Honda 50BF Cold Start Problems

[Richard Lisch]

My Honda 50 has now 25 hours and it runs like a Swiss watch once it's running. Cold starting the engine takes way to long and I couldn't get the hang of it yet.
Tried all different throttle settings, priming, not priming and so on.
Restarting the engine during the day is no problem at all.
Perhaps one of you Honda freaks can give me a tip.

Thanks,

Richard

[craiglaforce]

I don't have a Honda, but have you tried engaging the manual choke? On my Tohatsu, this gives a lot more choke than the key activated choke, (where you push the key in to engage the choke).

Definitely pump the primer bulb until it is hard. Check for air leaks at top of fuel tank hose fitting. Should start right up.

[Jeff Drumm]

What Craig said . . . to engage the choke on the BF50, you've got to pull up fairly hard on the idle lever (or whatever it's called). You'll hear a relay click from the motor housing when you've pulled hard enough.

Mine seemed like a real pig to start last year when it was new; I hadn't been pulling the lever up high enough. Once I got in the habit of doing that, though, I've never had to let it crank for more than 1-2 seconds.

[greybird-M]

Yep, it's that choke. . .I had problems starting my new Honda using just the remote control 'fast-idle/choke' lever. It took on average 4-5 minutes of cranking (with pauses of course, to not exceed the 5-7 second cranking limit). Once the engine warmed up, it was 'like a swiss watch' OR a Casio! and would be easy to start all day.
THEN (just recently), I tried pulling the choke lever on the engine and putting the remote control on what I thought was full choke (as I had been doing). The engine started and HAS started right up with 2 cranks max and just one bulb prime. The engine has been very easy to start using this configuration. I have not tried to throw the remote control lever all the way forward (or push it beyond its obvious detent), to hear the relay click, but I had thought all along that there had to be a relay or some linkage involved to activate the choke the same way that the motor mounted choke lever does. I will investigate this further this weekend when I visit my boat.
This drove me nuts for a couple of months!
Try that choke lever (or more accurately, pull-switch) on the engine OR listen for the relay switch. Interestingly, the Honda handbook does not mention having to use the motor mounted pull-switch at all, so maybe when things are working correctly, one does not have to use it at all, if the remote control lever is working as it should. Mine and maybe Mr. Lisch's might need adjustment.

[Richard Lisch]

Thanks for your help guys.

Regards,

Richard

[greybird-M]

Well, I finally got to my boat this morning to do some work and run the engine and genset. I tried to push the remote control fast-idle lever 'all the way' forward, but! it will not clear the throttle lever! The fast-idle lever is mounted inside of the throttle lever and there is no way it will go any farther forward, so I don't know what is going on at this point. I will have to refer to the shop manual. The engine did start up with two bulb primes and two short cranks and ran like a champ for 15 minutes, so that makes me happy (Oh, I DID use the manual, engine mounted choke lever).

later,
-Walt

[Jeff Drumm]

Well, I finally got to my boat this morning to do some work and run the engine and genset. I tried to push the remote control fast-idle lever 'all the way' forward, but! it will not clear the throttle lever! The fast-idle lever is mounted inside of the throttle lever and there is no way it will go any farther forward, so I don't know what is going on at this point. I will have to refer to the shop manual. The engine did start up with two bulb primes and two short cranks and ran like a champ for 15 minutes, so that makes me happy (Oh, I DID use the manual, engine mounted choke lever).

later,
-Walt

Sounds like your throttle/remote is different from mine. Glad the manual choke did the trick, though!