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Running issue with 2008 BF225 with 1000 hours.

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wlin98004

New member
This is a great forum and I learned a lot from it. Thanks for everyone who chime in. Here is my problem.

In the last few months, I had my engine "stall" out on me when running at ~4000 RPM. Engine shuts off with alarm. I did not pay attention to the pattern of the alarm or the light indicator. Normally, I just turn off the engine and restart it. It will run normal for the rest of the trip. It happened a few times and never bother me enough. In the last few trips, when I started my engine it will idle a little rough while I am still on dock preparing things. After a few minutes, I noticed the engine will suddenly rev up a bit and run smooth, but alarm will come on. I turned off the engine and restart it. The same issue may or may not repeat again. I did not think it was a serious problem and continued with my outings. On my last trip, when I stopped my engine to fish and tried to restart it, it will not keep running. It will start but dies right away. I pumped my fuel prime bulbs a few times and engine will start "normally". The problem got progressively worst through out the trip. Towards the end, even pumping the fuel prime bulb will not keep the engine running. The only way I can keep the engine running is to start it and throttle it up right away. Once I get it running at more than idle speed, I can run my boat without issues for a long time (> 30 minutes). If I left it in idle, it will give alarm and quit. I need to solve this problem before I go out now.

I do all of the boat maintenance myself. The motor is a 2008 BF225 XA with 1000 hours. I just changed motor oil, oil filter, low pressure fuel filter, thermostat, gear oil a few month ago. I did not change the high pressure fuel filter this time. Not sure if it is a fuel issue (I doubt it), a fuel filter issue, or a sensor issue. Any recommendation in diagnose this, is appreciated. My boat is in the water and it will be a pain for me to get it out. Normally I only take it once a year to do maintenance work.

I see references to Dr. H device for reading diagnostic data from the Honda outboard. Can someone give me more information on what Dr. H is and how to get it? I am familiar with ODB2 reader for cars.
 
Is it overheating? Maybe at low rpms there is not enough water circulation. Have you inspected your impeller? Is there a strong telltale stream at idle?
 
No, it is not overheating. Very strong pee stream. I will double check with a cold engine start to see if the problem is there or not.
 
Been busy at work this week. Next week I plan to pull the boat out of water. I bought a Healtech OBD-H01 tool. Hope that will allow me to read the code. I doubt it is an overheating issue. If it is a overheating issue, the motor should not continue to run once it is up to speed. I am having problem when the motor is idling or at very low speed. It feels like it is not getting enough fuel. I suspect my fuel line, fuel filters or fuel pump are the cause. Anyway to further pin point the issue to one of those fuel parts? Thanks.
 
My 1999 130 has been very sensitive to an overheat alarm at cold startup after I did a major vinegar flush. A small chunk of salt seemed to appear and trigger an alarm. Most times on restart, it worked fine, sometimes I had to clear the telltale outlet of a small chunk. The issue went away after a bunch of usage. Your ugly thermostat may be an indication of a cooling system issue rather than fuel?
 
Finally I got sometime to look into my issue. The engine still stalls when I started it. It starts fine, but dies right away. I pulled the code by shunting the service plug. It reads 1 and 14. When I turn the key, I can hear the fuel pump or some "noise" for about 2 seconds. The prime bulb is pretty firm. Makes no difference if I prime the fuel bulb or not. After I cleared the code, I run the engine a few times. The problem is still there, but no new code. Here is a video showing the problem.

engine issue

I was able to keep the engine running by reving up the engine right after the start. Once I increased the RPM, the engine runs fine. I was able to take it out and run it without problem. While I was out, the idling is still a bit rough, but it doesn't die on me. I am debating to pull my boat out of the water or not to get to the bottom of the issue. It is a pain for me to pull the boat out. I don't have a trailer and have to rely on someone else with a big truck. Since increase the idle speed seem to make the engine run better. I am debating to just adjust the idle speed and take a gamble. On the other hand, I don't want to be stuck out there.

Any input on what the possible issue could be? I don't see any overheating sign. The tell tale is strong and engine stalls regardless if I started hot or cold. Can the fuel pump gone bad? If it is bad, can the engine still run without it? Fuel filter blockage issue? Thanks for all of the help.
 
I changed the low pressure fuel filter in April 2026 and the high pressure fuel filter in 2025. I am debating to pull boat out or just up the idle RPM for this season.
 
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