How to loosen engine cover lock lever

Gerry

Member
Hi guys, I have a Honda BF75. The engine cover lock lever is really really hard to move. I have taken out the bolt from the inside thinking that might loosen it up. Well it hasn't. What should I try next?
 
Try a good penetrating oil like Move It. Things should loosen up then.
Dave
 
keep spraying in the cam area and give yer cover a few good whacks with an open hand... my 225 may be the same.. one side is lever actuated and the other is cable and cam.. once you get it off keep lubing and working the mechanism. spray on some sticky lube and repeat very often, mine is fussy a fawk if i dont keep it lubered up.
 
Actually, you have to take it completely apart and clean out the salt with a knife or some kind of scraper. All the wd 40 in the world wont displace that salt.
 
thanks for the advice guys. To take it completely apart, does the lever come right out? Like I said, I have removed the bolt and the washers. There is a fitting on the inside of the engine compartment that is attached or is part of the lever on the outside. Does anyone know if that part is threaded, or can I just tap it out from the inside? I have gotten myself into difficulties before using "brute force" without knowing exactly what I was doing.
 
You should be able to work it free by twisting it back and forth while pulling at the same time. There will be a plastic bushing inside too which will need to be removed also. When you start scraping, it will become clear how the salt has built up. Have fun.
 
The 3 golden rules of boat repair....

If it moves and shouldn't, use duct tape
If it doesn't move but should, use wd 40
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you have an electrical problem.
 
You should be able to work it free by twisting it back and forth while pulling at the same time. There will be a plastic bushing inside too which will need to be removed also. When you start scraping, it will become clear how the salt has built up. Have fun.

Boy, you were absolutely right. I got it out and once I could carefully pry off that bushing there was an amazing amount of salt residue in there. Scraped it off, oiled it, smooth as silk now. Thanks.
 
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Would soaking the mechanism in something like CLR possibly work? Just a thought. I know the vinegar works well. I used it to clean up a swack of lures and other gear that had forests of salt crystals growing on them.
 
Would soaking the mechanism in something like CLR possibly work? Just a thought. I know the vinegar works well. I used it to clean up a swack of lures and other gear that had forests of salt crystals growing on them.
I think that CLR, may be hard on the cast aluminium. Which is why I suggested the Vinegar, works wonders on the Salt, welding smoke residue, bird chite....
 
I used vinegar and scraping/sanding as suggested once I was able to get the bushing off. It worked well. What I was surprised at was that the salt residue was even able to form inside of the bushing. It is a pretty tight fit even without the salt. The residue was hard and had basically caused the bushing to grab the lock arm tight. The is no way that I could have gotten vinegar or anything else in there without prying the bushing off. Like I said earlier, there was a surprising amount of salt in there. Makes me wonder (worry) what else that stuff is getting into and forming on!
 
Like I said earlier, there was a surprising amount of salt in there. Makes me wonder (worry) what else that stuff is getting into and forming on!

leg bolts, impeller,water jacket ,electrical terminals,etc,etc...
That s*** gets into everything!
Thats why maintenance is so damn important!
 
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