2004 HOnda 200 4S- feedback please

Hi All,

First post here. Several people recommended this forum on ThehullTruth. Looks like a great group.

I currently have a 2004 Aquasport with a 175 2S Johnson. We are looking at buying a 2004 Robalo R225 with a 2004 Honda 4S 200HP.

We really like the boat but I am not familiar with Honda outboards. Can anyone give some feedback on this year motor? It has 250 hours on it and looks well taken care of. I will be keeping bit on a mooring in saltwater and will not be able to flush after each use do to the mooring.

I have seen a lot of posts to stay away and about corrosion issues. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Jared

Great motor, saltwater is not a friend to any outboard regardless if it is an ocean/salt series.

Over the years I have accumulated a list of problems experienced by the BF 200 and 225. Will try to attach.

View attachment Honda Gripe List.pdf

These engines in saltwater MUST be flushed with fresh water if you expect it to hold up. You can easily rig up a flushing device that will allow you to flush it from the transom. I will see if it uploads. If not. Send an e-mail to me at [email protected].

View attachment Description of Honda Engine Flush Modification.pdf

I think my note and list may have given the wrong impression. In my opinion, these big Honda's are great engines. But like all outboards, especially the bigger ones, they have some inherent issues, which the list addresses.

To keep these engines healthy, strictly adhere to the maintenance schedule and run it as often as possible. Invest in the Helm Shop Manual - it's pricey at $126. But it will save you many $ $ $ in the long run. Chapter 3 provides very detailed maintenance instructions. And Chapter 5 gives very detailed diagnostic information. Unfortunately, it could be better organized. Read Chapter 18 in detail so that you understand how the engine truly operates and what the ECU is doing.

Stay active on this forum, because a lot of folks that hang out here are very experienced with dealing with these engines and will help out when you run into issues.

chawk_man said:

Over the years I have accumulated a list of problems experienced by the BF 200 and 225. Will try to attach.

View attachment 21004

These engines in saltwater MUST be flushed with fresh water if you expect it to hold up. You can easily rig up a flushing device that will allow you to flush it from the transom. I will see if it uploads. If not. Send an e-mail to me at [email protected].

View attachment 21005

Click to expand...

Bill, I have one issue with this system and that is that it is a cold flush, meaning the thermostats are closed and water does not circulate through them, this therefore being one of the most common causes of overheating and corrosion in that area. This problem is worse where the motors are not used on a regular basis(biggest killer of motors used in saltwater)

Ian, I totally agree that a hot water fresh water flush is the very best way of doing it. But many of us cannot pull the boat after every use (or even most uses) and drop the leg in a barrel of fresh water and run it for 20 - 30 minutes. Furthermore, my own tests have shown that when using the flushing hose connected to the engine, water barely makes it to the bottom of the thermostat housing, thus rendering Honda's specified way for flushing the engine rather worthless when it comes to the thermostats and housings. I do a 20 minute cold water flush on my lift using the setup I described in the previous post. At least I'm (hopefully) cleaning the internal water passages and manifolds.

A question for you - when a water hose it hooked up to the flushing hose on the engine, and enough pressure builds up, is the water diverted to the pressure relief (poppet) valves? I always assumed that they did, but now I'm not so sure. I've never pulled them, but plan to do so on my next maintenance pull.

Not to scare you this motor was flushed by the previous owner this is the flush port full of salt build up on the 130 hp at the top end of the motor its got a pressure valve inside that stops water from coming out from the motor but opens up when garden hose water pressure is on .Clean it using Durbans Formula.

Bill, as far as I can tell from water flow charts in the factory service manual, the leakage is back down through the water pump. I doubt very much whether the hose pressure would be sufficient to open the pressure relief valve. Have you ever removed a thermostat housing to see if the water does in fact come out when using the flush attachment?

Ian - yes, the last time I pulled maintenance (this spring) I pulled the t-stats and hooked up the flushing hose and turned it on. After about 5 minutes water worked its way up to the t-stat seats, but with no pressure at all. It just sort of oozed up there and would not get to the top of the t-stat seats.

I assume that if I had more pressure and volume of water, it likely would have flushed out the bottom of the t-stat seats. The next time I pull for maintenance, I think I will rig up an auxiliary water pump I can drop down in a barrel and see what that does - something like a 1500 GPH sump pump. If that works, I'll rig that up at my boat lift for future flushing.

Just as a matter of interest,I have a 100lt bladder of fresh water in the bow of my boat, feeding a good quality deck wash pump which I use to flush my motor when using ramps that don't have a wash facility, works a treat. I like to flush my motor immediately after pulling from the water, that was the saltwater in the engine hasn't started to dry and leave salt deposits.

Roger that - good idea.

Does that 200+ pounds of water in your bow cause any running/handling issues? What is the flow from the wash down pump?