Honda BF150 starting issues

[Balthazar]

Hi gents,

I have a Honda BF150 recently that still under warranty.

I have some issues with the engine and wish someone could advise me.

Last week end I had a trouble to start the engine, when turning the key I had all the symbols lit, then the green and temp signs were flashing, with intermittent buzzer sound. The buzzer sound was not sharp as usual but very weak. I have tried several times, waited 15-20 min and finally all the lights went off and I started the engine.

When coming back the next Saturday I could not start the engine at all. I lowered the engine with tilt/trim button but when tried to switch it on, the same thing was happening again. When turning the key to the 1st click the green and temperature button (both left hand side) were lit, sometimes with battery sign and even 4 of them. If I tried to turn the key further, nothing happened, but two left side signs were flashing (green and temp) and buzzer was coming on. I could hear very weak click within the engine but no start at all.

The sound of the buzzer was quite weak, not as usual, I was thinking the battery is dead. Whoever, the voltage was 14.48v. I got ashore and brought another freshly charged battery, 13.5v but still the same issue. I tried to completely disconnect all the other wires from the battery and connected the engine directly, with nothing else, but still no difference.

When I finally gave up, I could not rise the engine as both remote control and engine starboard tilt/trim buttons were not reacting at all. So I left the engine in the lowered position (which I try to avoid cause of the corrosion).

Did anyone experienced the same thing or could you suggest some bits to check before I have to pull the boat and bring the engine to the dealer?

Thanks in advance

[Last Tango]

First thing I'd do, assuming the battery terminals have been checked as you swapped batteries, is lift the cover off & look for the engine end of the battery cables.

***DISCONNECT THE BATTERY***

One will probably terminate on the starter solenoid (possibly part of the starter assembly or near bye) the other will be bolted to the engine block.
Check these terminals are all tight and if you see any other heavy looking cables check their terminations as well.

Reconnect the battery and give it another bash. TBH doesn't sound like anything major.

[paintman]

^^^^. Clean the terminals while you're at it.

I had a similar issue due to light corrosion on one of the battery terminals - it's one of the type where the cable is held into the terminal by two large screws.
Removing & cleaning the wire end before putting it back into the terminal restored normal service. I'll be replacing that one with a crimped on end.

If they're long enough it might be worth trying a car jump lead alongside the main battery cables - connect to the same points as the lead you're checking - to see if that makes a difference. Be careful to avoid accidentally shorting due to the size of the crocodile clips.

Common issue on cars is faulty engine-to-body earth straps caused by corrosion of the wire/flat cable under the plastic sheathing. Connecting a jump lead from battery earth terminal to the block usually finds that one out.