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1995 1996 1997 Honda 50 tilller handle model

9

97459

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My motor was reducing the rpm as though it was over heating or oil pressure problem. The problem was made worse because it was intermittent. It even ran fine for two weeks. Everything was done from fuel system, cooling system, electronics. Nothing. I took it in and the shop couldn't find the problem and said they were taking a break from working on it. The following week the shop called and said he found it and they have never seen this problem before. The motor has a warning light red/green which never worked. In fact I wasn't even aware of the light. When he unplugged both leads to the light the problem went away. He also said that when the light shorted it would cut out one cylinder and then a short while later another cylinder would cut out. He was surprised about this. It very well could be the computer cuts separate cylinders for oil and over heat. The actually light is sealed so we can't really say what is happening. The shop charged over $600 bucks to fix the problem. Everyone check your warning lights and replace if broken.
 
I guess, on the one hand, you should be glad that you have a shop that was capable and willing to stay on the problem and figure it out. Or, have they? They can't say WHY this is happening....only that unplugging the light seems to work.

In the other hand, are they going to charge EVERYONE $600 for unplugging a warning light?
Or, were you the lucky guy who financed the "advent" of the procedure for everyone else?

Hope you got a free oil change outta the deal!

Anyway, thanks for posting the info and I'm sure you're happy to have your outboard back.
 
jgmo said:
I guess, on the one hand, you should be glad that you have a shop that was capable and willing to stay on the problem and figure it out. Or, have they? They can't say WHY this is happening....only that unplugging the light seems to work.

In the other hand, are they going to charge EVERYONE $600 for unplugging a warning light?
Or, were you the lucky guy who financed the "advent" of the procedure for everyone else?

Hope you got a free oil change outta the deal!

Anyway, thanks for posting the info and I'm sure you're happy to have your outboard back.
Click to expand...

Free oil change made me laugh. No such luck. Final bill $649.00 and they installed the warning light for free....... This is why I try and work on my stuff as much as possible. I have 2 boats and there is always something to do. My 20hp merc jet has been a good runner.....can't say the same for the honda.
 
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That is one of the reasons we always ask what lights are on or off when the trouble occurs....and if there is an audible alarm and if it is on/off or a solid on. If both lights are off, that would drive us for you to look at the oil pressure. Putting a meter on the oil pressure switch....the meter should read a short to ground when the motor is not running or the oil pressure is bad. If the short remains when the motor is running, then it is time to test the switch. If it is ok, then it is time to look what is causing the constant ground.

In the 50, the ground on the oil pressure switch goes to two different places....to the CDI unit and the warning light. Then it is a matter of tracing down the ground....which in this case appears to be in the light module.

Since the lights did not work in the first place, one could say, they should have started there, but since the problem was intermittent and there was no obvious or historic reason to look at the lights, they had to try to make it fail or just go through everything piece by piece.

That can be a time consuming and frustrating thing to do. Taking a rest from it for a while makes a lot of sense....so your subconscious mind can work on the problem. Also, it gives you a little time to call the Tech Help at Honda to get a "sanity check" . They do not always have the answer, but can help you rethink how to approach the problem.

I am not trying to justify the $600 charge, just saying that most problems seem simply.....once you find the problem.

Maybe it would make you feel better if you think of how many "days" it would have taken you to find the problem.

Thank you for sharing.....this is one for my trouble shooting "bag of tricks".

Mike
 
Mike makes a couple of good points. On the one hand, a "better" troubleshooting approach has a logical beginning that starts with basic steps....like a proper interview of the client...which may have led to checking the lights FIRST.

On the other.....hindsight is 20/20 and even the best tech has pulled his or her hair out over a simple problem. When I worked in a large shop, I would frequently ask another mechanic to take a look at what I was doing if I became stumped. More often than not the other guy would see something that I had missed. That often leads to a quick solution....but not always.

You can take SOME satisfaction knowing that posting your story here is likely to make someone's world a whole lot better when this happens to them. As Mike said he will put this in his kit....along with many other techs and owners reading your thread.

Yes! Thank you for taking the time to post this. It is a VERY generous gesture and, hopefully, you'll get some good karma out of doing it.
 
hondadude said:
That is one of the reasons we always ask what lights are on or off when the trouble occurs....and if there is an audible alarm and if it is on/off or a solid on. If both lights are off, that would drive us for you to look at the oil pressure. Putting a meter on the oil pressure switch....the meter should read a short to ground when the motor is not running or the oil pressure is bad. If the short remains when the motor is running, then it is time to test the switch. If it is ok, then it is time to look what is causing the constant ground.

In the 50, the ground on the oil pressure switch goes to two different places....to the CDI unit and the warning light. Then it is a matter of tracing down the ground....which in this case appears to be in the light module.

Since the lights did not work in the first place, one could say, they should have started there, but since the problem was intermittent and there was no obvious or historic reason to look at the lights, they had to try to make it fail or just go through everything piece by piece.

That can be a time consuming and frustrating thing to do. Taking a rest from it for a while makes a lot of sense....so your subconscious mind can work on the problem. Also, it gives you a little time to call the Tech Help at Honda to get a "sanity check" . They do not always have the answer, but can help you rethink how to approach the problem.

I am not trying to justify the $600 charge, just saying that most problems seem simply.....once you find the problem.

Maybe it would make you feel better if you think of how many "days" it would have taken you to find the problem.

Thank you for sharing.....this is one for my trouble shooting "bag of tricks".

Mike
Click to expand...

The shop who worked on it did not take my prior work seriously. I told them I cleaned the carbs twice. I also tried a pulsar coil because I was told the ohms test is not always reliable. I even tried a used computer. I was a bit troubled that the mechanic also tried this approach when he was trouble shooting. I am not sure if the service manager even told him what I had done. When I asked the service manager why we redid my work he said the carb bushings were missing and gaskets were on backwards and floats were not set right. HOG WASH no way that was true. Not sure what that was about. Do I blame the mechanic for checking my work. No I wouldn't trust someone either. They did ask me about the warning light and I said it didn't have one. The shop who worked on it in 2010 should have fixed it under their $400 charge. Hard to find good mechanics. The last good mechanic I ran into was in Los Barilles baja Mx. Not only is he good he is more than affordable. He even makes house calls.
 
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