Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Engine dies on hot days fuel design issue possible

"Spoke with the local dealer a

"Spoke with the local dealer and they were going to put an additional fuel pump in-line to solve the problem. They have done this in the past and it fixed the issue. When they contacted Suzuki to get authorization, Suzuki came back that they are working on a fix and should have it soon. Not sure how long soon will be he was confident that Suzuki will take care of the issue.

Hope it happens before it gets too hot."
 
I've had this same problem

I've had this same problem for years with a 2004 DF140. I can tell you that straight gas won't solve the problem. I have an inline fuel filter and a inline fuel meter which probably don't help matters. I did try running out of a 5 gallon tank of gas I set right by the motor and I could not get the motor to fail.
 
I just got off the phone with

I just got off the phone with Suzuki service support. They indicated that they are aware of the problem and a fix is in the works. They also said there may not be a charge for the fix once it is released to dealers... regardless of the age of the engine.
 
Suzuki has been saying this at

Suzuki has been saying this at least to me since june of last year. I am not holding my breath I am punting as soon as I can swing it. zuki can keep their motors its soured me on the whole thing with them. First brand new boat and nothing but problems.
 
"I have been running a Suzuki

"I have been running a Suzuki DF225TXK4 here in largo fl with no problems. We fish and dive year round. I'll chk to see what service bullitens have been posted if any. Not sure why so many of you having the problem. It seems to be getting worse.

I do know Ethanol is not helping with vapor lock, and I have seen a steady increase in Ethanol related failures and issues. Mostly rubber related products although I have seen it swell the nylon bushings on the Yamaha electric lift pumps.

Here are a few things some of you posters with DF140's and other engines can try.

1: Make sure the water cooling lines leading to the fuel cooler actually work they can become clogged or kinked. Don't forget to chk the fuel cooler it's self. Water in water out.

2: Use the proper size fuel delivery hose 5/16 min between enigne and filter 3/8 min between tank and filter. 3/8 is better even though you will have to reduce it down at the enigne.

3:Try insulating the fuel cooler from engine heat. Cover with some heat insulating material keeps the the body of the fuel cooler cooler. Good job Rollie Rose. I love it. Necessity is the mother of invention.

4:Chk your low pressure lift pump to make sure the ethanol hasn't ruined the rubber chk valves. Put a vaucumn gauge on the suction side of the fuel pump your looking for at least 7-10 inch's of vacumn while cranking the engine. I have had several of these pumps with bad chk valves thanks to Ethanol. Hard starting complaint.

5:You can also try a new product out called Sentry Gas plus. I witnessed the demostration compareing all the other products at the same time only the Sentry worked.

As stated by other members is not just a Suzuki related problem."
 
Hi Jeff
I'm sorry my re

Hi Jeff
I'm sorry my reply was aimed at that entire post. I realize that all models don't have fuel coolers and I know I don't have a DF140. The bottom line is Ethanol is the root cause of this problem. In the mean time be creative and maybe you will find the cure. Look at what Rollie Rose did on his fuel pump. Suzuki is working on the problem just not fast enough. They will have a cure for the DF140's. When I don't know will it work for all models I don't know that either.

I think they need a switch that will open and close the venting system on the VST. The DFV6 uses this same system. This would prevent the presuure build up when the engine is shut off. Ethanol based fuel boils at a lower temperature. Vapor Lock.

I know it's a pain in the rear but have you tried repriming the system before you start the engine every time. When we had two strokes we had to do this all the time.
 
"Hey Robert,

I've been

"Hey Robert,

I've been able to work around this problem by priming the line with the bulb... or staying on idle until the fuel meter indicates it is drawing gas to the vapor separator... But just recently, as the water and weather get warmer, I've actually had to throttle back as the engine is not getting adequate fuel... it starts cutting out. Once or twice a week I run 80 to 100 miles for fishing in the Gulf... Also I am running straight (fresh) gas with an additive and all my filters are good... The engine just has an issue..."
 
I understand Jeff and yes you

I understand Jeff and yes you are correct the engine dose have a issue. Suzuki knows it and will hopefully have a cure for it soon. If I hear of anything I will post it here first.
 
"Well got off the phone again

"Well got off the phone again with Suzuki (weekly calls now) and asked for an update on the "fix" for my DF140 and at least some sort of idea on when it will be available. Their response was "at this time we (suzuki) have no anticipated delivery date available" He did however understand my frustration which was nice.

Decided I can't really sell the thing and do the same thing to someone else, so here we sit waiting.

Oh yeah my engine cut out last Sunday causing a boat/shore collision after loosing positive thrust in the middle of a turn. Priceless

P.S. I am not sure I would agree that the ethanol is the complete cause here. If it were why would all other models not have this specific problem. I believe it is a design flaw exagerated by ethanol. suppose thats splitting hairs though.

Suzuki has a lemon on their hands and they need to be buying these things back. IMHO

I hope just one person sees this string and hopefully it helps them avoid this kind of headache. "
 
"Wow, glad I read this. I was

"Wow, glad I read this. I was considering buying a used boat in Denver with a 2002 DF140.

Jason/Eugene - which dealers in CO did you work with?

Thanks
Mike"
 
"Mike,

Im glad you read it

"Mike,

Im glad you read it too. I am located in Washington State.
The facts of my situation are Suzuki admits there is a problem with that series of motors. They admit it shows up in newer and older model years.
They admit that not all the motors in that series are doing it.
They admit as of yet they can not replicate it with any consistancy.
They admit R&D Corprorate is being less than helpful.
They are going to "try" an inline fuel pump that may or may not fix my motor.
Suzuki has no anticipated timeline for parts that may or may not fix my boat.
My motor has had this problem for over a year.
My dealership sais their hands are tied and that I should be dealing with Suzuki directly.
I have been calling Suzuki almost weekly now for the better part of that year.
Suzuki has no plans to make it right by replacing my motor.
I am stuck with a motor on a boat that I can't trade in or sell.

They do appreciate my good attitude while they work thru this minor technical problem.
angry.gif


***************************************

Mike you couldn't pay me to buy another DF140 but hey maybe they one you are looking at will be different
question.gif


Hope this helps clear up any questions you might have.

Jason"
 
When buying ANY new outboard a

When buying ANY new outboard ask the dealer...are the fuel pumps water cooled or not. If manufactures notice that those models without the coolers aren't selling you won't have to call them weakly to fix the problem.
 
"As Jason noted about this pro

"As Jason noted about this problem.
They admit as of yet they can not replicate it with any consistancy
I agree with that. For fun I replaced my Seirra Gas filter with a Racor a few weeks back. So far the motor has not acted up. At 500 hours I will drive it till its dead, I'm sure for many years. But I don't think I will buy Suzuki again. The service just is not here, at least in my area."
 
"Mike, I have a friend who has

"Mike, I have a friend who has a Suzuki 140 four stroke and has no problems that I am aware of, but I am sure that it is pre-2003. The dealer in Denver that has been very good and helpful to me is Aurora Marine. Hope this answers your questions."
 
"I have a suzuki 70 4 stroke &

"I have a suzuki 70 4 stroke & have the exact same cut out problem. I live in central florida and have a 16 ft flats boat. Drive to my fishing area, turn off motor, troll around fishing for a while, try to go to next spot and suzuki cuts out trying to get up on plane. Takes a long time to restart then runs rough. Had it into the dealer 3 times but cant seem to fix problem. Any new news on this issue. I am taking my boat in on tuesday for them to look at again."
 
"Used Starbrite's ethonal

"Used Starbrite's ethonal treatment.. think it is Startron. Seemed to decrease the problem with the engine. Went out last week and it only acted up one time and the temperature outside was in the upper 80's. Stabil has relased some ethonal treatment also, bought some and will try that next."
 
Have had a Suzuki DF 90 for th

Have had a Suzuki DF 90 for three years (great engine)without issue.

This weekend had similar problem to others..It was hot and the lake temp 73 degrees... Later worked on river just fine with 55 degree water and later evening.
 
Dealer mentioned non-marine gr

Dealer mentioned non-marine grade fuel lines (one with clear inner tubing). May collapse etc under heat or deteriate with fuels. Will check but seems "heat" is an issue.
 
I thought I was going crazy wi

I thought I was going crazy with the same problem you guys are having. I run an 05 115hp Suzuki 4 stroke. Some of you have installed in-line full pumps that has solved the problem.

1. Where did you install the pump? (before/after the primer bulb)

2. What typr/brand did you use.
3. Were you worried about to much pressure?

thanks for the help and maybe Suzuki will fix the issue soon.
 
Well scratch the Starbrite/Sta

Well scratch the Starbrite/Startron and Sta-bil ethonal treatments. Didn't seem to make a difference. Still nothing from Suzuki!
 
"Well it looks like I have a s

"Well it looks like I have a solution for my motor. Last week suzuki sent a TSM to work on my boat. They added a secondary inline fuel pump, my boat was either the 3rd or the 5th in the US to have this done by the factory. Now it seems that Suzuki is convinced this is the right fix and are going to manufactur their own parts rather than use an outside vendor. I havent heard the expected timeline for parts/kits to be available.

I ran my boat last weekend with near 100° temps without a problem. Finaly a year and a half later it seems that it is resolved.

Only thing I can recommend is call suzuki's help line get one persons name that is going to deal with your issue and call them as close to weekly as you can. Thats what I had to do."
 
I'm glade they have decide

I'm glade they have decided to fix your motor. I have the same problem with my boat and am currently butting heads with Suzuki to get it fixed before the summers over.
 
"I have been fighting this pro

"I have been fighting this problem since 2005 with a Suzuki 90 4-stroke. As stated previously my engine was replaced approx. a year ago. Suzuki provided the engine and I paid for the labor for the switch. However the new engine failed to start after I would reach operating temperature and shut it off for 30 minutes on the lake, at 80 degrees outside temperature. After reading Jason's post, I called my dealer and informed them that there was a solution posted for a 140 HP with a similar problem. They told me to contact Suzuki and line up the "fix". Customer service at Suzuki told me that there was no problem with the 90 HP 4-stroke engines. I informed them that they had already replaced my previous 90 with the same problem after the Suzuki techs could not resolve my problem. The customer service lady told me that since Suzuki could not fix my first engine and they had replaced it, I was out of luck--on my own. She told me they sold my old replaced engine to someone in Oregon and it works fine. That's great for them, but doesn't help me in Colorado. The Suzuki rep actually told me to just sell my Alumacraft boat and get rid of it, because they supposedly did the fix on my old engine and it did not fix the problem. Am I expecting too much to ask for an engine that will run in Colorado over 80 degrees?? Are there other people out there who are having this problem with their 90 HPs? They act like I'm the only one."
 
Back
Top