Honda 5HP Problems

[Dave]

Just lost another day to sail on Barnegat Bay when my 5HP Honda wouldn't start yet again.  Been having problems since I bought it new 4 years ago.  Anyone else have problems, or do I just have a lemon? 

[MacGyver]

Honda's a very picky and finicky engine. The carbs are really tight, so a small piece of dirt or something and down she goes.

At the marina I work at, we have a 8 hp, 9.9, 40, and now a 40 fuel injected.
The 8 goes to the dealer every year for fuel issues with the carb. ALWAYS NEEDS A REBUILD..... I wish I had the money in the shop to get rid of it.
The 9.9 never has issues, why? Well we havent run it in a few years.... LOL
The 40 Carbed engine would every year need a new carb installed. Every few years it would need a new intake and gasket, all to the tune of 1500 bucks.
The 40 Fuel injected seems to be doing okay so far.....

Ayway, that has been my experiences.... I know cleaning the carb is no big deal. I typically get the 8hp by with a few cleanings before it goes to the shop.....

Mac

[Toolman]

Just lost another day to sail on Barnegat Bay when my 5HP Honda wouldn't start yet again.  Been having problems since I bought it new 4 years ago.  Anyone else have problems, or do I just have a lemon? 

Wow... My Honda 5 hp is a 1996.  I did have a carb issue 2 years ago while on vacation, so just bought a new carb.  It wasn't much more than paying for a rebuild.  No problems since then.  I do run fuel with NO Ethanol.  I'm in the equipment rental business, and run the non-ethanol in all our rental equipment.  I can honestly say that I've noticed a BIG difference since switching.  Ethanol, like all alcohols, absorbs moisture from the air. Since this becomes water (heavier than Gasoline), it sinks to the bottom of the tank where it is picked up by the intake to the carburetor.  Essentially, you're trying to start the engine on water.  Don't know if this is your problem, but it's pretty common!

[skip1930]

Fuel delivery ... air in the fuel line?

Compression.
Spark.
Timing.
Fuel.

Gotta run. Says so in the book.

I once bought a new Honda walk behind self propelled lawn more. Yep I gave it away at the end of that summer. Pure junk.
And bought a Personal Pace Toro. Pure heaven.

skip.

[sreidvt]

I bought my Honda 5 HP new in 2009 and, knock wood, it always seems to start on the first or second pull. I do always set the throttle just past the "start" marking, when starting, however. I don't know if that helps but, ironically given the OP's experience, I've loved this engine because it has been so reliable.

[Ivo]

My 2009 Honda 5 HP came used with the boat.   I do not keep fuel in it... I use new fuel each time I go out.  Usually, two or three pulls gets it going at the ramp.  Once out on the water, 1 pull will restart it.  I've had only positive results with it...hasn't failed yet.  Back at home, I make sure to drain the carb and run it dry during flushing.  Whatever fuel is leftover goes into the truck.

[sreidvt]

Hope I'm not jinxing myself here but I put my boat in with a full tank at the beginning of the summer and usually just have to top the tank off once mid-season. I remove the fuel line each time I leave the boat and close the tank vent but that's it. The boat is on a lake mooring all summer. Again, knock wood, the little Honda 5 has been much more reliable than the old 6 HP 2-stroke twin engine I had on before. In fact, having had a famously challenging stormy day one year on Lake Champlain (with the old motor failing to start) we now say: "In Honda we trust" each time the new motor fires up. And, so far, it always has. If I switch to a Com-Pac 23 this motor is making the change with me.

I can sail on and off my current mooring (and often do) but on the Champlain mooring we absolutely had to go in and out under power. Maybe 100 boats there and we, as the little 20' boat, had the mooring closest to shore. It was like a maze getting there.

I do drain the carb before storing each winter. Again, the only tip I can suggest is to set the throttle a bit past the "start" position (turn it as far as the mechanism allows) when first starting it up.

Cheers,

[tmorgan]

I bought a 5hp Honda three years ago and have not had a problem.  I run ethanol free gas.  The dealer said to go out and run it every week or two at a fast pace for 5 to 10 minutes which I do as well. I use SeaFoam as a fuel additive.  When I put the boat up in the winter I drain the fuel from the motor and the tank so I'm starting fresh in the spring.  I have not had a problem with the Honda thus far.

[Toolman]

Funny thing... since responding to this earlier, I spent a few days on Kentucky Lake and, just when I tried to motor to the ramp to haul out, the motor died.  It restarted, but would not idle at the proper speed, only faster.  I got the boat around to the ramp where I started looking for the problem.  Long story short, the fuel tank was sitting on the fuel line.  The rubber is just soft enough, and the rim of the tank just sharp enough, that the fuel flow was compromised.  I pulled the line out from under the tank and all was well.
It's like Skip says, "Fuel Delivery".

[kickingbug1]

  yeah, and i found out that you need fuel in the tank as well.

[sreidvt]

We were talking about this motor at the BBB. One reminder that came up (and my apologies if this seems obvious) is to make sure the tank vent is fully closed any time the engine isn't being used. Otherwise, of course, it allows water vapor in and when that joins the fuel and gets sucked into the carb problems ensue.

Also, I had been meaning to switch to a higher thrust prop on my Honda 5 for some time. It looks like the stock is a 7 7/8 with a pitch of 7 1/2. I just ordered the Honda alternate prop (I think there's only one alternate for this motor) which is 7 7/8 with a pitch of 6 3/4. That should mean higher revs but more torque (if I've got my facts straight) which should be useful for a kicker motor.

I ordered this one: http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1%7C311%7C2349117%7C2349126&id=180986

Cheers,

[capt_nemo]

Make sure EVERY OUNCE of fuel added to tank is Stabil -ized!!

And, always use non-Ethanol fuel.

Pour "old" fuel in car/truck gas tank and use fresh fuel for outboard. Don't fill Aux tank "Full", add small amounts of Stabil-ized non-Ethanol fuel to Aux tank when needed.

Mechanics tell me about 90-95 % of OB problems are FUEL related. YOU can control the quality of fuel you feed to that mechanical marvel beloved of the trailer sailor!

capt_nemo

[JBC]

Reading these Honda 5 issues brings to mind my own.  A number of years ago I was out by myself in my CP16 tooting around on motor alone when I managed to tangle the prop with some weeds.  So, as I leaned over the stern rather than raising the motor to untangle the weeds, I managed to sever the fuel hose line neatly where it ran over the stern to the motor.  Tool bag left in the car (naturally), so I couldn't easily fix the hose fitting, I managed to find some of that universal mechanical fix-it stuff...duct tape.  Joined the two ends of the severed fuel line, fired up the motor and off I go again...for about 30 seconds.  Of course, the motor died and wouldn't restart.

One additive I don't recommend for fuel is the sticky goop on duct tape which, when mixed with fuel, managed to foul everything in and out of sight.  For once I have an exact answer to that famous question, "What were you thinking?"  Wasn't.

Jett

[brackish]

An alternate opinion or a contrarian's view, however you see it.  I always use non ethanol fuel which is a fairly universal recommendation.  Past that I never use additives, I always fill the tank as full as possible and try to keep it topped off, I never remove the fuel line from the engine nor run the engine dry.  Dry is a misnomer.  It actually means you are creating surfaces that will allow the condensation of water with changes in temperatures that occur each 24 hour period said water to accumulate, corrode, and plug various orifices   I try to run my motor at least every couple of weeks year round (boat stays in the water).   I will dump a tank in my truck if I think it has been a few months without a complete recycle. 

My trusty Nissan Sailpro still starting on the second pull every time.

[Saluki86]

Timely post.  2nd to last time out with my Honda 5HP she started right up.  A month later, spent 2hr pulling and nothing.  Took it to shop.  Tech said it was a dirty carb and echoed what Capn Nemo said ...... "Make sure EVERY OUNCE of fuel added to tank is Stabil -ized!!  And, always use non-Ethanol fuel"

Sal