Remote Control Cable Grommet ...SALT! Restricted Fuel line

[squidslayer]

I'll take a few photos with my iphone when I get back to my boat Monday.
The symptoms of my very frustrating problem with one of my Honda BF150s last year was........ loss of power at cruising speed or higher in my starboard Bf 150...rpms would slowly and intermittently start dropping. During the problem if I went back to the primer bulb and pumped it up.... The power would be restored but only for 30 seconds or so. The motor always started and idled well but if the rpms went over 2000 it would start to starve for fuel.
A list of things I did to no avail in order of

Checked all accessible fuel lines

Changed all the fuel filters high/low...

Changed water/fuel separator filter

Changed primer bulb

Changed fuel tank check valve

Changed fuel Pump

In the end ..I found out by hooking an external fuel tank directly to the motor...which I should have done sooner..... It ran fine!... But if I ran the external tank by hooking it on the last line before it led out thru the "Remote Control Cable Grommet" to the engine ....it still lost power. So I suspected the problem had to be between those points .
Since my boat was in the water..moored at Spud Point Marina at Bodega Bay... access to check was very limited. Sooooo
A HOT Salmon bite was starting to happen at Bodega were my boat was moored so my main goal was to just get the boat F%&#@$* working!
So I Jerry Rigged a new fuel line so it ran directly from the main fuel tank to the engine thru the motor housing....thus bypassing the "Remote Control Cable Grommet"..until I had time to fix it Kosher.
Well, that was in June....And the Salmon bite was GOOD in Bodega and was starting to go off the hook so from then on... that I decided "it's working now don't touch the damm thing till the end of the season!" Then the Rock-fishing was in order...then I went on several Tuna trips out of Bodega of 100miles each....then Crab for two months...
Like I said I will post a photo of the RCC Grommet and the pre formed fuel line that was pinched when I get back to the boat Monday

Even thought I washed my boat down every time...over the years a little saltwater seeps thought the Remote Control Cable Grommet ..The salt starts to crystallize and expand with time and start to crowd out the fuel line and corrosion happened too. You have to disassemble the Remote Control Cable Grommet and pull out the pre formed fuel line from inside the engine because you cannot inspect it where it goes thru the grommet. Also I had to dig out all the salt buildup with a screwdriver and clean it before installing the new pre formed fuel line that I had to order from Honda.

Cheers
DickE

[Sea Wolf]

Great information!

This problem is particularly (IMHO) acute with the Armstrong brackets with their placement of the motors outboard and often awash in ocean seas, and owners of this style boat should pay particular attention to this possible development.

Thanks!

Joe.

[matt_unique]

Would love to see the pictures when you get a chance.

Thanks