bought myself a project

Hows it going everyone! I just bought myself an old 12ft gregor welded hull that came with a Honda BF8A outboard. The motor started right up and idled super smooth but shes been around the block for sure. The guy I bought it from said his nephew knocked it off the motor stand a couple years ago and it cracked the motor case... but says it still performs normally. It did sound good in the trash can LOL but Im somewhat worried once on the water pushing a load something may arise. Ive also been attempting to find out what year the motor is but apparantly they dont keep records before 2004?! If anyone here knows any information on model years they would like to share with me it would be greatly appreciated! The motor has a plug on the starboard side of the motor that has dry rotted and broken that the previous owner said was a plug for running lights...is this part replaceable? Finally my last question is about maintenance and upkeep. The guy said hes done very little in terms of maintaining the motor since hes had it because its "so smooth"... but I would still like to go through it and change any of the consumable parts and old fluids for a piece of mind. Do these motors have any common problems I should be looking for or are they pretty reliable? I know this is a ton of questions so I thank you all for your patience and help! I attached a couple pics of the motor including the areas that cracked during the fall.

Click on this link, then look up the model based on the plate riveted to the clamp/swivel bracket. https://www.boats.net/catalog/honda/outboard-by-year/pre-1997

Yes the rubber plug is replaceable, its a nice feature as it can also help trickle charge a battery if you have one.

Motor looks well loved, however they are built like tanks. As a new owner and not knowing the maintenance here is at minimum what I would do for peace of mind:

1.) Drain and replace the oil.
2.) Drain and replace the lower unit oil
3.) Replace the impeller PLUS housing (not overly expensive and easy to do), this includes the seals for the pump.
4.) Replace the spark plug
5.) Check the thermostat and replace if needed
6.) Inspect and replace timing belt if needed
7.) Inspect the Valve clearance and adjust within spec if needed
8.) Clean any corrosion on electrical connections.
9.) If its running, then the carb probably doesn't need to be looked at, but it never hurts.

You can replace that chunk that is broken, but I think would require you remove the power head. I believe that section is aluminum, I would take it to a weld and fab shop and have them fix the crack and fill the chunk missing and then just repaint it.

Hi bigred...welcome!
Is the 619 your area code? If so, we're pretty close.

Get yourself a shop manual for your new "baby". Eneuiis gave you good advice for what to do and check. He's right about these old girls being very robust. Honda wasn't messing around when they jumped into the outboard market!
Manuals for these are really nothing more than the old BF7.5/BF10 manual with a 4 page "supplement" showing some differences with the BF8A. Often sold used on ebay and craigslist but only around $35 new on Amazon.

The item that is missing a chunk is the OIL CASE. it's not available but you wouldn't pay $1200 for it anyway. I've fixed these with epoxy and a hand shaped "patch". I have also purchased junk outboards and gotten good replacements that way. It's not critical but you will want to keep water from splashing up inside the case on to the powerhead if possible.

Anyway, welcome to the Forum and ask all the questions your bigred heart desires!

Thank you both for the excellent responses! I looked through the model numbers on the link but the highest number was BACL 1100001 - BACL 1199999, The number on my engine is BACL - 1209792. Is my motor going to fall under that category? I will definitely purchase the shop manual for it those are always good to have on hand. Maybe I will call around and see what kind of quote I can get on a fix from the local welding shops. I will also ultimately like to re paint it since there was stickers placed all over the engine cover and when I removed them the paint came with :rolleyes:. Anyone have the pantone # for these motors?

This was under 1200001 to 1299999:

https://www.boats.net/catalog/honda/outboard-by-hp-serial-range/8hp/bf8am-la-1997

Not familiar with the term pantone but I suppose you're referring to the paint.
Basically its called Honda silver and they sell it in rattle cans. I've gotten a really close match from the hardware store too but I don't recall what brand.

The decals may also be available but I didn't look.

Let us know how it's going from time to time. We ARE interested.

Here is a link to the FREE owners manual. You can order the shop manual from here as well. I have also found FREE shop manuals online if you google search.

You can order the paint directly from Honda as well:
https://cdn.powerequipment.honda.com/marine/pdf/accessories/oils-chemicals-paint.pdf

I found the paint and the clear coat on Honda's site above then google searched the internet for best price. I believe it was from Amazon. You need the paint + clear coat.

Stickers can easily be purchased on www.boats.net or search eBay, they have a TON of options that are WAY WAY WAY cheaper than OEM. Just put them on top of the fresh paint and clear coat over them when you do the engine.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr..._TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=Honda+BF8+decals

At least two coats of clear coat. Three is better.

Honda NH282 Oyster Silver Metallic in the non-aerosol cans is only available through Colorite.
See: https://www.colorrite.com/product/honda-nh282-oyster-silver-metallic-1449.cfm


The shop I used to repaint the cover on my BF 225, put the decals on over top of the clear coat. I think either way will work.

I prefer to put decals down and then the clear. That protects them from damage and drying out. I use an automotive base clear and bring my cowls down to the auto body supply store and they lightly compound and then scan the paint and mix to match. Nason clear is a high quality product and easily applied with even a cheap sprayer. It hardens almost immediately as it is an epoxy as well. The crack can be repaired with epoxy and as was mentioned, the missing piece can be fitted in from a sample of similar material, then epoxied on the back with a laminated plate. Not sure how nice you want to get it, but you could accomplish the task with these suggestions. For final facing on the outer surfaces that you can see, I use a product called Metal to Metal. It finishes out in a silver color and its waterproof. It uses an activator like body filler. I often use it when I want perfect results over an aluminum repair that I have welded with my MIG.
FYI, please don't use ethanol fuel and be sure to grease all fittings. Don't trailer your boat/motor unless its in gear so the prop can't spin. You can use an additive to your fuel. I prefer Amsoil PI over Sea Foam. Amsoil will stabilize the fuel as well as clean/dissolve most deposits from the fuel system, allowing them to pass through and burn up in combustion. This process will also slowly remove carbon build up.

You guys are all awesome! I truly appreciate the plethora of valuable information.The motor doesn't need to look PERFECT but considering its not very large it shouldn't be too hard to bring her back to good. Right now i'm going through the process of refurbishing the interior of the boat. Needs all new plywood for the benches and transom as well as a fresh coat of paint. Originally I was going to use a non skid type paint but the more time spent thinking about it im not sure it would really be needed in a 12 foot boat you mostly sit in. I saw duralux marine paint while at home depot the other day and it has some good reviews online. Does anyone have any first hand experience using this paint on an aluminum boat? I will only be painting the interior and giving the exterior a good cleaning.