Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Honda 20D tell tail seems a little weak?

C

ChrisHarding

Member
Hi Guys

My tell tail is looking a bit sluggish and just dribbles on idle ... I have run the flush fitting with fresh water (obviously on a Not running motor) and despite decent hose water pressure the tell tail is still a bit weak ... Since the top fresh water flush doesn't involve the impellor where should I be looking to see where there might be a possible blockage?? Went out with the motor for a hour today and you only see it peeing once the revs are up ..no overheating though so it seems the motor is being cooled fine. Is it possible that the approx 1/4" rubber hose that goes out to the side cover could be blocked or maybe kinked???
 
Edit my reply:
I would check the thermostat to see if that is clean, if there is a blockage somewhere when using a hose flush, I’d say you see some evidence in the thermostat area or the thermostat itself.
 
Thanks the BF20D flush system actually bypasses the impeller (that's why you have to do a hose flush without the motor running) I'll check the thermostat too of course so great idea. The fact that the motor ran this morning for over an hour with no evidence of overheating is strange as if the thermostat wasn't opening after an hour I would have thought that motor would start to overheat ..but it didn't ... I'lll update when have checked that side so thanks again
 
Hi,
Not knowing how old the outboard is, I have to ask when was the last waterpump service done?

Seeing the flow increase with rpm does favor a pump issue in my opinion.

However, if you suspect that it's a blockage in the tell-tale bypass, I certainly couldn't argue with PROPERLY clearing that circuit.

That little rubber hose you mentioned DOES cause issues with the stream. After a few seasons that tube hardens and can trap small particles of debris in the areas of the bends.
I recommend replacing the hose every four or five years for that reason. It should be soft, supple and limp if it's going to work properly.
I also recommend using a small drill to slightly increase the size of the tell tale fitting to help with keeping debris from being backed up.

The hose MUST be properly routed from the engine fitting, through the hole in the splash plate and out to the fitting on the lower cover or, yes, it WILL be pinched. If you're going to remove the lower cover to properly clear the tell tale passage then pay very close attention to how that hose is routed or you will be SURE to put it back incorrectly.

A "rule of thumb" when putting that tube on and re-attaching the side cover is: if it's easy to mount the cover, then you're doing it wrong.

Putting the cover back on with the tube properly routed and attached to the fitting should be a contortionist's trick. Not sure why Honda did it like that but they did.

With the lower cover and hose removed, you can remove the nipple fitting that is screwed into the engine block. With the lower end in a trashcan of water you can briefly start the engine and anything in the bypass will be immediately blown out.
You will likely get wet doing that but it's TRULY the ONLY absolutely reliable way to clear debris from the tell-tale bypass.

Trimmer string, wire, or compressed air works occasionally but this is the only SURE FIRE method.

Then, after doing all that and it still dribbles, you can confidently go after the water pump knowing that the passage is absolutely clear.

Good luck.
 
Thanks a million! I'm pretty sure it is the hose. The last time I did an engine flush I was worried that the rubber tube would slip off the cover nipple so I stuck a zip tie on it so I MIGHT have accidently crimped it closed ..I can easily check by cutting off the zip tie and let it hang loose so that will be job number one ... if the end has been crimped half closed and I take it off then problem solved ..I have never actually played with the tell tail hose so it SHOULD be threaded correctly. I'll play with that side first and report back
 
Ok .. it still dribbles on idle .. it DOES actually flow at idle but is a vertical dribble ... I did remove my zip tie from the hose as well as the cover fitting and stuck the hose thru the side cover plate hole just to make sure that the hose wasn't being restricted so I guess it's time to inspect the thermostat .. I'm assuming my thermostat will be the cover that's directly below the static flush fitting hole ..This video seems to be for a BF20D and the cover plate has an "o" ring inside it
 
Oops forgot to answer the question ..the motor has a comprehensive service 2 years ago but has been left on the boat by the previous owner BUT it was tilted up so the boat and motor was really dirty with seagull droppings ..the agents put in a new pump kit plus a new cover and "o" ring so if it's full of salt crystals I'l simply change it!
 
Hi Guys

Thanks for all the advice .. the thermostat was in fact still fine but I did find the cover bolts tight to take out until I found the threads were full of sand ..Everything cleaned out and put back AND the tell tale STILL just dribbles!! Never mind it was good to check the thermostat!!
Ok so I took off the side cover and pulled the hose end off the fitting in the cover and it STILL just dribbled so I looked deeper and the engine side of the tell tale tube was kinked badly as it goes thru the plate just above the nipple ... I then just let the tube hang down from the nipple and got an awesome stream (I was using my fresh water hose and the fitting just above the thermostat so didn't need to run the motor!) Put the cover back on and turned the water back on and it dribbled again!!! OK there is a bigger diameter tube that runs from the tray and down past the "water separator" my tell tail was sitting between that unit and the cover and was ALSO being squashed by the cover! ..moved it to the inside and all is OK!! For those that have their boat in the water to work on the motor ..here is a tip! When you take off the side cover and it's dangling on two small rubber tubes it WILL fall into the water and our Marina pen is 4 metres deep! Took me a week to find it. What I do now is tie a rope on the cover (I use the carb flat drain hole in the cover) and secure it so you don't lose a cover ..Honda don't list it as a part!!!
 
Back
Top