Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Honda BF200 - Not running right - disapppointed

S

southerntoon

New member
2008 Honda BF200 - just seems under powered with a miss at mid to full throttle. No lights on dash - Will only run 4600-4800 WOT. Also after first run of the day - when you stop for awhile (hang out, swim for awhile etc) upon restart when giving throttle it starts trying to die like it is starving for fuel and running horrible. After doing this a few times - let it sit and run at idle for a few minutes it starts running better.

I believe that This motor has never operated right since I got it used and put it on a 24ft tritoon - it is under warranty but I am not impressed with the local Honda dealer. Good Guy and Good Mechanic but he is so busy I think he works off who is complaining the loudest and also to money greedy to hire some help. I had the boat sitting at the dealer from Feb. Through April and after enough promises and discussions I think he just cleaned the boat and handed it back to me.

He supposedly hooked his computer up to it and no issues were found. He says the one problem he found was a faulty fuel line/bulb and he replaced that. However just like before bulb in my opinion does not get hard - you can squeeze it was ease and hear/feel gas in it but never gets hard. I believe it does have an anti siphon valve on the gas tank - However I have not checked it



No external water seperator and Low pressure fuel filter has been changed recently but not the high pressure filter.

I believe it does have an anti siphon valve on the gas tank - However I have not checked it

I have never seen it turn 5600-6000 rpms (have played with motor height some) the prop is a 4-Blade 14 1/4 x 17 Stainless

Honestly I am so disappointed and aggravated with this motor that with one year warranty left on it - I might sell it. Yesterday I had 5 Adults and 3 kids with me - sitting on the boat- I watched a premier tritoon with a Honda 225 (I know 25hp more) and full load at least 12-15 adults come flying by me fast and I haven't even seen 5600 - 6000 rpm

Any Thoughts?
 
There have been a few recent posts for the larger, later model, fuel injected Hondas here and they sound very similar to your complaint. It seems the high pressure filter can cause this type of symptom when it gets dirty. I would start with looking at that fuel hose and squeeze bulb. That doesn't sound right at all, what you describe. It should get hard. And, that's pretty much up to you. Honda warranty isn't going to address the fuel line and bulb and I doubt that it will do you much good as regards the filters either. They are a "scheduled maintenance" that is, ultimately,the owner's responsibility. If the dealer won't help you, shame on him...but if you won't help yourself...well...you know.

That high pressure filter is supposed to be changed once a year. From what I see, if I were LUCKY enough to own one of these outboards, I think I might change it more often than that. One reason is that almost everyone that reports having gone in there and changed it had trouble with the screws. If you go in more often, the screws won't have a chance to seize up and strip out. Especially if you use never seize each service.

I know you might be thinking my comments are a bit harsh but I mean no disrespect and am not trying to make you feel bad. I just think you should forget about Mr. Flaky Dealer that obviously hasn't, and probably won't, help you and get that bad boy goin' on your own.

Check your tanks vent and make sure it is clear, clean, and open when you are running.

Get that fuel line bulb to harden up, even if you have to buy a new hose. The check valve is in the bulb and they do go bad.

Go in and change that HP filter. That may be the biggest factor in you not being able to enjoy that AWESOME outboard.

Contact Honda America customer service and tell them your story. They might be interested in getting you some meaningful help with this problem.

There was one post about this with a great photo. I will see if I can find it and post it here for you.

Hopefully some of the other guys have some great ideas to get you out of the doldrums.

Good luck.
 
Mega ditto's to Jimmy's post - he is totally correct on first steps to solve the issue. Anyone who can handle a wrench, a ratchet, and screwdriver can change out that filter. Just closely observe how the old filter comes out, especially the spring and the rubber O ring, and put in the replacement using a new O ring which comes with the new filter. If you don't have access to "never seize" use regular marine grease on the screw threads until you can get some.

If the pump up bulb will not get hard, then replace the bulb and the fuel line to the engine as Jimmy instructed. And just to make sure your fuel tank is properly vented, the next time you are out cruising around, open up the filler cap to the fuel tank and see if that improves the performance of the engine. If it does, you have a clogged fuel tank breather tube. To fix it, run a piece of weed whacker string or 400 lb. mono fishing line up and down in the vent until you can feel it get to the fuel tank.

I have an 2007 225 on my 6000 lb. loaded C-Hawk fishing boat. It has 1600 hours and runs as good as the day it was new. The key to the healthy engine is make sure the scheduled maintenance is performed and run the engine as much as you can. The more they run, the better they run.
 
I agree with all of you and I had purchased the HP filter back in Jan. with the intention of doing it myself - I am a weekend warrior mechanic myself and capable of doing the service. I am the one who rigged the motor, controls, and gauges on my boat. As a result and because of the issues I was having I decided to take it to the local Honda Marine Dealer to make sure there were no internal problems with the motor. While there I asked him about the HP filter being the problem (figures since it was there I would just go ahead and have him do it) and he basically dismissed the idea saying he had only seen one or two over the years that needed that done. He was asked to

1. Diagnose why the Motor not running properly
2. Check Shift Cables
3. Check Throttle Cable
4. Service Lower End
5. Clean the Toons
6. Service Hydraulic Steering.

After many trips and promises of the boat being ready - I was told that 1,2,3 were done - so I stayed there and stood by watching them do 4,5 and 6.

At this point I am doubtful 1,2 and 3 were ever done.

I will proceed doing what y'all have recommended.
 
And, if you do find that 1,2 and 3...and you, basically...were neglected, I would double my urging of you to get in touch with Honda directly. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't like you being treated that way any more than we do. We hear it a lot on this forum of how difficult it is to find a trustworthy, competent repair shop. And, while I absolutely KNOW there are some Honda dealerships out there that are A#1 at taking care of business, we hear too many times of a good dealer being too far away or available but unreliable. Something Honda America needs to work on as much as they can to make ownership of the FANTASTIC products they sell a TOTALLY enjoyable time in a boater's life.

Goodonya for takin' the bull by the head handles and getting on with it though. I hope you nail the problem down. I know will learn some valuable things going in there. And, if that isn't the problem it certainly won't be a bad start on a process of elimination. Just keep coming back and keep this post alive and I'm pretty confident you will get the help you need.

Good luck!
 
Also, invest the $116 or so in the Official Honda Shop Manual by Helm. It's available on Amazon or eBay. The maintenance section alone is worth the money, and the diagnostics will usually get you close to whatever problem you encounter. It is not that well organized IMO, but it's all there and accurate.
 
I have done the following

1. Replaced Check Valve
2. Examined Pick-up tube - looks good.
3. Rerouted Gas Tank vent line to a side vent
4. Installed external inline water/fuel separator
5. Emptied internal water /fuel separator
6. Found fuel primer bulb leaking fuel when in small bind - replaced fuel bulb
6. put on a 14 3/4 x 16 Mercury Enertia 3 Blade Prop.
7. Checked oil Level - it is about 3/4 of the way between the low and full mark

After all of this the boat really seems no different. The primer bulb still does not get hard and the motor still seems to have a top end miss/ slight surging. At WOT the rpms go back and forth between 4800-5100 and runs around 24 mph. This was with 8 average size adults and one child.

I guess Now I will replace the low and high pressure fuel filters and maybe adjust the motor height.

Please chime in
 
Changing the prop now and adjusting the engine height may be a bad idea. If you leave things the same, then work on the filters, it will tell you if the issue has been solved. Once the engine is running correctly, you can mess with the prop and the engine height if needed or desired. Why do you want to change the height? Are you unable to see the cavitation plate when it is running at speed?
 
Ep4 said:
Changing the prop now and adjusting the engine height may be a bad idea. If you leave things the same, then work on the filters, it will tell you if the issue has been solved. Once the engine is running correctly, you can mess with the prop and the engine height if needed or desired. Why do you want to change the height? Are you unable to see the cavitation plate when it is running at speed?
Click to expand...


I can not see the the cavitation plate on plane or WOT. I have the motor on a Jack plate with about 5" of adjustment and I am at present about 1" from being at the highest point. However I do not have much trim to play with before the motor rpms go up but no difference in speed.
 
If the jackplate sets the engine back, then you may be able to raise the engine a little higher than a transom mounted engine. If you can't trim the engine up much without the prop blowing out, then you may already be at your highest position. Have you tried the engine a little lower?
 
The anti-cavitation plate should be even with the lowest part of the keel at the bottom of the transom. If you have an engine mount extension, then the anti-cavitation plate can be raised 1" for every 1 foot od offset from the transom.
 
I think you need to concentrate more on why the fuel bulb doesn't get hard than anything else right now. The fuel bulb not getting hard is screaming that you have a fuel delivery problem that needs sorting out. When you go in to the VST, make sure you look at everything. The bulb not getting hard after you changed it and made sure no air is entering the inlet side, suggests a possible leak downstream someplace.
 
Back
Top