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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

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stupid outboard questions

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awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/06/2012 : 10:15:39

I got a used Honda 2hp outboard yesterday for my dinghy. This has a built in fuel tank and no fuel/water separator.

It has about a cup or maybe two of old gas in the tank, but the carb is empty (and new, although the change was done 5 years ago and it's been unused since).

Do I remove the old fuel and dispose of it somehow (how?), then put in fresh fuel? Or do I top it off with fresh fuel and run with a mix of both?

Alex W
Seattle, WA
Express 37 "re-Quest"
previously owned 1984 Catalina 25 "Lutra"

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 10:31:48

Alex,

Get rid of the old fuel. You might be able to disconnect the fuel line into the carburetor and collect the old fuel in a jar, or find the carburetor drain, or at least remove the old fuel from the tank by suction with a turkey baster or a long plastic tube. I think it's inadvisable to turn the outboard upside down to drain fuel, because the engine oil would flow into places it's not supposed to be.

The old fuel cannot be any good to use in the Honda 2hp outboard.

For reliable starting, you might want to have a routine procedure for removing the fuel from the dinghy motor.

If it's only a cup or two, dump it into your other land vehicle where it won't be noticed at all. If there's a layer of water at the bottom, discard that separately from the gasoline.

Why don't you call a Honda Marine service center anywhere in the country and ask them how to empty old fuel? They might give you more useful tips, also. (For example, Honda Powersports of Crofton, MD - 410 then 923 and then 4944 - has a shop that sells and services Honda outboards of all sizes, and they're very good at it!)

Happy sailing!

Edited by - JohnP on 06/06/2012 10:35:36

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 10:35:16

If the gas might be five years old, I'd get as much as possible out of there using something like a turkey baster. Then put in some fresh gas treated with Marine Stabil. That engine uses so little fuel you'll want to keep it stabilized. (I have one.)

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 06/06/2012 10:37:36

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 10:39:10

I have a small hand pump (for bleeding car brakes) that can be used to suck out the old fuel and put it elsewhere. I'll do that tonight.

The fuel line between the tank and carb is obvious too, so getting the fuel out won't be too hard.

Edited by - on

piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 11:29:02

Alex, I know you are kinda new so I wanted to say, there are no stupid
questions posted on this forum. All posts are helpful to our members.
Steve A

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 11:46:26

Motor sitting for 5 years?

I would:

1. Get rid of old gas.
2. Pull spark plug and give a little squirt of lubricant (like winterizing oil)
3. New spark plug unless old one is clean.
4. Prepare for possible seal issues with carb.
5. Change engine oil if 4 stroke.
6. Change lower unit oil.

Gently cycle motor with pull starter before starting first time, a few good long slow pulls. On first start pay CLOSE attention to water pisser. You want to see a good stream to verify the impeller is okay.

Just fill a trash can 1/3 with the garden hose and set that puppy in there with a short 2x6 to clamp on to.

Make sure though, when you're in the front yard running an outboard in a trash can, that you have an old wife beater t shirt on, a backwards ball cap, and a beer in the free hand. Otherwise, it won't work and someone will get hurt.

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 11:49:43

What Joe Diver said!

But I think the Honda 2hp may be air-cooled so there will be pissin' around with it!

Edited by - JohnP on 06/06/2012 11:50:42

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 12:43:15

Thanks for the suggestions Joe, I was thinking along those lines, but it is good to have my theories confirmed.

I think this Honda 2HP might be old enough (it is the model sold from around 1990 to 1998) that it is water cooled. At least that is what the manual for it suggests. I didn't see the water stream hole when I briefly looked this morning though.

It is nice having a 25lb motor, it makes working on it so much easier. I have to do the oil changes on my 9.8 Tohatsu soon and haven't figured out the best way to pull it safely.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 13:26:36

It's probably small enough to run in a 5 gallon bucket. If it's a two stroke, you're going to end up with some nasty water from the exhaust when you do. Be prepared for that. I had a 4hp 2-stroke for my dinghy for a while, and I used a the bucket and an improvised stand to run it in. I had problems with the carb when I first got it as suggested, as well as the fuel shut off valve which was frozen. I had a shop take a look at it and while I was pretty unhappy with the shop in general, they did get the carburetor leak fixed, as well as the frozen valve.

Edited by - on

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4304 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 14:40:28

If it is water cooled I'd suggest putting the lower unit in the water BEFORE doing the long slow pulls on the rope. This will help prime the water pump and lessen the chances the impeller will stick to the side of the water pump housing which might happen after sitting for 5 years.

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 15:01:49

As far as I know, all Hondas, all sizes, have always been 4-strokes. I don't know about earlier models of the 2 hp, but mine (2006) is air cooled, and water passively cools the exhaust pipe (no pump or pisser)--it must be run in water if run for any length of time.

The container could be another issue... My vintage (current) has a centrifugal clutch instead of a gear shift. A slight twist of the throttle, or starting it at too high a throttle setting, will evacuate a 5-gallon pail in a second. I run mine in a garbage can, and the little beast can kick much of the water out of that, too. If running it for while, I throttle up just enough to engage the clutch and put a load on the engine so it runs smoothly, moving a controllable amount of water--not idling.

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 15:47:32

Pulling the prop is simple, is there any reason that I shouldn't do that to avoid making a big mess? Does the motor require the resistance of the prop in water to run at a safe RPM?

It is a 4 stroke, 2 HP.

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 16:03:44

I just checked and Honda does recommend removing the prop when running the motor in a small container.

http://marine.honda.com/pdf/manuals/31ZV0630.pdf (page 40)

The specifications page confirms that the engine is air cooled, water exhaust. I don't think this model has the centrifugal clutch, that came on the later BF2D.

At 0.05 liters of gear oil a one liter container should outlive the engine.

alex

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 19:08:03

Final check in on my little project.

I removed the fuel. That is easy, just remove the two bolts (10mm nuts) that hold the fuel tank in place, turn the fuel tank upside down and remove the fuel line. Turn it back upside up and hold it over a container, then open the vent on top. There wasn't as much fuel in there as I thought there might be, maybe 3 or 4 fluid ounces.

I tried to check the spark gap, but I need to get a 19mm spark plug wrench, a normal 5/8"/16mm one didn't fit.

Changing the oil was easy, although I overfilled it slightly and had to remove some again.

Removing the prop and running it in a bucket worked fine. There was minimal water loss that way, so I didn't need a big bucket (this is just a tall 5 gallon one). Here is a photo:

The motor started like a champ once I remembered to reconnect the spark plug. It seems like it'll be efficient, it took forever to run out the fuel in the carb once I turned off the fuel supply (Honda recommends running the carb empty every time). My motor doesn't have the centrifugal clutch, the prop is directly tied to the crankshaft. I'm sure it'll take some practice to figure out when to kill the engine when approaching a beach. If I get bored this week I'll go inflate my dinghy and try it out on the lake.

Thanks for the advice Joe (and everyone else). piseas: Sorry if my title was a bit brash, I was worried that I was asking the obvious. I'm pretty good at mechanical things, but don't mess with internal combustion engines too much (besides doing oil changes on our cars).

Edited by - awetmore on 06/06/2012 19:11:24

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 19:39:05

That's a nice, clean looking Honda!

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 06/06/2012 : 20:08:20

That looks like a nice clean little motor....perfect for a dink.....

Edited by - on

Stu Jackson C34
Admiral

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844 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2012 : 11:16:25

Good on you! Nice work. I was thinkin': why not just turn over the engine (upside down) to drain the fuel?

We had one of those only-one-gear engines, a Johnson 1.2. I loved it, got really good at estimating when to turn it off. My son, who was in his early teens loved it so much that he has trouble now with our 9.9 hp with gears! He forgets to put it in neutral!!!

Edited by - on

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2012 : 12:14:15

Our neighbor often has Kitty Litter Plastic 'Boxes' (Big Yellow Rectangular Buckets!) that are great for running our dink's Suzuki 2.5hp outboard.

They're recyclable.

Paul

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2012 : 13:43:26

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by awetmore
 The motor started like a champ once I remembered to reconnect the spark plug. It seems like it'll be efficient, it took forever to run out the fuel in the carb once I turned off the fuel supply (Honda recommends running the carb empty every time).<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

If Honda recommends running the carb dry every time you use the outboard, I'd find another outboard manufacturer.

Edited by - on

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4304 Posts

Response Posted - 06/11/2012 : 18:10:59

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by britinusa
 Our neighbor often has Kitty Litter Plastic 'Boxes' (Big Yellow Rectangular Buckets!) that are great for running our dink's Suzuki 2.5hp outboard.

They're recyclable.

Paul
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I use those same buckets for storing supplies. If it rains I don't have to worry about the items getting wet and they can be used as bailing buckets in an emergency.

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