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03 Honda 225 Sitting For Years

I got the VST apart and it was nasty in there but I don’t see any tiny ports that couldn’t be cleaned out with carb cleaner.

Any other parts of the fuel system I should look at while the engine is apart? Fuel rails, injectors?
 
Thanks

Where the IAB sits there is a shaft in the intake cover that looks like it has butterflies in it. Is this shaft supposed to move and close the butterflies?

Also is there a way to test the injectors without removing them?

Ive cleaned the VST and the parts should come today so I can start getting things back together.
 
SaltyDog251 said:
Thanks

Where the IAB sits there is a shaft in the intake cover that looks like it has butterflies in it. Is this shaft supposed to move and close the butterflies?

Also is there a way to test the injectors without removing them?

Ive cleaned the VST and the parts should come today so I can start getting things back together.
Click to expand...

Yes, the vacuum diaphragm on the bottom opens and closes the butterflies in the intake. It is my understanding that it opens around 4000 rpms. Dont know about the injectors, sorry.
 
Read my post # 33 on this thread.

The IAB has a set of baffles that mount on top of the engine air intake. At low rpm's, the baffles remain parallel to the base, allowing for what engineers call resonance charging of the intake manifold and combustion chambers. However, when the engine reaches 3950 rpm, the ECU activates the IAB Control solenoid that opens intake manifold vacuum coming from the vacuum tank to the IAB diaphragm, which in turn, moves the baffles to a 45-degree angle. When rpm's drop below 3750 rpm, the ECU turns off the vacuum, and the baffles (hopefully) return to their parallel state. Technically, what the IAB does when activated at 3950 rpm is initiate an inertia charging effect which draws a higher volume of air under more pressure into the combustion chambers under higher rpm's. The details of why that works gets very complicated – whole books are written about it.

If your IAB is frozen (i.e.the baffles don't move) you can try to use a lot of PB Blaster and WD-40 to get them moving. If that doesn't work, then you will need to do some intricate work to disassemble and remove the corrosion that builds up at the base of the shaft. The individual parts are not available. The replacement assembly costs #343.00 on Boats.net. Don't ask why I know that! If you want more detail, send me an e-mail at [email protected].

The only way to thoroughly test the injectors is to remove them. Given the history of your engines, you should seriously consider removing them and taking them to a good auto shop to have them professionally cleaned and tested. Those injectors are absolutely critical for a good running engine.
 
Chawk, I got your email and was able to free up the shaft on the intake, thanks!

I pulled the fuel rails and they still had some old fuel in them. I also pulled the injectors but the local place wants $40 each to clean them.

Has as anyone cleaned injectors themselves? Also what voltage does Honda use to open them?
 
Good news on the IAB shaft. You saved yourself about $343. Hopefully, you also tested the vacuum diaphragm.

Not good that there was old fuel in the rails. I've always had a professional test, clean and calibrate injectors, and have never done it on my BF 225. Probably time to do so.

There are folks on this forum that have tested and cleaned their injectors, but it takes the right equipment. A good shop will not only test them, but also, clean them thoroughly and test the spray pattern.

I'm pretty sure they have a constant 12 volts on them. They are pulsed by the ECU rapidly turning the ground connection on and off.
 
Thanks

i brought injectors to a shop shop to have them cleaned. The only part left is the low pressure fuel pump and since the VST tank was full of new clean fuel.

I pumped all all I could out of the main ranks and replaced the racors but I might look into the cost of a fuel tank cleaning company.
 
Unless the fuel tank is in really cruddy condition, you can probably do that yourself if you invest in an aftermarket automotive 12 V electric fuel pump - $40 - $50 - and some long hoses that will fit it. This assumes that you can get the boat on a trailer or lift. Raise the boat so that bow is up, then use a jack or blocks to tilt the boat laterally so that debris in the tank will migrate to the lowest corner of the tank. Let the boat sit in this position for a couple of hours to allow water and gunk to migrate to that lowest corner

Remove either the fuel level sender unit or the pick up tube plate from the top of the tank. Snake the pick up hose from the auto fuel pump down in that lowest corner and turn on the fuel pump. Obviously have the fuel pump wired with a long lead to the battery and a switch to make sure fuel vapors are not ignited by any stray sparks.

Pump the first five gallons or so into a bucket to let any water and debris settle out so you assess just how bad it is. Watch the flow carefully to make sure that the fuel pump doesn't get clogged up.

I use this procedure on my own boat about every two years to get any water and gunk out of the tank.
 
I recently just pumped the tank on my Parker as well. I used a 12v Holley self priming fuel pump from autozone. I extended the wires and added alligator clips to the ends for quick battery hookups. I ran the hose thru the drain plug on the transom and connected the hose directly to the pickup on the fuel tank. I had no issues at all and the fuel transfer went smoothly. For safety keep a fire extinguisher close by and have a helper remain close to the battery hookups to disconnect quickly if needed. If you have a anti siphon valve on your pickup tube you may not be able to directly connect with the pump. In that event remove the fuel sending unit and clamp a length of copper tubing in the hose to act as a wand to reach into the tank. Good luck
 
That's certainly a good procedure, but I would have one concern. If there are significant debris in the tank, then Mheltun's procedure could cause a clog in the pick up tube in the tank, especially if it is one of those that has a screen on the end.
 
chawk_man said:
That's certainly a good procedure, but I would have one concern. If there are significant debris in the tank, then Mheltun's procedure could cause a clog in the pick up tube in the tank, especially if it is one of those that has a screen on the end.
Click to expand...

in a fashion that may be doing you a favor and keep the transfer pump filtered. But in the event of a clog generally the pickup tube is very easy to thread out of the tank and clean. That being said, you do bring up a very possible situation Chawk.
 
Update, I got the starboard and running on the hose and so far so good. Now I'll do the plugs, t-stats, oil and lower gear lube.

What at is everyone using for oil and gear lube? Also should I replace the belt or just check it for cracks?
 
As for oil, any marine grade SAE 10W-30 with API Service rating of SG or higher will be fine. Most marine mechanics around here use the Mercury branded oil.

As a side note, once my BF 225 passed 1500 hours, I moved to SAE 25W-40 in order to get better residual lubrication during layup time.

Agree with Metal-Chicken on the gear lube.
 
Hard to tell without seeing them directly. Normally these Honda belts hold up very well over a long time. Just make sure there are no cracks visible on the outside no teeth are broken.
 
The previous owner said he used Mobil One so Ill probably stay with that or Amsoil.

I did the injectors and rebuilt the VST on the port motor just haven’t had a chance to put it all together yet
 
When you do put it back together, make sure you put the throttle arm assembly on the throttle body if you took it apart. I put everything back together thinking I could put it on and adjust it after the intake manifold was put on. Needless to say, the spring popped and came loose, the washer and the plastic piece fell down behind the manifold and everything had to come back apart to get it out, lol...
 
As for oil. Even if you use the synthetic oil, you should still change every 100 hours or annually, whichever comes first.

That said, you may be wasting money on the synthetic.
 
On my engine this check valve hose goes to the top of the black canister on the VST but in the INTAKE schematic on Boats.net it is shown going to the bottom fitting.

Part #36145-PM4-004

Anyone know which is correct? Does it matter?
 
Thanks but that link shows the vacuum tank but it's the INTAKE diagram that shows the hoses connected to it.

Is that vacuum tank just a hollow plastic tank? If so then it won't matter which hose goes to which port.
 
I'm not sure whether or not it makes a difference on what hose goes where. However, why not do it the way the diagram shows where the top fitting is for the hose that goes to the IAB solenoid and the bottom hose goes to the check valve?
 
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