing) in the middle section has been known to fail and literally eat through the lower casing. The failure is apparently caused by too little raw water going over the bushing to keep it cool and lubricated. I've never had this problem on my 2007 model year, but some folks with older motors have reported it.

Two: Prior to 2007 there was a problem with the old-style exhaust tubes that under certain conditions would allow water to get way up into the exhaust tube and damage the expensive HO2 sensor. In the worst case, that water could get into the #6 cylinder and literally seize up the engine and destroy it. This issue is covered by Honda Service Bulletin #56. If you send me an e-mail at [email protected], I'll send you a copy of the service bulletin so you can check the serial numbers of any perspective engine you may want to purchase against those listed in the service bulletin. If the SN of the engine does fall within the effected range, then you need to check to see if SB #56 was performed on the engine, or have it performed before purchasing. Honda sells a kit for doing the complete change out.

If you do purchase a 225, and you are a bit handy with tools, then purchase the official Helm Shop Manual for that engine. You can get it on eBay or Amazon. It is about $116, but worth every penny just for the detailed maintenance procedures and diagnostic procedures.

There are several trained Honda Tech's on this site and they have all been extremely helpful to us amateurs.

good engines
I have twin 2002 hp 3200 hrs on them it all comes down too how well they are taken care of
just do search on here should see issues look on my previous posts ... also above points chawk said are two major issues to look at my bushings have went out on second time they sent new water tube which corrected issue I believe