2003 BF 225 smokes when first started.

Twin 2003 BF 225 engines with 400 hours that started smoking after the oil was changed last spring. Used Sierra 10W30 oil. Only one engine smokes every time started, the other one only once in a while. The engines smoke for a minute or more, then stops smoking. The engines run fine. Should I use a different type oil? The engine that smokes more has a problem shifting smoothly. Could this be a cable problem? Thanks for any advice.
Old Sea Salt

With the engines level where does the oil come to on the dip stick? Are you sure it's smoke and not steam? Trouble shifting does not sound related to oil, are you idling in the correct rev range and not too high?

a little bit of smokiness is not unusual for cold starts as it is running a richer fuel mix, does it smoke on a hot start too?

skronkman,
Thanks for the response. Pretty sure it is smoke and happens on cold start with oil smell. Occasionally on a warm start. As to the shifting problem, know it is not an oil problem. Would replacing the cable be a good idea? The idle is in a good range. Any suggestions? Thanks again.

Could be a cable adjustment problem or shift rod adjustment. You can unlink the cable at the engine and move the throttle at the helm to see if the cable is moving freely. More details on what "not shifting smoothly" means may help us narrow it down.

do the engines only smoke after being tilted up by any chance?
where on the dipstick is the oil when the motors are level and not running?
How many hours on the engines?

Will check the cable when I take the boat out in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the info. The shifting becomes difficult when going in to neutral or reverse. 400 hrs on each engine.

The engines are hardly ever tilted since in a lift. The oil level reads full on the dipstick. Hate to be so much trouble, but have owned this boat for just over a year. First 4 stroke engines. Have had different boats over the years.

Do the cable test first to help narrow down the issue with shifting. It's easy and cheap. I assume it's difficult to shift even when the engine is not running?

if the smoking issue only started after the oil change then perhaps you could drain the oil and replace it (and the filters) with a different brand and be sure not to overfill. I'm not confident this will fix it but again it's a relatively cheap and easy test and it modifies one of the variables that you feel may have been an initial contributing factor, especially if you are due for a service anyhow. I believe you need 7.8 litres with a new oil filter(check your manual to be sure), don't add more than this amount.

good luck.

Do all the things that skronkman suggests....

A couple of additional things...

1.Make sure that the oil level is about a 1/4" or so below the full mark.
2.If your motors are trimmed in all the way, sitting for a while can allow a small amount oil to get into the bottom cylinder....and thus smoke at start up. Try tilting motors up a little from vertical and see if it makes any difference.
3.Make sure that you are not using synthetic oil. With only 400 hours, it will tend to seep into the cylinders more than mineral based oil.

The 225 is typically a little more difficult to shift than other engines....especially taking it out of gear...going into neutral. It typically shows up when coming into the dock and you have to shift from forward to reverse, etc. Typically, there is not enough time to allow the motor to idle all the way down before shifting.

If you do find that the shifter still is difficult when disconnected, also disconnect the throttle cable at the engine. If the throttle cable is not adjusted properly, it will cause binding at the shifter, causing the shifting to be difficult.

Also, make sure that the cables are not kinked (especially near the engine) and make sure that there are no wire ties less that 18 inches from the engine or shifter. The cables need to be loose and flexible at both the engine and the shifter.

Mike

Thanks Mike. Pulling the boat out in a couple of weeks and will keep you and skrunkman posted. Your suggestions have been greatly appreciated.

A few other thoughts if all of the above does not fix the issue.

Those are 12 year old engines with only 400 hours which tells me that they are not used very much. If the plugs have not been changed or at least pulled and checked recently, I would do that. If I did not know the history of the plugs, I would change them out. Use NGK IZFR6F11 only. If they have never been changed, I suspect you will have a difficult time getting them out and may need a professional to do it, or alternatively, spend a lot of time with some PB Blaster.

Also, if the engines have been "babied" a lot, or used for a lot for trolling, I suspect they could be carboned up a good bit, so a concentrated decarbonizing procedure should be considered using something like Yamalube Ring Free or similar product made specifically for that purpose. This should free up any stuck rings and carboned up valves.

Finally, if the engines were laid up for a long period of time it is possible that the valve stem seals have become hard and are allowing oil to seep into the cylinders. However, if this were the case, then you would ost likely be consuming oil rather consistently, which you did not mention.

All good points, Chawk.

Mike