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Engine holder problem anyone else

jeep150

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Suzuki mechanic calls while wi

Suzuki mechanic calls while winterizing and says he found a problem with the engine holder and their is probably extensive damage. Exhaust and whatever else have leaked into engine from the defective holder. He has another suzuki in the shop with same exact problem and said he has seen several in the past year or so. Why hasnt suzuki re-called these engines? They are clearly defective. Anyone else on here seen this engine holder problem?
2003 DF140 4 stroke.
 
"yes, the engine holder has a

"yes, the engine holder has a carbon steel plug in the exhaust port in the engine holder this plug is corroding from the in side out. I have two df140's I saw this plug when doing normal maintenance it was rusty on the outside with concern I spoke to a Suzuki mechanic he said the rel problem was taking place on the inside. He said that in due time the engine holder would get holes around this plug and the exhaust would burn threw the engine holder. This is a 2000.00 dollar repair that is not covered under warranty. this is a factory defective but they call it a corrosion problem there for they are not reliable.I have two engines that are ticking time bombs the same thing is going to happen to me. This needs to be a Suzuki re-call but that's going to happen I'm a very upset Suzuki customer. The replacement engine holder does not have the plug in it. There also seems to be a corrosion problem with the oil pan."
 
"pic. of plug.<[img]"http://ww

"pic. of plug.
377267.jpg
"
 
My 2001 DF 90 has the same pr

My 2001 DF 90 has the same problem which was first visible at he the same carbon steel plug as an exhaust leak. 500 hrs and flushed whenever possible. The plug just fell out when I turned it with a 7mm allen wrench. I looked inside with a strong LED flashlight and the corosion was very bad. It went all the way through to the next section of the engine holder which is where some engine mount bolts are. What are the Suzuki techs saying? The ones I've talked to say they had a few exhaust leaks but they would not elaborate. I'm sure they did not because they wanted the repair business or did not want to admit that this is a common problem. If they owned one of these motors would even bother to fix it? I think a formal letter to Suzuki is in order. They need to explain if they even have a real fix or if a fix is really even practical. My guess is the corrosion is all over the entire engine interior not just the engine holder. The more people raise hell about this the better the chance of some kind of response from Suzuki. Any other people trying to reach Suzuki about this? Are people just fixing these motors and what kind of success are they having and for how long?
Very frustrated and angry with Suzuki.
 
The mechanic I spoke with said

The mechanic I spoke with said they was replacing the engine holder at the owners expense he said that the engines have not been back in serves long enough to know if they will hold up or not he did say that they were drilling out the plug in a few engines and having a aluminum rod welding in before is burned threw. I'm not sure what to do at this point but I'm thinking about having the rod welding in mine. The welding shop is charging 200.00 to weld in the rod.
 
"My manual says this exhaust p

"My manual says this exhaust plug was eliminated in the 2008 models. When joined dissimilar metals are covered in salt water, the least noble metal, the aluminum in this case, will be galvanically corroded. I belive I will remove the plug in my 2005 and make one out of plastic of some sort."
 
Good luck removing the plug be

Good luck removing the plug being a 2005 the plug and the aluminum is all ready corroded I can't get mine out of my 2005's with 260 hr. my mechanic said good luck to me when I asked if you could take the plug out and put in an aluminum plug not to say it can't be done I'm going to drill mine out and have the aluminum rod welded in. I spoke to the welder that is doing this he said he is having good luck doing this if done before the corrosion makes holes in the housing.
 
I've determined that I wo

I've determined that I would have to replace the engine holder in My 2001 DF 90 in order to salvage the motor. My question is how many other steel plugs (that cause this galvanic corosion) are there? I see one in the oil pan but I don't think that is in an exhaust passage where salt water is exiting from the cooling passages. The big question of course is the powerhead. Are there steel plugs causing the same problem in the exhaust passages there?
I see smaller pipe plugs going down from the top of the motor. If these are steel as well than the corrosion is happening there too. Has anyone heard of powerhead corrosion problems
where these plugs are ? That puts into serious question if one should dump $2000+ into a motor like this. Any thoughts Suzuki corrosion victims?
 
"The plug on my '05 seems

"The plug on my '05 seems to be different than the one pictured above. It is still painted and seems to have a different shape. I wonder if they changed the material. If so it might be possible to replace the steel plug. It could be that my engine is just lightly used. The dealer had it for two years waiting for a fool like me to pay his price. I will try to post the picture.
377314.jpg
"
 
"I have two 2005 DF-140s, the

"I have two 2005 DF-140s, the plugs look good from the outside.
If the rectifier cover is removed, could you see the plug from the inside?"
 
I have just discovered (ma

I have just discovered (manual) that the exhaust plug was changed in 2005 from one with 8 mm deep threads to 11 mm deep threads. It makes no mention of the material of construction. This probably explains why the head looks slightly different from the older mild steel plug.
 
"If we can get the dimensions

"If we can get the dimensions of the plug, we can probably source one in nickle plated brass.
This should be close enough to the aluminum alloy to not corrode in the presence of salt water."
 
"You don't want brass, or

"You don't want brass, or anything with copper in it as copper will cause aluminum to corrode, plus brass will lose zinc in salt water and become porous. What you want is aluminum. The nickle plating will protect the plug but it is a dissimilar metal and would corrode the aluminum.

I belive the 2005 and later plug would fit the old steel plug threads. The new plug is just deeper, or longer. I dont know what it is made of but I would find out before I spent the money to machine an aluminum one."
 
Wow. That is classic galvanic

Wow. That is classic galvanic corrosion. Most of the corrosion happens right beside the dissimilar metal.
 
"Hi, re plug material problems

"Hi, re plug material problems: I am an "aluminium/stainless steel guy". The only materials which can be "married" to aluminium are: 1. Aluminium; 2. stainless steel 316 (not s/steel 304 or other grade)It is quite easy for a machine shop to turn a 316 shaft/pin into a threaded bar acc. to the existing treads. Just fit the bar with ("lock-tite"), cut acc to length required and you never have a problem again."
 
Does anyone have any thoughts

Does anyone have any thoughts about the 2 anodes on the rectifier/regulator? When these are inspected (every 50 hrs?) what about those gaskets underneath them? should they be replaced every time? When the rectifier is removed is this a good way/time to inspect for powerhead/exhaust port corrosion?
?
 
"Aluminium plug only, no stain

"Aluminium plug only, no stainless steel of any grad the aluminium will corrode with the stainless plug in it. The gasket does need to be replaced every time for the anodes."
 
"I spoke to a guy at Suzuki to

"I spoke to a guy at Suzuki today about the exhaust plug issue.
He did not seem to know any thing about this issue.
I had him check on any factory service bulletins, there are none.
He is checking with the factory in Japan to see if he can get specs of the plug, thread type, size, length etc.
I am going to see if I can get the plugs out of my engines, if I can I will probably get plugs made of aluminum.
If not, I will be looking for a welder that can weld in an aluminum plug before the corrosion penetrates the casting."
 
The dealership told me this is

The dealership told me this is not covered under warranty I'm going to weld the aluminum plug in mine.And hope for the best.
 
I would suggest that you find

I would suggest that you find out what the plugs for the later model engines are made of. The '06 or '07 engine plugs may be aluminum. The plugs were redesigned some time in '05.

Does anyone know the purpose of these plugs? I noticed that there is a plastic or rubber plug in the lower engine cover that lines up with the plug like something might be intended to go through the cover and into the plug hole.
 
"According to my manual the on

"According to my manual the only change in the exhaust plug is the length was increased from 8mm to 15mm in 2005, no mention of material change, the part number is consistent for all years until the plug was eliminated in 2008.
The other plug lower down is on the oil pan and is listed as a water plug, perhaps it is for draining the exhaust water jacket prior to storage in freezing weather."
 
"Fred,in the post above you as

"Fred,in the post above you asked if the gasket for the anodes needs to be replaced when removing them I meant to say no the gasket does not need to be replaced every time most of the time you do not hurt the gasket when removing the anodes."
 
"OK,I drilled out the exhaust

"OK,I drilled out the exhaust plugs today and welded in a 1 in. diameter aluminium rod it went good after drilling out the plugs took a look inside it looked to be ok not much corrosion at all."
 
I have called Suzuki customer

I have called Suzuki customer service and was told the engine is out of warranty and corrosion is not their problem? Guy was a total ahole. I then sent them a certified letter asking what they are doing about this defective engine they sold me and got the same response. I am now filing a complaint the with the Better Business Burea which I encourage everyone to do also. I wish I knew how to get a class action lawsuit started as it seems one is needed here.
 
"I sent a certified letter als

"I sent a certified letter also, and have received no reply yet. How do you file a complaint with the BBB? I would definitely file a complaint. I am also considering contacting the Attorney General. I agree that a class action suit may be the only way to get the result needed, unfortunately I also don't know how to get one started."
 
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