CONTINUOUSWAVE

I have a 1999 Honda BF8A, now sitting in my condo locker until spring thaw and launch by May. I had it winterized by a local Honda dealer in the Fall, and, at that time, I asked them to check for problems.

Last summer it would always start in two pulls, but, towards mid-season, in the middle of motoring with mid-throttle, it would lose power and spew blue-white smoke. There had been a few times when following waves caused it to dip a tad low. I was wondering if water could get sucked in.

Honda said that there was nothing they could find, but I am worried that they did not properly check. I intend on testing it with a five-gallon drum of water. Before then is there anything I should check?

Thanks folks.

When you express your anxiety regarding "if water could get sucked in," I assume you mean to say that you are worried that perhaps during normal operation of the engine seawater was somehow ingested into the combustion chamber, and this caused damage to the engine.

If I were hiring myself out to inspect small outboard engines for damage from ingesting water into the combustion chamber, I would measure the peak cylinder pressure by attaching a pressure gauge in place of the spark plug for each cylinder. I would perform a pressure test on each cylinder. I would note the peak pressure reading indicated by the pressure gauge, and compare the readings among all cylinders. There should not be more than 10 to 15-PSI variation among cylinders. I would also note the ability of the cylinder to maintain peak pressure, often called a leak down test. The cylinder should be able to hold peak pressure for some duration.

For some more advice on assessing outboard engines, see

Assessing Used Outboard Motors
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... Check.html

I am not clear from your narrative if the dealer performed any sort of inspection of the engine for your suspected problems from water ingestion and failed to find any evidence of damage, or if they just failed to perform the inspection. Your comment, "Honda said that there was nothing they could find," was ambiguous in this regard.

I have the same [Honda BF8A] engine as a kicker on my Montauk and Revenge 22 boats. A pressure check as Jim recommends is a good idea, but ultimately these small motors are generally working or not. Be sure to run fresh gas through it, and although I have gotten conflicting information from the dealers I have had service these motors, you may want to drain the carburetor. There is a screw on the side of the carburetor with an attached hose to drain the fuel in the bowl to out of the cowling. I have been abusing this motor, only running it for a week or two each year for many years, and other than changing plugs and oil they are pretty reliable.