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BF225 intermittent alarm and check engine light after extended idle

Seafarer226

New member
Hello everyone! I wanted to make this post to share an experience I’ve had with my new to me 2005 BF225. It came on my also new to me Seafarer 226. The motor has roughly 190 hours on it according to the hour meter, and from what I can tell was very well maintained by the original owner. This is my first Honda outboard (and my first 4 stroke outboard). I am, however an automotive technician by trade so I’m right at home working on this Honda V6.

Anyhow, my second time using the boat, I came off plane and down to idle, and was immediately greeted with an intermittent alarm and the engine began to miss. After cycling the key of and re-starting the engine my alarm and rough running engine were as good as new. Thought maybe it was a fluke and went about my day. Since then, every time I’d use the boat if I let it idle in the slip for any more than say 5 minutes, I’d get that same alarm, with the engine light illuminated. Cycle the key, and it’s gone and as long as I got underway it’d run like that for hours without a hickup. At first I thought it was the water in fuel alarm, but I’ve learned that is a very rapid alarm that isn’t accompanied with a solid MIL, and both my fuel/water separators show no water in the bowl.

I ended up doing some research and found how to get codes out of the motor. (shorting out the green and black wires on the red service connector). By doing that, I was greeted with 1 solid blink of the MIL. Ran to my local Honda marine dealer, spent $350 on a new oxygen sensor, cleared the code by using the kill switch, and my issue is resolved! I did learn that I have the old style exhaust manifolds with the larger oxygen sensor, and that Honda stopped paying for the repair just this passed January. If there’s anything I should know or be on the lookout for with this motor please let me know! I plan on keeping this boat for a while and would like to keep this motor running well for years to come. I plan on doing the timing belt and impeller at the end of the season, as I’m not sure when it was done last. Previous owner just did all the filters, oil, and lower unit service before the sale. Hopefully this post helps someone in the future!
 
Congrats on your recent purchase. The BF 225 is a GREAT engine, IF WELL MAINTAINED AND RUN OFTEN! I have a 2007 BF225 with over 2200 hours and it still runs great. The USCG regularly puts 5000 to 6000 hours on these engines, but they maintain them well and run them almost every day.

You will probably want to change out those original exhaust tubes and install the newer design. That is all covered in Honda SB 56, which is too big to upload on this site. So, send an e-mail to me at [email protected], and I will send it back to you. The last time I looked, the replacement kit was a little over $100 on www.boats.net. Other owners who have made that change report that it takes 3 to 4 hours to do it.

One other thing on the pre-2007 engines. The bushing in the middle of the drive shaft will often fail and can actually eat a hole in the front of the mid-cowling. It is fairly easy to check and replace, especially if you are going to replace the water pump. Here is the procedure. Be sure to watch the video: View attachment Honda midshaft bearing.pdf

Here is a description of the proper procedure for pulling fault codes: View attachment Procedure for Getting Fault Codes.pdf

Here is a list of what the fault codes mean: View attachment MIL Fault Codes Scanned.pdf

Here is a detailed maintenance schedule: View attachment Maintenance Schedule Honda BF 200 and BF 225 UPDATED.pdf

If you are going to do your own maintenance and repair, it will pay you to get the Helm Shop Manual. Don't waste your money on the aftermarket manuals - too many errors and omissions. Here is a link to a manual on line. It is in PDF format, so you can save it you your computer. You may need to fool around with it to get it to the point where you can read it. http://planbmarine.com/wp-content/u...ice-workshop-and-repair-BF175A-BF200A-BF2.pdf


Good luck.
 
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