(Not from my wife, but she appreciates getting back on the boat more than I do, after watching this) Excellent tutorial - exactly what was needed to do my 4 carb Honda 90. Really appreciate your very clear, simple approach to disassembly, cleaning and reassembly. Thanks so much!
Sir. Thank you for showing me the details of cleaning this carb. At minute 7 you solved my problem on a Honda 4 stroke outboard motor that has not run in this century. I did everything else but missed these 2 brass screws....sure enough full of gunk. Cleaned and first pull was up and running. Awesome!
Ok, I searched and found this video and after taking advice (and pictures of the linkages...don't skip that atep!) my motor is now running like a champ! Well done and thanks... Saved me a $500 repair bill.
Thanks for taking the time to get this up here. It's hard enough to concentrate on doing this sort of thing, keeping track of what fiddly thingamabob or microscopic doohicky goes where and how, without also getting good clear shots of everything in the process. I hope you'll ignore the bloviations in the comments section of any so-called "master techs" who call you an "idot". You managed to get something helpful and worthwhile out there for regular folks like us. Good job and well done! Hope your Honda's purring along happily now.
Appreciate the kind words sir. Ahhh, the "Master Tech's" comments are hurting no one but themselves. This mindset is the entire reason I took the time to make this video. Who has $700-$1000 to have carb's cleaned? I just rolled my sleeves up and went to work. My motor, to this day, runs great. I switched to 100% pure gas / No ethanol and have had zero issues since. I also "Fog" it every year before I put it away for the winter. This helps get it rolling come spring Walleye run. Anyways, thanks for the nice note.
Hello, I would like to give to the friend that cleaned the carbs and to anyone watches this video a few friendly tips cause sometimes some things are not that simple as they look so you can save yourselves from serious troubles.. Sorry for any mistakes but English isn't my language. Ok. The lil tiny thingy you hold at 7.50 which I don't know how you call it in English are made of copper. Copper is a VERY soft metal. When they get blocked (gummed) you NEVER never try to open the tiny whole with a pin like the one you used (IF you did it that way,). If you look close on it it has a number on it. This is the diameter of the tiny whole which you may already know BUT when you try to clean the whole with this pin you used and because the copper is very soft you will clean the whole but you will make the diameter of the whole BIGGER. And trust me even if you make it slightest bigger it will be ruined. The carb wont work as it should even if you think it does. The right way is to burn the tiny copper thingy with a torch, burn it really good and then put it in the carb liquid cleaner and use compressed air. It can be so hard gummed sometimes that even this way the lil whole may not open. In this case you buy a new one or you take a metal pin SMALLER than the diameter of the whole(check the tiny number on it and then measure your pin to be sure its smaller, never trust your eyes on this) and try to open the whole using a magnyfing glass to be sure you will stop cleaning when whole is open just the right time the copper will appear in the whole's walls. I think you get it how much important is not to open more the whole. Now about the other tiny thingy you hold at 8.55 and looks like a lil rocket if the nose tip that is made of rubber is hard it needs replacement. When you touch it with your nail it should be soft. If it is hard it may work but its just a matter of time your carb to be overfluded cause this stops the fuel to come in the card constantly when engine don't need so much fuel. They work exactly like the flush in the toilet. Also a basic check to all 3 carbs before you close the under caps (the cap that is the lil tiny rocket in) you must hold the carb on your hand in straight position up and blow air softly with your mouth in the fuel intake of the carb and push gently up the lil black flotter and then let it drop down softly while you blow air and see in what position they block the fuel coming in the carb. All 3 carbs must close and open this way in same degrees. If you search in internet or if you call Honda in your area they will tell you the exact degrees this black round plastic flotters should be when you have the carb upside down. Even if you don't know the degrees is important at least all to be the same. To check this just put all the 3 carbs on the table upside down and check carefully all the 3 black plastic flotters to be on the same level. If they are not you must press up or down with a small flat screwdriver the lil tiny metal plate the lil rocket is attached on so all the 3 to be in same level. When finish double check the lil rocket and the floter works smoothly as you did. Another thing is about gaskets. Even if you manage to take them out without to brake them they need replacement cause they don't seal good after the first tightening . You will notice they are pressed-squized if you look at them good and you will see also the shape of the metal on them they come in contact with and seal. They may not be the central "head" of the engine gasket that always needs replacement if you take the "head" off but after all the work you do why to risk licking fuel again. A rule is to change the whole set of gaskets when you do works like this. The same goes with the rubber rings on the carb cap (the one that has the black flotters in it). Make sure they are not squeezed down. And after aaaall this work you must certenly make a carb adjustment cause 100% your carbs will need it after the cleaning cause many wholes opened in the main body of the carb and to other many thingies if you want your engine to work properly, to be efficient and not use more fuel than it needs. Its very easy to adjust the 3 of them while the engine work with the help of 3 organs I don't know how you call them. You can check in youtube how to do it, sorry but my English don't help me to explain this procedure lol. I hope I didn't make your heads dizzy but sometimes things are not that simple or else we all would be mechanics lol. I wouldn't really write all those stuff here but when you are at the sea you must be as much safe as you can. It can save your life. Having a lick of fuel that can cause fire in the boat is one of the most scary and dangerous situations in the sea. You are not in land to lock the car and leave if you face a problem. I wish you all safe seas. Have fun and keep it safe :)
Just done a full carby clean on a 90hp thanks to your video clip. Just 4 instead of 5 cylinders. THose blocks in the water jacket are like the ones on the bottom of the peg. Designed to attract all the electrolysis. Thanks again
Thanks a ton for posting this! I've cleaned a ton of carbs, but never on a Honda outboard. I need to clean my 1999 50HP, which looks almost identical to your 30HP, and your video is going to save me a ton of time. I was going to take the carbs off one at a time, but I can see clearly that taking the whole thing off at once is the way to go. Great job with the organization too. Comments: You can also blow compressed air through the little holes after the carb cleaner, that often helps to get the junk out. 7:49 that is a jet. 10:12, that looks like a sacrificial anode. When you're flushing, if you use that Honda flush adapter be sure to cover the water inlets with tape, otherwise you're not getting any water into the pump (notice you had no indicator stream). Muffs work great on these motors, you just have to be sure to have the hose full blast. You'll get a very strong indicator stream when the pump is getting adequate water. Thanks again for posting!
Appreciate the video. FYI the round thing covered with corrosion & salt that (you mentioned was from florida salt and noted with red letters 'corrosion-------> ???') is called an anode, or a sacrificial anode, aka a 'zinc' which is a piece of metal (zinc) that sacrifices itself through galvanic action/ electrolysis to save more important metals from corrosion, in this case the carbs/manifold. Once they are 2/3 eaten away they should be replaced which will save the more important metal parts of a boat or its motor and should be cleaned/checked regularly. There are many 'zincs' in most outboards. If not replaced the metal they are meant to protect will disintegrate rapidly especially near salt.
Excellent instructional video, and as 'heetreet' says - better than all the completely useless pro videos that 'explain' stuff like we're all mechanical engineers. Man, you should patent your tutorial approach. Best I've seen. Like!
Very good instructional video. I've just rebuilt a set of BF90 carbs and was lucky to have the proper Honda carb manual - VERY useful to have if you can get it, but if I didn't have that, your video would have been a huge help. What I would recommend is setting up the carb sync every time you've rebuilt or removed/replaced carbs. A tiny adjustment can make a huge difference to smooth running so it's worth doing. Cheers!
Good video that may get your motor back running again but if you're going as far as disassembling the carbs you should really be removing and cleaning the emulsion tube. This is the part this video refers to at around 8:20 there is a tiny hole in the middle of this tube that can easily become gummed up and is usually the culprit when having issues with these carbys. Remove the tube clean with carb cleaner and clear with air if you can, do not under any circumstances attempt to clear the hole with a pin or anything like that. Re-seat with appropriate o-rings clean the rest of the carb put together and hey presto you're back in business.
Meticulously described which is perfect for a first-timer. That's "how to" do a "how to video" Thanks. I got a honda 20 and a honda 50, which both need carb work and now I'm confident with this video as a guide.
Very helpful video, thanks! I was really sweating it yesterday when I had gas pouring out of my older BF50 carburetors. But thanks to your video, I knew what I was getting into and was able to take apart, clean, service and reassemble the six carburetors and they are running fine now. I did have to pull the atomizing jet (?) in the center of the carb as my O rings had tears in them and I think that was my main problem. Though you may not be a "Honda tech", you made an awesome video that has helped a lot of people. Thanks man!
Thanks for the informative video. I've got a 30 HP Honda and was having trouble with a sputtering engine. Thought it might be the carburetors but they were clean. Looks like some sediment clogging the manifold. Cleaned it up and it seems to be working. Your video made for an easy job of locating and diagnosing the problem. Thanks again.
Very helpful video. I just bought a used 75 Honda OB, replaced the fuel filter, new plugs, oil but now I know what to expect when I tackle carbs. Thank you!
Thanks for doing this video. Its very helpful. I live in Hong Kong. I have BF35A. Almost 20yrs old. Also have carb problem. Now I can fix the problem. Great help. Thanks !!!
Info Hungry: Your welcome. Glad it helped. I did it in the format I did because every time I watch RUclips to fix something of my own, there are always large assuming gaps. Meaning parts that should not have been looked over as "how and I suppose to have known that". But every once in awhile, I come across a video that just hits the spot and my project got done quickly, and correctly. Who doesn't like that? Anyhow, good luck in your fix.....
Thanks for doing this video. I have a BF50 that is off my boat right now as we have some weld issues on the aluminum ribs below the floor that are being fixed. I have wanted to clean the carbs while I have it off the boat. You are correct that there aren't any videos on 4 strokes so yours is a great help. It's hilarious watching the "master techs" get in an uproar about someone doing DIY videos (must be very insecure). Its like a lot of things that have to do with a boat...tack the word "marine" in front of it and the material and labor rates instantly double. I get heart burn when someone describes themselves a s a Master at anything-there's always something to learn. The "Master Welders" that built my boat at the manufacturer are costing me money right now as a REAL WELDER fixes the ribs (not enough heat on the hull...plenty on the ribs)...anyway, Thanks for your video! What's an "idot" by the way? (See post below)
Thanks. There were jet's to be cleaned. They just unscrew. It's been awhile, but I think it was a 10MM? Sorry if thats wrong, but you will see me remove them in the video on the last of the three carbs. Definitely remove them and clena them. Mine were bad. I now only run premium fuel. Have not had any problems since my carb job. Mine runs fantastic. I loved this motor and have had it for a long time now.
Nice video. While its not as in depth an overhaul as one might get from a professional repair shop, you went thru the basics of disassembly and cleaning. Good job! You're always going to get a guy like Dixon but just take it with a grain of salt. Guys like that always know more than everyone else.
That could very well be. This was my first time doing my Honda. I may have missed a few things, but it's running great. I will look for these if and when I have to do it next time. I removed the jets and they were definitely clogged.
Great video, helps out someone trying to figure out what's going on and how to disassemble the manifold part from the engine, thanks. For all those haters below who say this guy is an idiot or doesn't know what he's doing, make your own video and post it and show us how it's done if your so much better? At least he had the guts to make the video and post it and not just criticize.
Great video. Thanks. I've just got a 15hp Honda and must dismantle it completely and clean/rebuild it and this video is a great help for the carbs. Thanks.
Hi. Thanks for doing this video.. One thing: @ 4:30, the clear line is the drain line for the fuel bowl. on these small hondas it is a good idea to loosen that black screw (4:58)at the bottom of the bowl and drain the bowl when you aren't going tobe running the motor for a week or longer... especially if you have ethanol . If you don't do that, disconnect the fuel line and run it while flushing until the engine stops from lack of fuel.
Did you have to sync the carbs; I have a 1996 50 which after watching your video cleaned the carbs and runs great in the drive way. Put in the water ran great on the way out but had to idle home. Going to try and take carbs apart before trying to re - sync the carbs.
Great video but I'm concerned that there was no "tell tail" squirting out when you were running the motor at the end. I think your supposed to tape shut the three intake grills near the propeller so that the water your injecting with the hose gets to the water pump therefore being pumped up to the cooling system of the motor. If you run the motor too long without the water passing through the motor it could over heat and cause unrecoverable damage. Hope this helps.
Thanks for this video, I'm doing my BF45A tomorrow and this looks identical. Too bad I waited too late and won't be able to buy gaskets tonight or tomorrow (Sunday).
Hey nice video. I have a 2006 bf40 that won't idle when warm. I'm assuming it's clogged pilot valves...I saw no mention of cleaning these? I think they are the little screws with blue locktite on them on the side odf the carbs?
I say thank you to the guy who made the vid, you did miss a few things but that's ok. You were on the right track, you needed to remove the emulsion tube and clean the idle circuit and you would have been golden. To clean out the jets, find a wire brush and pull out a couple of wires they work perfect for cleaning jets, I have been using them for many years.. Now to avoid all this carb cleaning crap, use marine stabilizer in your fuel and drain the carbs when storing and you can put an end to carb cleaning..
Thanks for the quality information delivered with style. So great to watch an informative video without the background (crap) music and the "bad ass" foul language. You made it look easy, now for my attempt at the 50 HP motor. Looks similar . . .
HI Jetguy. Carb cleaner is great, but it will deteriorate your gaskets and hoses, etc if not careful. I'm not sure if you watched the entire video or not, but my carbs were full of build up and crystallized ethanol (Sugar). Also, it really is not all that much work and it's good to change gaskets and give the carbs a nice cleaning every couple of years. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Jim, No I do not unfortunately. I did not do this one mine and I think I just got lucky. I have not had to do it again since this video either. But when the carbs come off next time, I'm going to research it further and make sure I do it as well. Again, mine runs smooth now with no issues, so you may likely be just fine. Best of luck to you sir. Glad it helped you out.
Really liked your video. I have a BF40 hp . The 40hp and the 30hp look quite similar so I think you video will work for me too. Are there any jets to be cleaned in your carbs, or only the floats? Thanks again.
Thanks for the video, glad to know how to disassemble the entire block.But, the water doesn´t exit from de engine, because you didn´t close the water intakes. It´s cooling ? How long was it on ?
Helpful, thanks. I would have also taken all the non-metallic parts off the carbs and soaked them in "real" carb dip, the kind that comes in a gallon can. My 8HP Honda (two cyl, one carb) is very prone to getting the tiny passages in the carb body clogged, and the spray cans don't dissolve that. It is maybe $15 or $20 per can, but if you're going to do all that labor, may as well do the rest.
I have a 2006- four stroke 60 HP Mercury EFI out board motor. It has been sitting in storage for a couple of years. I use the recommend amount of fuel stabilizer & removed the fuel line & hooked up the water Run it in idle until till it stops. Question # 1 Is there a step I left out to insure it cranks the next time it is used? So, finally I am ready to use it again. The fuel tank is empty, I put fuel in it with stabilizer New marine battery. I hook up water to it it turns over will not crank. So no fishing trip yet. So being its a whole new world to me I don't know the proper steps I should take to get back in the H20 and fish. I do have Mercury Power Tune Engine Cleaner here. Question # 2 What steps do I take here at home to get my motor running. Thanks for any help ......Ready to go fishing !
I see that you have the water attachment pushing water through the foot ...but i don't see any water circulating through the engine since there is no water exiting the pee hole above ...pretty sure that's an indication no water is getting through the engine cooling system.
Couple questions. the manifold you removed, is the air intake on the front part of that Cowling? If not, where is it? By Muffs, are you talking about the water hose connect connection? Working pn my fathers 60hp and Im lost.
Thanks K3KCT! Very kind of you. I just tried to display it like I would want it displayed so I could "actually" get the job done with at least partial confidence. :) Cheers.
When I first got the thing years ago, I literally had people say they heard it was really quiet when it was running, "While it was running". :) It's still quiet, just not quite as quiet.
I had the same thing happened to my carburetors yesterday but could not figure out why the fuel was coming out of those this video was very helpful however I still cannot keep my engine on it would start very cold like but will not stay on do I still need the clean the carburetors like you did? Or is there a easier solution before I start tearing it down and apart? I will be calibrating the carburetors for the record thanks in advance for your prompt response
There is most of your problem. Switch to "No Ethanol Added" at the pump, after you clean out your carbs.. and you will have way less issues and way less time cleaning carbs. You very likely have dirty carbs if your running ethanol.
I noticed one of the carb "tubes" were transparent .. is that aftermarket , also is that material better or is that just what you had laying around ? I'm about to take on this task myself and just want to learn all I can
Hey Kirk, No I did not have sync the carbs. Now, I will say that it's possible I got lucky? Not sure about that part. Mine runs great. Just was out on the water this weekend with my wife. It's running better than it has run in the past three years or so. I do a lot of trolling with planer boards so there is lot's of idling. We idled for hours with very little throttle time in between and had a nice ride home even. Can anyone else chime in about syncing carbs?
mcbryanmc- The manifold is the entire carb manifold assembly, including the air intake. On my model, it's all connected together. The muffler on my model comes out of the lower unit prop wash area. They changed this soon after it's design. I'm not sure why, but the newer model Honda's do not exahuse out of the prop area. The set up then may be different on ours. I've never worked on one with the exhaust elsewhere, only my own. Sorry I could nto be of more help to you. Good luck man!
had this exact problem first trip out after a 100hour service.( picked the boat up from shop and went fishing straight after) dosnt the 100 hour service cover cleaning carbies? very helpful film
Boat was underwater for 2 weeks and now been 2 weeks I just going to drain everything out oil everything sit for day with motor now hopefully it will be ok and any advice welcome 😊
I just had the carbs cleaned on my Honda 4stroke 50hp outboard by the dealer. It's runs pretty good at high speed but won't idle in gear. Is there a way to increase the idle speed?
I just looked at a friend's 90 hp Honda yesterday; the idle adjustment is plain to see once you have the hood off the motor. It's right where you'd expect it to be, simply a Phillips-head screw which you would turn clockwise for faster and CCW to slow the idle. You'll see it right away if you've worked on anything similar before. Hope this helps.
www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Outboard%20Engine/2001/BF30A1%20LHA/CARBURETOR/parts.html show the parts break down of the carb. You should also remove #19 and 20 and clean. These are responsible for the fuel metering at low rpm and is what make your engine idle/troll nice. Gaskets are 22 35 and 38 in the breakdown. Your vid show an engine with stuck float valves allowing the fuel to pour out the overflows. Item 4 needle valve and 5 float are the specific culprit or the gumming of those. I commonly run into a rough idle problem after winter storage and without cleaning 19 and 20 that problem would still exist. Nice clear video and great job of filming. Obviously your not a mechanic, shake off the haters, they vid is still very helpful and the contains good info. Respectful comments can clear up the rest.
I'm not entirely sure why so much Gum, I will say that I moved from Wisconsin to Florida for about 8 years. The boat was not used for almost 4 full years and It was not put away properly. Therefore, likely it was from sitting for so long. I could be wrong. Also, I dont' think do to ignorance I was running Premium fuel in the tank when I first got the motor new from the dealer. Dealer told me muffs are terrible for the 4 strokes. Not sure why, I was told this after a water pump failure.
how come so much gum , i know the modern fuel deteriorates fast ,but that is bad, ,, my 25 honda was bought used and no gum at all ,,, it is about 22yrs old ,,, anyway ,, im going to bookmard this page ,, it's a great vid,,,, better than the pros that assume you already know most of the job ,,,,,,,
by the way by the way i use earmuffs and the water comes out with good volume ,, it is the more expensive one but it works ,,,,,,,,, why don't i see water coming out the tell tale ????
@75iowaboy - I have the same problem. I've followed the procedure in this video, plus 9@7:10) i dropped the metering tube out of each carb and cleaned them before re-assembling. it's called a primary nozzle - - PRI; NOZZLE, MAIN (Honda Code 4649489). diagram is here: boats dot net/images/diagrams/honda/18ZV90/ILLUST/ZV98E/1400A.png I'll know in another day or two if the carb cleanup / reassembly solves the problem or not.
Ik recently bought the same motor (bf30, 1999) but it runs bad.after cleaning the carbs. I also cleaned the long needle with small holes in it (not cleaned in the video) Probably replacing the rubbers is a good idea (already ordered) When running, I only pull spark cap 1 and the motor runs a bit slower If i pull spark cap2 The motor alsmost quits. If I pull spark cap 3, nothing happens. Spark plugs 1 and 2 look normal and spark plug 3 is wet black. probably too much fuel or too less air.. The ignition is working (There are sparks on the plug, and the elctrode distance is normal (0,7). Today I will remove the carb and look at it again carefully. Maybe also let the carbs drain the fuel and measure the volume of all three. This might tell something about the flotter-shutter. I will also make a vacuum meter with bottles (as seen on youtube somewhere) to balance the throttles. But ok, let's first try to get it working.. Doe somebody have more ideas?
? Buddy you missed a ton. That stopped up hose is a bowl drain. That little brass screw is a main jet. Torch Tip cleaner. Skipped the low speed jet. Sorry, okay armature try
(Not from my wife, but she appreciates getting back on the boat more than I do, after watching this) Excellent tutorial - exactly what was needed to do my 4 carb Honda 90. Really appreciate your very clear, simple approach to disassembly, cleaning and reassembly. Thanks so much!
Sir. Thank you for showing me the details of cleaning this carb. At minute 7 you solved my problem on a Honda 4 stroke outboard motor that has not run in this century. I did everything else but missed these 2 brass screws....sure enough full of gunk. Cleaned and first pull was up and running. Awesome!
Mike Ulias , Glad to have helped Mike! Thats awesome!
Ok, I searched and found this video and after taking advice (and pictures of the linkages...don't skip that atep!) my motor is now running like a champ! Well done and thanks... Saved me a $500 repair bill.
Thanks for taking the time to get this up here. It's hard enough to concentrate on doing this sort of thing, keeping track of what fiddly thingamabob or microscopic doohicky goes where and how, without also getting good clear shots of everything in the process. I hope you'll ignore the bloviations in the comments section of any so-called "master techs" who call you an "idot". You managed to get something helpful and worthwhile out there for regular folks like us. Good job and well done! Hope your Honda's purring along happily now.
Appreciate the kind words sir. Ahhh, the "Master Tech's" comments are hurting no one but themselves. This mindset is the entire reason I took the time to make this video. Who has $700-$1000 to have carb's cleaned? I just rolled my sleeves up and went to work. My motor, to this day, runs great. I switched to 100% pure gas / No ethanol and have had zero issues since. I also "Fog" it every year before I put it away for the winter. This helps get it rolling come spring Walleye run. Anyways, thanks for the nice note.
Hello, I would like to give to the friend that cleaned the carbs and to anyone watches this video a few friendly tips cause sometimes some things are not that simple as they look so you can save yourselves from serious troubles.. Sorry for any mistakes but English isn't my language. Ok. The lil tiny thingy you hold at 7.50 which I don't know how you call it in English are made of copper. Copper is a VERY soft metal. When they get blocked (gummed) you NEVER never try to open the tiny whole with a pin like the one you used (IF you did it that way,). If you look close on it it has a number on it. This is the diameter of the tiny whole which you may already know BUT when you try to clean the whole with this pin you used and because the copper is very soft you will clean the whole but you will make the diameter of the whole BIGGER. And trust me even if you make it slightest bigger it will be ruined. The carb wont work as it should even if you think it does. The right way is to burn the tiny copper thingy with a torch, burn it really good and then put it in the carb liquid cleaner and use compressed air. It can be so hard gummed sometimes that even this way the lil whole may not open. In this case you buy a new one or you take a metal pin SMALLER than the diameter of the whole(check the tiny number on it and then measure your pin to be sure its smaller, never trust your eyes on this) and try to open the whole using a magnyfing glass to be sure you will stop cleaning when whole is open just the right time the copper will appear in the whole's walls. I think you get it how much important is not to open more the whole. Now about the other tiny thingy you hold at 8.55 and looks like a lil rocket if the nose tip that is made of rubber is hard it needs replacement. When you touch it with your nail it should be soft. If it is hard it may work but its just a matter of time your carb to be overfluded cause this stops the fuel to come in the card constantly when engine don't need so much fuel. They work exactly like the flush in the toilet. Also a basic check to all 3 carbs before you close the under caps (the cap that is the lil tiny rocket in) you must hold the carb on your hand in straight position up and blow air softly with your mouth in the fuel intake of the carb and push gently up the lil black flotter and then let it drop down softly while you blow air and see in what position they block the fuel coming in the carb. All 3 carbs must close and open this way in same degrees. If you search in internet or if you call Honda in your area they will tell you the exact degrees this black round plastic flotters should be when you have the carb upside down. Even if you don't know the degrees is important at least all to be the same. To check this just put all the 3 carbs on the table upside down and check carefully all the 3 black plastic flotters to be on the same level. If they are not you must press up or down with a small flat screwdriver the lil tiny metal plate the lil rocket is attached on so all the 3 to be in same level. When finish double check the lil rocket and the floter works smoothly as you did. Another thing is about gaskets. Even if you manage to take them out without to brake them they need replacement cause they don't seal good after the first tightening . You will notice they are pressed-squized if you look at them good and you will see also the shape of the metal on them they come in contact with and seal. They may not be the central "head" of the engine gasket that always needs replacement if you take the "head" off but after all the work you do why to risk licking fuel again. A rule is to change the whole set of gaskets when you do works like this. The same goes with the rubber rings on the carb cap (the one that has the black flotters in it). Make sure they are not squeezed down. And after aaaall this work you must certenly make a carb adjustment cause 100% your carbs will need it after the cleaning cause many wholes opened in the main body of the carb and to other many thingies if you want your engine to work properly, to be efficient and not use more fuel than it needs. Its very easy to adjust the 3 of them while the engine work with the help of 3 organs I don't know how you call them. You can check in youtube how to do it, sorry but my English don't help me to explain this procedure lol. I hope I didn't make your heads dizzy but sometimes things are not that simple or else we all would be mechanics lol. I wouldn't really write all those stuff here but when you are at the sea you must be as much safe as you can. It can save your life. Having a lick of fuel that can cause fire in the boat is one of the most scary and dangerous situations in the sea. You are not in land to lock the car and leave if you face a problem. I wish you all safe seas. Have fun and keep it safe :)
Just done a full carby clean on a 90hp thanks to your video clip. Just 4 instead of 5 cylinders. THose blocks in the water jacket are like the ones on the bottom of the peg. Designed to attract all the electrolysis. Thanks again
Thanks a ton for posting this! I've cleaned a ton of carbs, but never on a Honda outboard. I need to clean my 1999 50HP, which looks almost identical to your 30HP, and your video is going to save me a ton of time. I was going to take the carbs off one at a time, but I can see clearly that taking the whole thing off at once is the way to go. Great job with the organization too.
Comments: You can also blow compressed air through the little holes after the carb cleaner, that often helps to get the junk out. 7:49 that is a jet. 10:12, that looks like a sacrificial anode. When you're flushing, if you use that Honda flush adapter be sure to cover the water inlets with tape, otherwise you're not getting any water into the pump (notice you had no indicator stream). Muffs work great on these motors, you just have to be sure to have the hose full blast. You'll get a very strong indicator stream when the pump is getting adequate water. Thanks again for posting!
Appreciate the video. FYI the round thing covered with corrosion & salt that (you mentioned was from florida salt and noted with red letters 'corrosion-------> ???') is called an anode, or a sacrificial anode, aka a 'zinc' which is a piece of metal (zinc) that sacrifices itself through galvanic action/ electrolysis to save more important metals from corrosion, in this case the carbs/manifold. Once they are 2/3 eaten away they should be replaced which will save the more important metal parts of a boat or its motor and should be cleaned/checked regularly. There are many 'zincs' in most outboards. If not replaced the metal they are meant to protect will disintegrate rapidly especially near salt.
Excellent instructional video, and as 'heetreet' says - better than all the completely useless pro videos that 'explain' stuff like we're all mechanical engineers.
Man, you should patent your tutorial approach. Best I've seen.
Like!
Very good instructional video. I've just rebuilt a set of BF90 carbs and was lucky to have the proper Honda carb manual - VERY useful to have if you can get it, but if I didn't have that, your video would have been a huge help. What I would recommend is setting up the carb sync every time you've rebuilt or removed/replaced carbs. A tiny adjustment can make a huge difference to smooth running so it's worth doing. Cheers!
Great Lesson! Looks like carbs are the same as the 70's when I used to fix lawnmowers. Thanks
Good video that may get your motor back running again but if you're going as far as disassembling the carbs you should really be removing and cleaning the emulsion tube. This is the part this video refers to at around 8:20 there is a tiny hole in the middle of this tube that can easily become gummed up and is usually the culprit when having issues with these carbys. Remove the tube clean with carb cleaner and clear with air if you can, do not under any circumstances attempt to clear the hole with a pin or anything like that. Re-seat with appropriate o-rings clean the rest of the carb put together and hey presto you're back in business.
Excellent video. Helps me a lot to see someone actually do it. Great job.
Meticulously described which is perfect for a first-timer. That's "how to" do a "how to video" Thanks. I got a honda 20 and a honda 50, which both need carb work and now I'm confident with this video as a guide.
Very helpful video, thanks! I was really sweating it yesterday when I had gas pouring out of my older BF50 carburetors. But thanks to your video, I knew what I was getting into and was able to take apart, clean, service and reassemble the six carburetors and they are running fine now. I did have to pull the atomizing jet (?) in the center of the carb as my O rings had tears in them and I think that was my main problem. Though you may not be a "Honda tech", you made an awesome video that has helped a lot of people. Thanks man!
Thanks for the informative video. I've got a 30 HP Honda and was having trouble with a sputtering engine. Thought it might be the carburetors but they were clean. Looks like some sediment clogging the manifold. Cleaned it up and it seems to be working. Your video made for an easy job of locating and diagnosing the problem. Thanks again.
Very helpful video. I just bought a used 75 Honda OB, replaced the fuel filter, new plugs, oil but now I know what to expect when I tackle carbs. Thank you!
Where you refer to corrosion I think that is a sacrificial zinc anode. They put several in the block too. CHEERS from westcoast CANADA!
Thanks for doing this video. Its very helpful. I live in Hong Kong. I have BF35A. Almost 20yrs old. Also have carb problem. Now I can fix the problem. Great help. Thanks !!!
Info Hungry: Your welcome. Glad it helped. I did it in the format I did because every time I watch RUclips to fix something of my own, there are always large assuming gaps. Meaning parts that should not have been looked over as "how and I suppose to have known that". But every once in awhile, I come across a video that just hits the spot and my project got done quickly, and correctly. Who doesn't like that? Anyhow, good luck in your fix.....
Thanks for doing this video. I have a BF50 that is off my boat right now as we have some weld issues on the aluminum ribs below the floor that are being fixed. I have wanted to clean the carbs while I have it off the boat. You are correct that there aren't any videos on 4 strokes so yours is a great help. It's hilarious watching the "master techs" get in an uproar about someone doing DIY videos (must be very insecure). Its like a lot of things that have to do with a boat...tack the word "marine" in front of it and the material and labor rates instantly double. I get heart burn when someone describes themselves a s a Master at anything-there's always something to learn. The "Master Welders" that built my boat at the manufacturer are costing me money right now as a REAL WELDER fixes the ribs (not enough heat on the hull...plenty on the ribs)...anyway, Thanks for your video! What's an "idot" by the way? (See post below)
Thanks for the nice note! Glad it was a help to you!
Thanks. There were jet's to be cleaned. They just unscrew. It's been awhile, but I think it was a 10MM? Sorry if thats wrong, but you will see me remove them in the video on the last of the three carbs. Definitely remove them and clena them. Mine were bad. I now only run premium fuel. Have not had any problems since my carb job. Mine runs fantastic. I loved this motor and have had it for a long time now.
Nice video. While its not as in depth an overhaul as one might get from a professional repair shop, you went thru the basics of disassembly and cleaning. Good job! You're always going to get a guy like Dixon but just take it with a grain of salt. Guys like that always know more than everyone else.
Thanks Richard! Appreciate the kind words sir.
That could very well be. This was my first time doing my Honda. I may have missed a few things, but it's running great. I will look for these if and when I have to do it next time. I removed the jets and they were definitely clogged.
Great video, helps out someone trying to figure out what's going on and how to disassemble the manifold part from the engine, thanks. For all those haters below who say this guy is an idiot or doesn't know what he's doing, make your own video and post it and show us how it's done if your so much better? At least he had the guts to make the video and post it and not just criticize.
Thanks for the nice note George! Appreciate it, hope it helped out.
Great video. Thanks. I've just got a 15hp Honda and must dismantle it completely and clean/rebuild it and this video is a great help for the carbs. Thanks.
Hi. Thanks for doing this video.. One thing: @ 4:30, the clear line is the drain line for the fuel bowl. on these small hondas it is a good idea to loosen that black screw (4:58)at the bottom of the bowl and drain the bowl when you aren't going tobe running the motor for a week or longer... especially if you have ethanol . If you don't do that, disconnect the fuel line and run it while flushing until the engine stops from lack of fuel.
Did you have to sync the carbs; I have a 1996 50 which after watching your video cleaned the carbs and runs great in the drive way. Put in the water ran great on the way out but had to idle home. Going to try and take carbs apart before trying to re - sync the carbs.
Great video. I started using non-ethanol gas 2 years ago in my BF50. I can't believe the difference. From now on that's all I will use.
Great video but I'm concerned that there was no "tell tail" squirting out when you were running the motor at the end. I think your supposed to tape shut the three intake grills near the propeller so that the water your injecting with the hose gets to the water pump therefore being pumped up to the cooling system of the motor. If you run the motor too long without the water passing through the motor it could over heat and cause unrecoverable damage. Hope this helps.
Thanks for this video, I'm doing my BF45A tomorrow and this looks identical. Too bad I waited too late and won't be able to buy gaskets tonight or tomorrow (Sunday).
Thank you for this. I like the idea of laying out the parts from the outside in.
Hey nice video. I have a 2006 bf40 that won't idle when warm. I'm assuming it's clogged pilot valves...I saw no mention of cleaning these? I think they are the little screws with blue locktite on them on the side odf the carbs?
I say thank you to the guy who made the vid, you did miss a few things but that's ok. You were on the right track, you needed to remove the emulsion tube and clean the idle circuit and you would have been golden. To clean out the jets, find a wire brush and pull out a couple of wires they work perfect for cleaning jets, I have been using them for many years.. Now to avoid all this carb cleaning crap, use marine stabilizer in your fuel and drain the carbs when storing and you can put an end to carb cleaning..
Thanks for the quality information delivered with style. So great to watch an informative video without the background (crap) music and the "bad ass" foul language. You made it look easy, now for my attempt at the 50 HP motor. Looks similar . . .
Why did you not remove the main jet and emulsion tube to clean em, they have tiny holes that gum up from dirt also
Oh and at 10:15 - thats one of 6 internal sacrificial anodes - Honda PN 12155-ZV4-A00
its supposed to corrode , so your engine block doesn't.
HI Jetguy. Carb cleaner is great, but it will deteriorate your gaskets and hoses, etc if not careful. I'm not sure if you watched the entire video or not, but my carbs were full of build up and crystallized ethanol (Sugar). Also, it really is not all that much work and it's good to change gaskets and give the carbs a nice cleaning every couple of years. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Jim, No I do not unfortunately. I did not do this one mine and I think I just got lucky. I have not had to do it again since this video either. But when the carbs come off next time, I'm going to research it further and make sure I do it as well. Again, mine runs smooth now with no issues, so you may likely be just fine. Best of luck to you sir. Glad it helped you out.
This is fantastic, thank you for taking the time to make this video!
Really liked your video. I have a BF40 hp . The 40hp and the 30hp look quite similar so I think you video will work for me too. Are there any jets to be cleaned in your carbs, or only the floats? Thanks again.
Good one. Yet you forgot the jet needles. Important to clean those small orifices for smoother operation and to save fuel. 😮
Man it was a great help. Getting ready to clean mine. Thanks for the video. Looks just like the 50hp motor
Thanks for the video, glad to know how to disassemble the entire block.But, the water doesn´t exit from de engine, because you didn´t close the water intakes. It´s cooling ? How long was it on ?
Thanks for posting your video, it gave me the confidence to do my own Honda carb clean..
Helpful, thanks. I would have also taken all the non-metallic parts off the carbs and soaked them in "real" carb dip, the kind that comes in a gallon can. My 8HP Honda (two cyl, one carb) is very prone to getting the tiny passages in the carb body clogged, and the spray cans don't dissolve that. It is maybe $15 or $20 per can, but if you're going to do all that labor, may as well do the rest.
this is awesome I am gonna take the video and apply what you have taught to cleaning the carbs in my 40 hp 96 honda ...awesome thank you
I have a 2006- four stroke 60 HP Mercury EFI out board motor. It has been sitting in storage for a couple of years. I use the recommend amount of fuel stabilizer & removed the fuel line & hooked up the water Run it in idle until till it stops. Question # 1 Is there a step I left out to insure it cranks the next time it is used? So, finally I am ready to use it again. The fuel tank is empty, I put fuel in it with stabilizer New marine battery. I hook up water to it it turns over will not crank. So no fishing trip yet. So being its a whole new world to me I don't know the proper steps I should take to get back in the H20 and fish. I do have Mercury Power Tune Engine Cleaner here. Question # 2 What steps do I take here at home to get my motor running. Thanks for any help ......Ready to go fishing !
Get a Honda= last forever
Hi from Northern Ireland would you have a part number for the gasket kit.
Nice job now I have ideas how take care my carburetors thank you for sharing
Thanks mate, excellent vid.
Cheers from Australia.
I see that you have the water attachment pushing water through the foot ...but i don't see any water circulating through the engine since there is no water exiting the pee hole above ...pretty sure that's an indication no water is getting through the engine cooling system.
Couple questions. the manifold you removed, is the air intake on the front part of that Cowling? If not, where is it? By Muffs, are you talking about the water hose connect connection? Working pn my fathers 60hp and Im lost.
Thanks K3KCT! Very kind of you. I just tried to display it like I would want it displayed so I could "actually" get the job done with at least partial confidence. :) Cheers.
When I first got the thing years ago, I literally had people say they heard it was really quiet when it was running, "While it was running". :)
It's still quiet, just not quite as quiet.
I had the same thing happened to my carburetors yesterday but could not figure out why the fuel was coming out of those this video was very helpful however I still cannot keep my engine on it would start very cold like but will not stay on do I still need the clean the carburetors like you did? Or is there a easier solution before I start tearing it down and apart? I will be calibrating the carburetors for the record thanks in advance for your prompt response
Hi Marco, do you run ethanol gas in your engine?
@@jeffherrick8000 i think so
There is most of your problem. Switch to "No Ethanol Added" at the pump, after you clean out your carbs.. and you will have way less issues and way less time cleaning carbs. You very likely have dirty carbs if your running ethanol.
@@jeffherrick8000 also Jeff is it a bad idea to take off the air filter and douse the inside of the carburetors with carb cleaner?
My opinion, not going to get you very far, no.
I noticed one of the carb "tubes" were transparent .. is that aftermarket , also is that material better or is that just what you had laying around ? I'm about to take on this task myself and just want to learn all I can
those clear tubes are OEM drain hoses,to allow draining the carburetor bowl for storage or to help diagnose cure a water in carburetors issue etc.
Hey Kirk, No I did not have sync the carbs. Now, I will say that it's possible I got lucky? Not sure about that part. Mine runs great. Just was out on the water this weekend with my wife. It's running better than it has run in the past three years or so. I do a lot of trolling with planer boards so there is lot's of idling. We idled for hours with very little throttle time in between and had a nice ride home even. Can anyone else chime in about syncing carbs?
do you have the part numbers for all parts to rebuild?
mcbryanmc-
The manifold is the entire carb manifold assembly, including the air intake. On my model, it's all connected together.
The muffler on my model comes out of the lower unit prop wash area. They changed this soon after it's design. I'm not sure why, but the newer model Honda's do not exahuse out of the prop area. The set up then may be different on ours. I've never worked on one with the exhaust elsewhere, only my own.
Sorry I could nto be of more help to you. Good luck man!
Hello.Can you suggest me what NGK spar plug to use for Honda BF 30 HP?
Thank you.
had this exact problem first trip out after a 100hour service.( picked the boat up from shop and went fishing straight after)
dosnt the 100 hour service cover cleaning carbies?
very helpful film
Boat was underwater for 2 weeks and now been 2 weeks I just going to drain everything out oil everything sit for day with motor now hopefully it will be ok and any advice welcome 😊
The Green corrosion and gum is a very good indication that you at some time had water in your fuel.
do you know how many turn back when you adjust the idle jet
I just had the carbs cleaned on my Honda 4stroke 50hp outboard by the dealer. It's runs pretty good at high speed but won't idle in gear. Is there a way to increase the idle speed?
I just looked at a friend's 90 hp Honda yesterday; the idle adjustment is plain to see once you have the hood off the motor. It's right where you'd expect it to be, simply a Phillips-head screw which you would turn clockwise for faster and CCW to slow the idle. You'll see it right away if you've worked on anything similar before. Hope this helps.
Thank you for the Outstanding video. It's the same across the board with a 50hp.
Sweet Alan! That was the goal, glad it helped. Cheers
Is this an enthenol thing type of issue? That's an awful lot of gunk? How often do you do maintence?
The gummed up plastic clear line is for draining the carbs!
www.boats.net/parts/search/Honda/Outboard%20Engine/2001/BF30A1%20LHA/CARBURETOR/parts.html show the parts break down of the carb. You should also remove #19 and 20 and clean. These are responsible for the fuel metering at low rpm and is what make your engine idle/troll nice. Gaskets are 22 35 and 38 in the breakdown.
Your vid show an engine with stuck float valves allowing the fuel to pour out the overflows. Item 4 needle valve and 5 float are the specific culprit or the gumming of those.
I commonly run into a rough idle problem after winter storage and without cleaning 19 and 20 that problem would still exist.
Nice clear video and great job of filming. Obviously your not a mechanic, shake off the haters, they vid is still very helpful and the contains good info. Respectful comments can clear up the rest.
beyondupnorth Thanks for the follow up tips! I've got to do this myself next week and your tips are helpful.
i like how you say "beautiful wife" to get back as she picks up your parts...always earn brownie points where you can if it has to do with fishing ;)
I'm not entirely sure why so much Gum, I will say that I moved from Wisconsin to Florida for about 8 years. The boat was not used for almost 4 full years and It was not put away properly. Therefore, likely it was from sitting for so long. I could be wrong. Also, I dont' think do to ignorance I was running Premium fuel in the tank when I first got the motor new from the dealer.
Dealer told me muffs are terrible for the 4 strokes. Not sure why, I was told this after a water pump failure.
Do you know where I can get the fitting for the water?
Boa tarde! Gostaria de saber o ponto da sincronização da correia dentada?
Glad it helped you out. That was the goal even though I was winging it myself. Cheers !
how come so much gum , i know the modern fuel deteriorates fast ,but that is bad, ,, my 25 honda was bought used and no gum at all ,,, it is about 22yrs old ,,, anyway ,, im going to bookmard this page ,, it's a great vid,,,, better than the pros that assume you already know most of the job ,,,,,,,
Check out vacuunmate 4 carb adjustment
by the way by the way i use earmuffs and the water comes out with good volume ,, it is the more expensive one but it works ,,,,,,,,, why don't i see water coming out the tell tale ????
You probably did have to do all this work I had same issue and just lots if carb cleaner and running it freed it up
Fore not to have this problem , need to set fuel separator ! , betveen tank and angine !
Thanks a ton , nice work , mine works great now , again thanks for making this video for use
very educational and good details, thanks.
@75iowaboy - I have the same problem. I've followed the procedure in this video, plus 9@7:10) i dropped the metering tube out of each carb and cleaned them before re-assembling. it's called a primary nozzle - - PRI; NOZZLE, MAIN (Honda Code 4649489). diagram is here:
boats dot net/images/diagrams/honda/18ZV90/ILLUST/ZV98E/1400A.png
I'll know in another day or two if the carb cleanup / reassembly solves the problem or not.
Ik recently bought the same motor (bf30, 1999) but it runs bad.after cleaning the carbs. I also cleaned the long needle with small holes in it (not cleaned in the video) Probably replacing the rubbers is a good idea (already ordered)
When running, I only pull spark cap 1 and the motor runs a bit slower If i pull spark cap2 The motor alsmost quits. If I pull spark cap 3, nothing happens. Spark plugs 1 and 2 look normal and spark plug 3 is wet black. probably too much fuel or too less air..
The ignition is working (There are sparks on the plug, and the elctrode distance is normal (0,7). Today I will remove the carb and look at it again carefully.
Maybe also let the carbs drain the fuel and measure the volume of all three. This might tell something about the flotter-shutter.
I will also make a vacuum meter with bottles (as seen on youtube somewhere) to balance the throttles. But ok, let's first try to get it working.. Doe somebody have more ideas?
Como puedo hacer para escucharlo en castellano? Como puedo traducirlo?
Awesome.. ty for this. I have 25hp...
Excellent I learned a lot Thanks.
TY dude i have same probléme on my BF90
Thanks so much! I'll be doing this as soon as the redfish stop their spawn here in mosquito lagoon!
For low idle miss and problems
? Buddy you missed a ton. That stopped up hose is a bowl drain. That little brass screw is a main jet. Torch Tip cleaner. Skipped the low speed jet. Sorry, okay armature try
Good video ! Thanks!!
tres belle vidéo merci beaucoup génial
Thanks bro this helps alot
great video man.
Nice, really purrs don't it!
what about the emulsion tubes hughhhhhhhh
Thanks Rob! Cheers!
Right on Ryan! Agreed! :)