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2013 Honda 9.9 Running Rough or Not Starting

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aaron.standerwick

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I have a 2013 Honda 9.9 that is used as a trolling motor/backup for the main motor on my boat. The engine has about 150 hours. When I took the boat out the other day the motor started with some hesitation (it's always done that) and ran fine for about 10 minutes or so. The motor idled and both forward and reverse were no problem while it was running for those 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes it sputtered and died. It started back up a couple times but when trying to put it into gear it would die again. After starting it and it dying a couple times it wouldn't start again while I was on the water. It did start back up and idle fine when flushing it later. Fuel shouldn't be an issue as the tank is shared with the main engine which ran just fine and there are multiple filters in line between the engine and tank. It isn't a tiller outboard so all of the controls are remote in the cabin. Any help would be greatly appreciated, let me know what you think!
 
Still sounds like fuel. Check water separator filter, maybe try pumping the bulb when it is dying. These motors like to be run. You should get in the habit of running the boat a couple times a season with the kicker.
 
The water filter was free of water and the bulb felt right while it was running. It really does need to be ran more... Thanks for the advice, I think I'll still try the bulb thing.
 
Hi Aaron,

Yes, by all means, try the squeezing the bulb "thing".
Great suggestion.

You say "it's always done that" referencing the hesitation starting....
....Since new? Meaning you're the original owner?

It always hesitates to start when exactly?

When cold only?
When warmed up only?
When either hot or cold?
 
Check spark plug, see if it’s clean or fouled.

If not run hot regularly, it may have gotten a buildup of varnish in the fuel system. Can you add a load of sea foam to the fuel supply for the 9.9 and give it a good run for a minimum of 30 minutes? After checking spark plug?
 
jgmo said:
Hi Aaron,

Yes, by all means, try the squeezing the bulb "thing".
Great suggestion.

You say "it's always done that" referencing the hesitation starting....
....Since new? Meaning you're the original owner?

It always hesitates to start when exactly?

When cold only?
When warmed up only?
When either hot or cold?
Click to expand...
I wasn't the original owner but the engine had at most 10-20 hours on it before I got it. As far as I can remember it's been somewhat difficult to start. It doesn't seem to matter wether it's warmed up or cold when it's giving me difficulty.
 
NSDON said:
Check spark plug, see if it’s clean or fouled.

If not run hot regularly, it may have gotten a buildup of varnish in the fuel system. Can you add a load of sea foam to the fuel supply for the 9.9 and give it a good run for a minimum of 30 minutes? After checking spark plug?
Click to expand...
We've always added sea foam when getting gas but maybe it needs a bit more just for the kicker... I'll check the spark plug as well and try to run it for a decent bit to see if anything changes.
 
I'm assuming that you use this outboard primarily for trolling.

These little twins don't like being idled down. They seem to be happiest at about 900 rpm idle, no load (neutral). That's too fast for many trollers so they turn it down and that often causes problems.

Other than that, based on what you've said, if the idle setting is "factory" then it's my opinion that there is likely some blockage in the carburetor idle circuit, the accelerator pump delivery circuit or both.

These carbs are particularly finicky with very small, easily plugged, difficult to clean passages.

I mentioned the accelerator pump circuit because it is somewhat central to how the outboard starts and runs regardless of if you are hard on the throttle or not. If that circuit is restricted, it causes plenty of problems with starting and performance.

Another thing that comes to mind is that you say "there are multiple filters in line between the engine and tank".

These were designed to run on small, remote fuel tanks. The only filter being the under hood, on board, inline filter. Additional filtration plus additional suction side fuel lines and fittings means additional restriction that the small diaphragm type pump must overcome.

There are many of these running just fine on main tank fuel feed, but I have seen problems with systems that weren't plumbed well.

While I don't think that's what is causing your issue, it is something to be aware of.

You might even want to try using a small remote tank just to see if it makes any difference just to rule it out.

Good luck.
 
If it turns out your issue is carb related I purchased a new carb for my 2014 9.9 for $145 from boats.net in in 2022. In 2022 due to supply chain issues I wasn’t able to purchase some of the parts to do a good rebuild. This new carb solved 99% of my issues, the remaining 1% was a faulty spark plug. My engine sat for 4 years with fuel in the carb and only had about 5 hours on the engine, how one plug went “bad” is beyond me.
 
My 9.9 liked fresh fuel only. If anything but spanking fresh fuel, it was hard to start and sometimes would not start at all in cold 20° F or lower weather. My BF225 ran well on old gas, new gas, Seafoam or no.
I just repowered with twin 2024 BF250's. I will see if they troll as well as people say. If they do, I will not even hang the 9.9. My transom is heavy enough with twin 250's.
 
Remove spark plugs on the engine when cold.----Put 5 drops of fuel in each cylinder.----Install spark plugs.----Try to start motor.-----Report exactly what happens.
 
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