BF15DK2 production year/value estimate from model/serial #

[giacomod]

Dear all,
I am a newbie and this is my first post.
I would need to be able to evaluate the value of a used Honda motor with model number BF15DK2 SHU and serial number BALJ-1503575.

I understand from https://marine.honda.com/outboards/models/portable/BF15-20 that the service manual should https://cdn.powerequipment.honda.com/marine/pdf/manuals/00X31ZY06300.pdf but I would need at least a year of production to start with.. do you know if it is possible to look it up somewhere?
As far as the value goes I guess it depends on the hours/time so maybe are there rules of thumb for that?

Thanks a lot in advance.
G

 

[cyclops222]

You have to see and hear it run on a boat. Not in a Orange 5 gallon plastic pail.

 

[MattFL]

Sea trial is the best way, see it run on a boat. As mentioned above, a motor can appear to run perfectly in a bucket, but actually run horribly on a boat.

Also with boat motors there's no real hours/years metric as the condition will depend almost entirely on how well it was cared for. Especially if it was a salt water motor. Example, the 1999 50HP Honda on my little Whaler has thousands of hours and still runs fantastically, but I took meticulous care of it since new. We recently took possession of a boat with a 200 HP Yamaha on it that had only about 300 hours and looked like it was in very good condition. It ran great for 20-30 hours, then suddenly died, bad knocking noises and no compression in the bottom two cylinders. Checking into the history with the owner, it had previously sunk. You would never know by looking at it or running it, and it had very few hours, but clearly it had some internal rod bearing damage from the water. So your best bet is see it run on a boat, get as much of the history as you can from the seller and pay a mechanic for an hour of his time to check it out for you. Red flags would be if the motor is dirty at all, if the oil needs changing (it should look brand new), the bolts for the thermostat and lower unit should come off easily (the thermostat and impeller in the lower unit are regular service items), etc..

Side note: if the seller is the original owner, you can sometimes get more from the sellers behavior than by looking at the motor. I bought a motorcycle from a guy and during the test ride the guy was being super anal about how carefully it was warmed up before I rode it, was really assertive about which oils to use, etc.. we chatted about maintenance and I could tell the guy was just super detailed and the bike was his baby, he took perfect care of it. Without even looking at the bike I could tell it was going to be in great shape, and it was. But if the seller seems to downplay the importance of maintenance, likes to use aftermarket parts instead of OEM, or generally seems uninterested in caring for it, that would be a big red flag.

 

[giacomod]

Thanks a lot that's very helpful!