honda 5 hp rough at stalls at idle speed

caguy · Aug 25, 2009

Sounds like you need to have your carbureator cleaned. If it runs ok at higher rpm's it means that your jets are plugged or partially plugged.

comfortzone · Aug 26, 2009

Is it a four stroke? Lot's of similar problems with most Honda four strokes. There was a thread a couple of months ago (Ask All Sailors) so do a search and you might find some helpful info. Good luck, I feel your pain.

Joe11688 · Aug 27, 2009

LordNelson said:
my 5 hp honda had been running fine, but suddenly it does not want to run at low idle speeds and tends to stall out. if i try to catch it and give it more gas it before it quits, it sort of knocks around alittle and then either stalls or will keep running at higher rpms.

i have added some gumout to see if that helps any. it does make it more difficult getting the mooring. any ideas?

It's probably the gasoline. I had the same problem with my pickup truck and my 8 hp 2 stroke Johnson outboard in the spring. I would put some Sta-Bill in the gas tank. This Ethanol garbage attracts water in the gas. Whenever I first start my outboard, I take the gas tank and shake it good. I'm not wasting my money on gasoline/water separator filters. It's funny because, every year I would use the same left over gas from the previous year and this year I used new gas and my engines ran like crap. They're OK now. It has to be the gas.
Joe

Joe11688 · Aug 27, 2009

LordNelson said:
i think frank is right that it's in the idle jet. i used new 93 octane gas from where i normally buy gas and added stabilizer at the beginning of the season. but who knows, they may have gotten a bad lot.

i had been sailing to the mooring so hadn't run it for a couple weeks. maybe i should pull the line and run it out of gas when i'm done using it to help prevent it.

My friend Wayne always does that when he's through with his outboard. I never do that, myself. I'm using the same 87 octane gas in my outboard, as I have been using in my truck. I have talked to two people in my club who have had experiences with bad gasoline this summer. You make the call.
Joe

fastscot · Aug 28, 2009

I have a 2006 Honda 9.9 I bought new. The Honda dealer made one recommendation to me because I was only going to run the motor on weekends or less frequently. He suggested I disconnect the gas line from the motor when I return to the slip and let the motor use up all the gas from the internal storage and fuel system. My motor has never caused me a moments trouble.

Don-MT · Aug 29, 2009

One Word - SeaFoam

I don't know what's in this stuff but it really works. If you are having problems, add it a twice the recommended dose (in the fuel tank) the first time you use it. After that use it at the normal rate. I have used it in the fuel and oil for all my small engines and in the oil of my larger diesel engines and it works great. It has kept my 1980 Honda 7.5 four-stroke running perfectly.

Shine On!
Don

Joe11688 · Aug 29, 2009

Don-MT said:
I don't know what's in this stuff but it really works. If you are having problems, add it a twice the recommended dose (in the fuel tank) the first time you use it. After that use it at the normal rate. I have used it in the fuel and oil for all my small engines and in the oil of my larger diesel engines and it works great. It has kept my 1980 Honda 7.5 four-stroke running perfectly.

Shine On!
Don

I've heard about that stuff and I agree with you. The problem that he's having with his engine is the gasoline. I'd be more incline to use Seafoam first before messing the idle adjustment or the low speed jets on the Carb. On the day that I bought my gasoline for my outboard, I used the same gas pump for my truck. Later on my truck and my outboard was spitting, coughing, and stalling. Two other members experienced the same problem after they gassed up at a different station, which turned out to be water in the gas. I've been reading that ethanol not only attracts water, but it also breaks down the lubricants in the gasoline. I'm running a Johnson 8, two stroke and this is one reason why I shake the gas tank before I start my outboard each week. Otherwise, I don't really think that water will hurt an engine. Years ago I hung around a gas station and some of the large cars like Caddies and Olds with high compression engines would diesel after the ignition was turned off. The carbon build up in the cylinders would cause pre-ignition. Rather than take the car down the highway at a high rate of speed to clean it out, we used to fill a Coke bottle with water and pour a little bit into the carburetor while accelerating the throttle. This would cause black smoke to come out of the tail pipe, which was a result of all that carbon build up. After a while, we would turn the key off, and the engine shut right down immediately.

Don-MT · Aug 30, 2009

LordNelson said:
is sea foam different from stabilizer and/or gumout?

I believe it is. I have tried the others but have had better success with SeaFoam. I would suggest that it be used in the gas at twice the recommended amout for the first couple of tankfuls and then at the regular rate. It is a fuel stabilizer and a lubricant as well. I also use a little in my outboard oil and usually add another oz or two just before I change oil to clean it a little more just before winter.

I don't know what's in the "stuff" but it really works.

Shine On!

Don