Honda 2.5 outboard issues anyone?

[azambella]

Does anyone use a Honda 2.5 hp (4. cycle ) outboard?

Does anyone else have thee issues?

It has let me down a lot.

1) Gas cap issues.
2) Carb gets clogged real easy.
3) Big back kick during start

I really like the light weight of this motor but am seriously considering
something else.

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

I had a Suzuki 2.5 that had the kick back - it was brutal on my fingers when it grabbed. That reason alone was why I sold it. I knew about the tiny jets in those carbs and avoided issues by using Trufuel.
My next move was a Torqeedo. Very happy with that. The range anxiety wasn’t as much of an issue as expected, but you need to how you plan to use it, and whether you have regular access to recharge on shore power or if you have enough solar/battery capacity to charge when needed. It had 7+ miles range at 3 knots and more if you don’t push it, and that’s a lot of dinghy riding.
I took the Torqeedo with me as a backup/spare when we went to the Bahamas (but my primary was a motor that could plane). The Torqeedo was easy and clean to stow.
If you look at electric you should also look at e-motor.

 

[Timm R Oday25]

We have been using a 2.5 Yamaha for the past few summers . Absolutely faultless .
No bucking ,easily starts on the first or second pull . Even after sitting for a month or more . Quiet and efficient .
I'm not sure why other folks have so many issues with small engines

 

[Rich Stidger]

The carbs on small engines (under 10hp), and particularly on the 4-cycle engines have very small jets and passageways that are prone to clog. The 4-cycle engines are much worse than the 2-cycle ones because their passageways are smaller than the 2-cycle engines.
I have found the solution to be to start with a perfectly clean carb. An ultrasonic cleaner is very good for this task.
Then, once you have a clean carb, use ONLY E0 gasoline. Trufuel is OK, but very expensive - I use about 3 gallons per year. Trufuel would cost me $75, E0 gasoline costs me just $12. I buy 3 gallons of E0 gasoline at the beginning of the season and use it in all of my small engines- my 3.5hp Nissan outboard, my string trimmer, leaf blower, chainsaw, etc. I have ZERO carb problems for 5++ years doing this. If I have any E0 left over at the end of the season, I just dump it into my 20hp lawn tractor so I can start the next season with fresh fuel.

 

[Timm R Oday25]

Rich , I also have collection of small engines both four and two strokes .I run ethanol free gas in all of them .
I have some older Echo and Stihl 2 stroke engines from the 90's that still run on the second pull .
If it's an option I run my engines out of fuel if possible

 

[danooxnard]

I have 2.5 Honda Starts pretty easy no kick back ever.. I shut off the gas and run the carb dry and remove carb bowl drain after running dry to endure no fuel is left in the carb. I also give it a few pulls after all this to suck any residual gas out of the jets. The motor can sit for the winter and start next summer no problem. Dano

 

[garymalmgren]

What is the gas cap issue?

 

[sailme88]

I have a Honda 2hp...4 stroke.. It's direct drive. Small fuel tank on top of the engine. Usually a one pull start. On occasion the pull cord doesn't recoil. Now the muffler has begun to fail. Couldn't source a new muffler, and removing the old muffler looks almost impossible.

 

[sailcapt340]

I bought a Honda 2.5 Outboard last year. Where I keep my dinghy there is to much silt and it ruined my Mercury 3.5 water pump assembly. So I went with the Honda Air cooled. Still draws water in the lower unit but no water pump to deal with.
What is the gas cap issue you are having?
I use Trufuel in mine. Never have put regular gas in it. It is a bit expensive but not so bad for the amount I use in a season.
The “kickback” happened to me but I since modified my starting procedure to eliminate it completely.

Put the throttle in Start Position
Open the gas cap vent
Push the lever on the left side of the housing to open
Pull out the choke handle all the way ( this will stop the lurching forward of the motor when it starts)
Without any force, as to actually start the motor….Grab the starter handle and easily pull it. This should give you a FULL length of cord. Let it fully retract and do it again…This should give you only about 4 - 6 inches of cord, you’ll feel the resistance and cannot easily pull the cord out as before.
That is the start position of the pull cord.
Once you’re at that 4 - 6 inches of amount of cord with resistance, that ‘s when you can fully pull the cord and start the engine.
With the choke fully pulled out the motor will idle at this point. Pushing the choke in very slightly will give you forward motion, without it lurching forward. Then you can control it using the throttle handle. And adjust the choke as you go for more speed.
Sounds like a lot but really it’s a small series of steps and you’re on your way.

I like the motor, a bit noisy but good for my needs.
Try this procedure, it‘s not outlined in detail in the manual, but works.

 

[dmax]

I have a Honda 2.3 and have had carb and kick-back problems. You can't leave gas in the carburetor for more than two weeks or it will clog. I just put on my third carburetor (cleaning didn't work) and switched to TruFuel. The engine sat for 6 weeks with fuel in the carb and started right up. Worth it. My kick-back problems seem to have gone away but I do pull the cord out all the way first like sailcapt340 before giving it a good pull - some of those kick-backs hurt! I like the motor for its weight and simplicity, I was going to replace it but with TruFuel I think it's a winner.

 

[degas]

I had the 2013 Honda 2.3 HP. (Model years for outboards don't mean as much as they used to, just want to give an idea of how long ago this was.)

I appreciated the light weight, the air cooling, the brand's reputation, and the theoretical simplicity of its automatic N-F shifting.

But like you and others have mentioned, small outboards are sensitive to ethanol. I regularly used Seafoam and let the engine run dry at the end of the day to mitigate this. The rpm-triggering shifting almost always inconveniently threw the engine into forward when starting.

When I sold my O'Day Mariner, I sold the Honda 2.3 with it.

Overall, the Honda was fine and mostly did its job. But like others have said, 3 HP-equivalent (1 kW) electric outboards have come a looooong way, literally and figuratively, in the past 10 years. If I were in the market for a small outboard today, I'd get electric, no question. Same range, almost zero maintenance, tiny operating cost, way simpler mechanically, no odour/fumes/leaks, easier storage.

 

[JBP-PA]

In addition to the good tips above, also keep your fuel obsessively clean. The tiniest bit of dirt can clog the tiny jets. Change your inline filter every year (or sooner of you use it a lot). If you don't have an inline filter, get one. Check your tanks for any visible dirt.
Also keep a spare clean carb. It's easier to replace a carb on the spot than to clean it. You can then clean the off one at your leisure.

 

[Sailm8]

I hated my Honda 2.5 and finally sold it. I kept a spare carb soaking in cleaner. I got tired of changing carbs and/or rowing back to the boat after the motor failed to start. I now have 10hp fuel injected Tohatsu. No more problems just harder to lift on and off the transom .It's difficult but worth the dependability.