Honda BF5 drips oil...

[longshanks]

Hi guys

It is a 2003 motor, with around 110 hours on it, and has been regularly maintained. It slowly drips oil, and I notice that it occasionally gives off a smell of fuel. I believe this is originating from the carb. I have a mercury 50 4-stroke that runs all season without a drip of oil in the water, so I assume this honda issue isn't normal. I posted here last year, when I lost most of the oil of this little motor, but I concluded it was due to being either mounted too low, or carried around. I have resolved those problems, but still, it is losing oil, and I don't want that.

Any ideas of what I should be looking for?

 

[hondon]

Re: Honda BF5 drips oil...

It sounds like you may well be lugging this little engine to death.Lugging an engine will lead to incomplete cumbustion and with these units that excess fuel has no where else to go but the oil pan.What is the application?Sailboat?Driftboat?Kicker?

 

[longshanks]

Re: Honda BF5 drips oil...

my motor spends about half of its time as a trolling motor/kicker for a 1200lb aluminum skiff, and then the other half, running 1/2 to full throttle on a ~500lb tin boat. Not unusual applications for this sort of motor, or so I thought. I'm interested in any input you might have. Based on the issues I've had with it, I would even consider replacing it if I could find a better motor.

 

[longshanks]

Re: Honda BF5 drips oil...

In response to the points Hondon makes...

Is there a hotter plug for this motor that might resolve these issues?

and/or

Would reducing the volume of oil in the motor make a difference? I typically fill it to the 'max' level on the dipstick.

thanks

Shane

 

[hondon]

Re: Honda BF5 drips oil...

Look carefully at how this thing sits on your boat and adjust the tilt pin to as close to vertical as you can in whatever application you are useing it for at the time.If you are tucked to far under ,whenever you turn this thing off the residual oil left on the rod and cylinder walls,crank,etc, has nowhere left to go but past the rings into the cylinder and out the exhaust valve.Do you get a plume of smoke on start up?

 

[longshanks]

Re: Honda BF5 drips oil...

Hi Hondon, thanks for the responses

The motor is tilting slightly forward on both of the boats I use it on. However, it never stays on any boat for too long, before I have to move it from one place to another. So it does get transported a lot. I always pull the starter cord until it comes up tight, as I was told to do.

I can get a slight plume of smoke when I start it, but only if the motor is choked. I don't typically notice any smoke from this motor.

I have noticed the oil drip problem intermittently over the last year, and I'm wondering how I would isolate where it is coming from... I believe it may be coming out of the carb, but not sure.

Shane