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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Honda 9.9 Trouble

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weluvlife
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166 Posts

Initially Posted - 03/19/2006 : 00:03:34

Hi,

I have a mid 90's Honda 9.9 outboard with an intermittent problem that possible one of you have had before.

The motor either runs fantastic or shuts off without warning.

To get in started again, I have to toggle the kill switch at least once. This works most the time. Although, sometimes it just won't even try to start.

I have checked for fuel and the plugs appear ok.

Now, I leave the power to the motor all the time, even when the battery charger is charging the batteries. Could this be the problem? Maybe I have damaged some electrical part in the motor?

How would I go about trouble-shooting the electrical?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

Mark Eichman
Lake Don Pedro,CA
www.lakedonpedrosailingclub.org
'86 c25 TR, SK

Edited by - on

Sloop Smitten
Master Marine Consultant

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1181 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2006 : 00:54:57

Mark,
Can't figure out why toggling the kill switch would have any affect unless the kill switch is the problem. When the switch is depressed the ignition primary cirucit is grounded, thereby stopping the engine. I would disconnect the kill switch and see if the problem goes away. It could very well be an intermittent short in the switch. Follow the cable from the kill switch back under the engine housing and you will see it splits into two wires. Disconnect the black one at the small plug. It is the ground wire. Use your choke to kill the engine while you have the switch disconnected. Intermittent electrical probelms can be a nightmare to find.

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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3521 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2006 : 08:43:54

Mark,

I bought my boat this fall. It had a 1994 Honda 9.9. The motor was starting to act up at the time the boat was being showed to me. The motor was serviced by the PO at time of sale but the problem persisted. I had two different mechanics look at the motor and then they did so together - One was a certified Honda mechanic. You can check past postings on this saga since I posted a number of times on this Board about the motor.

It would work fine 50% of the time but this 50% was by electric start. It would not start by hand for beans. Maybe 5% of the time. Went thru the kill switch, dirty fuel, old fuel scenario. Then had it tuned up and carburetor replaced. The two mechanic asessment after all of that was....THe Honda Certified Mechanic indicated he saw a few Honda's of the same vintage that had what he called an undetermined electrical issue. he indicated that I should try the motor and see how frequent the deficiency contnues to happen and then if something really has to be done, then he would recommend all the electronics in the motor be replaced because it was hard to determoine exactly what was deficient with an intermittent problem. He went on to say that the labor for breaking it down and with parts replacement was going to be very expensive - in neighborhood of $700+. So...he went onto rcmd that I consider putting the money toward a new motor versus into the old motor which I already sunk $200.

I tried living with the newly tuned motor. It seemed much better. But then turned south again. It seemed that when it was warmer out, it acted up more. It was basically undependable. It did not konk out so much once it was running, though, that happened a few times. It was mostly a problem of starting initially or when ready to come back into the marina. When it would not start, it then turned out into 2 hrs longer sailing trip until it eventually did start. A couple of times, I had to leave it at the marina's outside dock. One time I could not get back because I could not get to the other side of a bridge. It was basically a disaster.

I bit the bullet this past February. I sold the old motor on Craig's List (website classified) and bought a brand new 2006 25" shaft Honda 9.9. The motor has been fantastic ! Very quiet at slow speeds, starts easily...basically all that one would expect from a dependable motor. Cost for that satisfaction - $2700.

You may have different problems but figured I would share my recent saga. Of course the easiest thing is to make sure it is not being caused by old fuel or sediment in the gas tank. Those are the easiest for you to resolve. Take the portable fuel tank home and with the remainig gas in it, shake it up and then strain it thru a funnel with cheesecloth in it. Figure out what to do with the old fuel - lawn mower, car, etc.

Then use gas in the Honda gas tank with fuel stabilizer added and do not keep gas in the tank very long (~ 4-6 weeks max). Other can offer suggestions regarding ensuring the jets are clean, filter, etc but once you start down that path then probably best to bring to a mechanic for a once over. If that does not solve the issue...well then it's a question of your pain tolerance vs money set aside for a new motor.

Hope your problem is relatively minor. Oh ! Check out my website for new outboard bracket and new 2006 Honda photos.

Edited by - on

JimB517
Past Commodore

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USA
3285 Posts

Response Posted - 03/19/2006 : 10:28:15

Bring the motor home, put it on a bench, take the cover off. Unplug each and every wire inside. They are color coded so easy to hook back up. Clean each connection with WD40 and an old toothbrush. Then plug back together. I had a green wire running from the CDI to the pulsar. There is a plug in this wire under the flywheel. It was corroded and green with gunk. Rewiring this fixed my intermittent electrical problems. My Honda is as reliable as the sun.

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weluvlife
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166 Posts

Response Posted - 03/20/2006 : 08:25:06

Jimb517, OLarryr & Sloop Smitten,

Thank you all for sharing your valuable opinions and experiences.
It is somewhat comforting to hear stories of others sharing the same or similar problems.

I hope it doesn't cost me $2700 to repair this problem! haha

You never know though :(

I will take the motor home and work on it here. I'll remove the wiring and check all connections. I have already replaced the kill switch. I may remove the carburator and flush it with carb cleaner and wd40.

Until I get a reliable motor, I'll have to sail within a small radius of the marina :( I've never seen a sailboat towed back to the marina, and hope it isn't ever me :)

Again, thanks,

Mark

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.