Is the 1999 Suzuki DT100 a lemon?

[wportkid]

I bought a 1999 Suzuki DT100 2 years ago and have had nothing but problems with it. Is this model just a bad motor? So far I've spent $1400+ at a Suzuki dealer for servicing (multiple visits)...cleaned the carbs, rebuilt the carbs, full tune up etc, plus many many hours working on it myself. Replaced the fuel tank and lines, add Stabil and Sea Foam to the fuel all the time. It runs rough, stalls when idling, coughs and sneezes at low to mid speed, drops RPMs at WOT, lots of unburned fuel / oil out the exhaust into the water, etc. etc. Does anyone out there have a DT100 that runs well? I've owned outboards for 50+ years and never had as many problems with one motor. I'm thinking I should just dump this motor and start fresh with a new one. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[bodogg]

Re: Is the 1999 Suzuki DT100 a lemon?

Hi, have you checked for all cylinders firing properly? or the timing? With the fuel we have today the float valve can get a glaze over the needle and not seat properly causing gas to continue to pour in to the carbs a lot of mechanics miss the obvious. That was not a lemon,most every engine fails now due to crappy gas!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Is the 1999 Suzuki DT100 a lemon?

Poorly trained technicians produce poor work. Plain and simple. Poor communications on the part of the owner produces questionable results. If you took the boat to a technician and said the carbs need cleaning, he did that, and then the engine still ran poorly you cannot blame the technician. He did what you told him to do and if he did more you would have complained. So communicate -- tell them what you are experiencing and don't leave out the part about what YOU have done. Many owners muck up their work and then complain about the labor costs when the technician is trying to sort out the issue. No -- the engine is not a lemon.

 

[grid]

Re: Is the 1999 Suzuki DT100 a lemon?

Thank you for what I've been saying (and writing about) for 54 years, Silvertip. Masterfully stated.

 

[wportkid]

Re: Is the 1999 Suzuki DT100 a lemon?

Thanks for all of your feedback. I haven't done any work on the motor myself...I'm not a mechanic by any stretch. What I did myself was replace the fuel tank, replace the fuel line from tank to fuel/water separator, and installed a new fuel/water separator. I did all of that because I suspected crud in the 24 year old fuel tank. Also started always adding Sea Foam and Stabil to the fuel last spring. When I've brought the boat into the local Suzuki dealer, I've just explained what the motor was doing (or not doing)...then they would call and let me know what they had to do and what it would cost. I always let them do what they recommended. As I said, I've owned outboards for 50+ years and never had these kinds of ongoing problems...I also never owned a Suzuki before. At this point it's about time to haul the boat for the season anyway, so I'll probably just bring it to a different mechanic in the spring. Or just dump this motor and buy a Yamaha which I've never had these problems with.

 

[99yam40]

Re: Is the 1999 Suzuki DT100 a lemon?

May need to find a better Suzuki tech if they send it back to you without fixing the motor properly.
coughs and sneezes indicate lean sneeze to me.

Compression, spark, and timing are all easy to check and make sure in spec.
Then you are left with fuel problems

 

[wportkid]

Re: Is the 1999 Suzuki DT100 a lemon?

Thanks for your reply. Could I learn how to check compression, spark, and timing? What would I need for tools and equipment? I did buy the shop manual for this motor.

 

[99yam40]

Re: Is the 1999 Suzuki DT100 a lemon?

need a compression gauge, a spark tester, and a timing light.
your service manual should cover how to do it, just need to read up