[Big_Daddy]

There are actually 9837 registered users.

Just put your mouse arrow over the newest member name and then look at the bottom left of the page........... wink:

The 6195 is since the "changeover" from the old software.

BTW.......Birch, that is a very good suggestion.

 

[fishn2gthr4ever]

Thank you for the excellent suggestion, Birch! Since C&I are grounded this weekend that letter will be on the agenda.

 

[ROCK FISH]

Thank you for the excellent suggestion, Birch! Since C&I are grounded this weekend that letter will be on the agenda.

Ya might think of getting a fishing game or two so ya don't start wiggen cause you aint fishen!!

 

[SalmonSeeker]

I agree with the above. I would suggest that you take plenty of pictures, and make a nice long post about the repair process and how unresponsive Suzuki was to the issue. Suzuki may well decide not to do anything, but at least then you are warning others about Suzuki...past, present, and future. Do to this issue on your motor and others, I for one, have taken Suzuki off my list of options for new outboards. A recall years ago could have saved a lot of people thousands of dollars. How much does it cost to exchange a carbon steel plug to aluminum?

 

[Sea Cradle]

Sorry to hear about this you guys , Good luck with the fix .

 

[Guest]

since the corrosion is caused by 2 dissimilar metals touching, why dont they, and owners, just change the O2 plug to a like metal and stop it? i would so that in the future it dont happen again Tup:

 

[fishn2gthr4ever]

Good point, KC! The issue was not publicized by a Suzuki recall or notification so owners were not aware of the issue until major damage was found. Slowly, people starting writing about it on boat repair forums. By now, many Suzuki owners‘ engines have “aged out“ and have already suffered damage to the interior exhaust port within the engine holder; however, our main hope by posting here is to alert Suzuki owners who haven’t heard of this issue so that they can avert major costs (like wire harness destruction, engine failure, oil pan corrosion, among other things) or dangerous consequences like engine failure while in treacherous water, etc. Our engine holder had already corroded all the way through and we only had 350 hours on the motor…
By the way, although Suzuki has not publicly announced an issue, motors manufactured after 2008 have a newly designed engine holder - one that does not have a plug at all. Those owners should not face the same issues.

 

[Guest]

2500 bucks my rear :shock: , id have cut that plug out and had someone like steve weld up the aluminum hole and be on my way :mrgreen:

 

[fishn2gthr4ever]

I know that Steve would have done an excellent job on the repair! In some cases that we have heard others have tried the weld job, but the interior exhaust port area was so compromised that it eventually blew out again. It was an expensive fix, but it gives me a little peace of mind well (as much peace that a boat owner can have...) BOAT = bust out another thousand! :roll:

 

[Genie Aye]

Sorry to see this---As if Suzuki should not have known this was going to happen---They do have engineers--right??

As for the E-Tec---certian motors had injector issues--mostly before 08--I hav a E-Tec 200HO and started loosing injectors--Evinrude repaired with new injectors--overnighted the part at their expense and paid the repair facility--they replaced all 6 injectors before my warrenty was up because I asked them too---pretty sweet--I call this taking care of the consumer.

I had 300 hours in 2 years on it---had to have spark plugs and fittings tightened and that is it--now have over 600 hrs and has not missed a beat---Great motor for sure!!

I have had 8 different main outboards --and by far this is the best--I troll and run on the same motor.

I feel you on the trust issue--you need to trust that main before you head out. There is a reason the cost less Tdown: .

Hope you get her fixed and running soon!!

 

[fishn2gthr4ever]

Thank you for your input on the E-Tecs, Genie Aye! Cami and I are glad to hear that the motor is doing well for you. It sounds like their customer service is quite good. We are back up and running!

 

[VHawk]

These kinds of things linger a long time in a potential customers memory. A bad piece might get by any manufacturer and its engineers; but how a company responds is what catches my respect or loses it.
Good job though with those local marine dealers who value their customers.

 

[Lofty]

Due to this post I knew about this issue when I was boat shopping last year. I bought a 20' Defiance from Defiance that had a 2006 140HP Suzuki outboard. Since I knew the motor could have this problem the sales agreement was contingent on them fixing this so I wouldn’t encounter issues and large repair bills later. They agreed and according to them they sent it to another company to fix but it came back and I was told the motor didn’t have the issue due to previous work and this was a non-issue. I’ve had numerous issues after buying the boat with the TR1 they installed never working, trailer and outboard mounted at the wrong height. Last year after throwing 2 passengers to the ground I took it back for them to raise the outboard to the appropriate height as it was extremely unsafe in the ocean. After I got it back I took it out and the big motor stopped within 30 minutes on the first trip. As the season was over I waited until this year to get whatever was wrong fixed. Well, I just got the call today that I need $3k+ of repairs as the issue was never fixed by Defiance as outlined in the sales agreement and now the wiring harness is burnt as well.

I’m extremely frustrated at this point. I’ve sent Defiance an e-mail notifying them of the situation. Since the sale was contingent on this being fixed I’m expecting them to step up by themselves but will have no option but to go to court if they don’t. Will keep everyone posted on what kind of company they are and how they treat their customers. Will serve papers next week if there isn’t a positive outcome by then.

 

[Mortamor]

Have an 07 Suzuki DF 140, with 375 hours and purrs like a kitten, never had any trouble with it yet knock on a stainless propeller. At present I can't say any bad about it.

 

[TMIB]

Glad this post was stickied. The new boat came with a 2005 DF115 Suzuki. I ordered the "gold plug" aluminum replacement immediately, and last week I pulled the stock plug.

"Pulled" is a bit of a misnomer. The plug was corroded in place, so I ended up drilling it out, then using a square extractor on it. Unfortunately the back end of the plug had corroded so badly that there were no threads left on the bottom 1/4" and as I backed it out, the aluminum threaded hole cracked. The good news is that all pieces were still present, so I used some JB Weld and clamped it in place until it set overnight. I figured I could get it TIG welded if needed, but I'd start with the easy solution. I find that JB weld works very well in some situations and very poorly in others. In this case it worked great and everything sealed up fine. (note that this particular port isn't over a water passage or oil passage, which helps). I put the Gold Plug in, and I think it should be fine. I'll keep an eye on it to make sure no further issues develop, but given the corrosion didn't seem to have spread yet, I think I caught it in time.

 

[TMIB]

quick update: The plug didn't work so well, since there were not enough threads left to hold it properly. It popped out on Saturday, and took a bit of the cracked piece of thread with it. That caused the exhaust to leak into the cowling and triggered the 3-2 engine code which is normally associated with this issue.

I cleaned things up a bit, and then JB welded the threads, the plug, the surrounding hole, etc. I took it out for a run today and it seems to be fine. We'll see if it works long term. If it doesn't hold, my next step will be to grind out all the JB weld and do a proper aluminum weld on it.

Here's a pretty good post on the topic from someone on another forum, with some good pictures of the problem and a welded fix:

Suzuki DF140 "engine holder" corrosion fix! - The Hull Truth - Boating and Fishing Forum

 

[hapuka]

I bought a DF20A Suzuki It has played up since new for 3 yrs now it goes good for about 5 minutes then starts to miss the mechanic has replaced 2 censers replaced all the wiring plus other bits and pieces.I live in Weipa at the top of Australia which is about 10HR drive to Cairns where the mechanic lives. He comes to Weipa about every 5 to 6 wks .last time he was in Weipa we took the boat for a run & he plugged a computer into the outboard, he found there was a fault in a white plastic switch so he disconnected the switch and bypassed it. then the motor wouldn't start so he put the switch back on. still wouldn't start so we rowed home and he took the motor back home to Cairns to fix. He had it running and was bringing it back to Weipa last week, he took the outboard for a run just before he came up and had to row home. So now they are going to replace the wiring AGAIN? By time I get it back it will have been out for 3 months. He has sent computer print outs to the experts at Suzuki and they keep coming up with different solutions. I have told Suzuki that they should replace the motor but they say they will fix the problem. Its been three yrs so far and it has run out of warranty. If it plays up again when I get it back I will lose the plot.

 

[wannafish]

I bought a DF20A Suzuki It has played up since new for 3 yrs now it goes good for about 5 minutes then starts to miss the mechanic has replaced 2 censers replaced all the wiring plus other bits and pieces.I live in Weipa at the top of Australia which is about 10HR drive to Cairns where the mechanic lives. He comes to Weipa about every 5 to 6 wks .last time he was in Weipa we took the boat for a run & he plugged a computer into the outboard, he found there was a fault in a white plastic switch so he disconnected the switch and bypassed it. then the motor wouldn't start so he put the switch back on. still wouldn't start so we rowed home and he took the motor back home to Cairns to fix. He had it running and was bringing it back to Weipa last week, he took the outboard for a run just before he came up and had to row home. So now they are going to replace the wiring AGAIN? By time I get it back it will have been out for 3 months. He has sent computer print outs to the experts at Suzuki and they keep coming up with different solutions. I have told Suzuki that they should replace the motor but they say they will fix the problem. Its been three yrs so far and it has run out of warranty. If it plays up again when I get it back I will lose the plot.

That is tough to handle. I am hoping they solve your problem.!

 

[sadsuzukimotor]

Here is a link to my Youtube Suzuki Video Requiem for a Suzuki Outboard Engine

To understand the Suzuki Outboard problem and why you should stay away from buying a new Suzuki it may help to review the Suzuki Outboard Marketing Modus Operandi. It is harder to get in contact with the Suzuki Corporation in Japan than to try to locate a gang of Yakuza on the lam. The Suzuki US Distributor has not email address and no fax number. When I finally located a good address and zipcode for Suzuki in Japan, I got a reply by fax from the US Suzuki distributor with no return fax number. The Suzuki Outboard MO is to market Suzukis on boats that normally come with good engines like Yamahas, thru dealers with questionable ethics. No ethical dealer is going to market a Suzuki knowing that there will be warranty support issues if warranty support is needed. The dealer buys the new boat from the manufacturer with no motors and installs cheaper suzukis that go to the unsuspecting customer. Another Suzuki tactic is to try to convince consumers to repower with Suzukis. The problem is probably caused in part because the japanese sell the Suzukis to the US distributor with no warranty and the US Distributor becomes like a slimy warranty company that sells aftermarket warranties. That is a guess but there has to be some reason for such bad warranty coverage. The problem is like a cancer, bad warranty means only bad dealers will handle Suzukis. Buy a Yamaha or a Mercury because Suzuki is synonmous with Heartache and trouble.

 

[Crabcake Tony]

Hi Folks! Have been lurking for quite a while and this thread reminded me of another similar thread on another site, not fishing but photography.

Japanese manufactures for the most part have an aversion to admit they are wrong - and just try and avoid the problem by looking away. Its a Japanese culture thing.

I can tell you that Nikon (for one) came out with a camera a few years back that had some major problems. Nikon put their head in the sand and ignored all the complaints and wouldn't admit it was a warranty problem. And not the first time for either Canon or Nikon!

Well, one smart guy got his lawyer involved. The lawyer advertised on one of the most popular photography sites (also the one that had everyone railing against Nikon) that he had been retained for a class action suite against Nikon, and any members of the site who bought this model camera and couldn't get their problems resolved by Nikon could join in on the class action that was being started.

Guess what? Within 3 weeks, Nikon publicly admitted the problem on their web site, and put in place a warranty replacement program!!!

You see, most states have treble damages for bad faith by a manufacturer. A class action could have cost them millions. And we're only talking about a $1,600.00 camera - not a $16k outboard!!

So, if you really want to get their attention, get an attorney and advertise for a class action! It works!