Honda BF60A stumbles at high speed

[ScoutB]

I have a 3 year old Honda BF60A on a pontoon boat. I can idle around the lake all day long, but when I put the hammer down, the boat accelerates and runs fine for about a minute. Then it falls flat on it's face. If I slip it into neutral it will recover idle and I can putz home. Any sustained speed over 2200 rpm gets the same results. Here's what I know so far:

• The fuel filter/water separator is clean.
• The issue is only under load. The problem cannot be recreated at the dock with a sustained high rpm.
• Squeezing the bulb to guarantee fuel pressure to the motor makes no difference.
• The telltale shows that the water pump is fine.
• I changed spark plugs and that didn't help.

It's still under warranty, but getting it back to the dealer is an ordeal since I didn't buy a trailer. Any thought you have would be appreciated.

 

[alldodge]

Not a OB guy but being EFI I would think something is clogged or a fuel pump (low/high) has an issue. Try to find the fuel rail feeding the injectors and connect a gauge

 

[ScoutB]

Thanks. I have no experience with EFI, but this does seem like a fuel delivery issue. I feel some pulsation in the bulb which lead me to believe that the fuel pump is pumping. That doesn't mean it's building proper pressure though. Any idea what the rail pressure should be?

 

[alldodge]

I found a post listing 40 psi
https://www.marineengine.com/boat-forum/threads/honda-bf60-efi-fuel-issues.441709/

 

[ScoutB]

Thanks again. I need to figure this out soon. Boating season is about done here in Michigan.

 

[MattFL]

See if you can read any codes from it. I'm not familiar with that particular motor, but maybe you can read the codes with an off the shelf (not Honda specific) OBD reader. Any stored codes could potentially be very helpful.

 

[ScoutB]

I didn't know you could connect an OBD reader. I have one. I saw no mention of an OBD port in the manual, but if it has one it should be pretty obvious under the cover.

 

[MattFL]

The plug may not be standard, but there should be a way to read codes and it's likely to be OBD protocol. See if you can get your hands on the shop manual for that motor, it will be helpful.

 

[ScoutB]

Follow up:
I took the boat back to the dealer. They found that the low pressure mechanical fuel pump had self destructed. The debris partially blocked the inlet of the high pressure injector pump. All repaired under warranty and the boat is tucked away for it's winter nap.

 

[MattFL]

Thanks for the follow up! I'm surprised there's not a filter between the two pumps, maybe a chance for some home improvement once it's out of warranty.