suzuki df200 oil / compression / valve issues

c-hawk25

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Dec 20, 2014
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a little over a year ago i bought a used boat with 2007 suzuki df 200 on it. a suzuki mechanic told me that i dont need to do a compression test on it if it turns up to the proper rpm range. terrible advice...
after a summer of use on the chesapeake bay i had to add about 3 qts of engine oil. about 1/2 way through the summer i started noticing a little bit of oil coming up from the lower unit. oil appeared thin but just to be sure i ruled out lower unit oil leak with a pressure test. so it seems the unburnt oil is coming out through the propeller exhaust. there is also a very thin film of oil on the engine head. took it for a 200 hr service and the mechanic told me it had over 8000 minutes of strait idle only time on the engine. He says that the issue is "valves not seating properly," due to excessive idle only time and that the oil im seeing is due to oil blowing by the valves because they are not seating properly. I have heard of issues like this on 4 stroke outboards through word of mouth. crabbers running trot lines in the chesapeake will generally idle from their docks to their trot lines, idle all day, then idle back home. This is the reason for the excessive idle time. mechanic says to keep the valves seating properly you need to run the engine at verying speeds to prevent this issue.
There is loss of compression but the engine still runs well and the mechanic told me "its the begining of the end," for the motor. He said it shouldnt leave me stranded as long as i keep oil in it, but i would get 1 maybe 2 more years out of it if im lucky.
He said i may get lucky by running the **** out of it and the valves might but probably wont reseat.
he also claims that the cost to fix the problem would be almost as much as a new motor.
does anyone have any suggestions, ideas, or experience with this? I really don't want to have to buy a new motor!!

Thanks for any input

​c-hawk25
 

robert graham

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Apr 16, 2009
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6,908
if it was my motor I'd just keep it, run it and enjoy it...check oil regularly and try to run the motor at mid and upper RPM's frequently....heck, it may run for many years!....not perfect maybe, but it'll keep running for you, hopefully!....
 

c-hawk25

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Dec 20, 2014
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Thats my game plan. Im just hoping someone out there had run into this and found a decently priced fixed. And since the mechanic is a suzuki dealer maybe he made it sound a little worse then it is for a sales pitch.

Thanks
 

robert graham

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Apr 16, 2009
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6,908
Well, you know mechanics and people can and will say just about anything, but outside of major repairs$$$, about all you can do is run that motor and enjoy it....of course that's just my humble opinion....
 

99yam40

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Sep 7, 2008
Messages
8,851
May need to find different mechanics as both you have talked to a full of it.

Never buy a use motor that you do not do a leak down or at least a compression test on.

But just how is the oil leaking by valves that do not seat properly?
There is not suppose to be oil in the combustion chamber to leak out past the valves
If they do not seat then pressure would be blowing back into the intake or out the exhaust.
Do not see how that would do anything with loosing oil.
Doing a leak down test will show if intake or exhaust valves are leaking by.
sounds like you need to be checking oil level more often too.

Oil leaks maybe be hard to locate , but that is what it sounds like you have.
 

c-hawk25

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Dec 20, 2014
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99yam40

I am aware i made a mistake buying before doing the tests. I had some bad advice from a suzuki mechanic that i will never use again.
Anyway, there is oil coming out of the exhaust and there is oil coming out the intake making the thin film of oil on the engine head. And yes the mechanic did do the tests you stated and he gave me all the compression numbers which are low. I put around 300 hrs on this summer, not nearly as much as normal. but did have to add 3 qts of oil, so its not going through it to fast.
Just looking to see if ayone has a remedy to the problem that has already been diagnosed.
constructive feedback only please...

Thanks
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
One quart of oil for each 100 hours of use is not the end of the world. If the engine consumed or leaked one drop of oil per engine revolution it would be consuming gallons of oil. However, due to extended idle usage, it is possible the valve stems have become coated with deposits which may be preventing the valves from sealing which does affect compression. Those deposits may also cause valve guide and seal damage that would cause oil to pass into the combustion chamber. This situation might be resolved to some degree by using heavy doses of a fuel system additive like Sea Foam or any of the engine manufacturer provided fuel system additives. Excessive idle can also cause rings to stick in the piston grooves which also results in low compression. Your local auto store should carry a product called Rislone. It is an extremely high detergent oil that is an excellent engine cleaner. It has been around for decades and works wonders on stuck rings. Change the engine oil and replace one quart of oil with one quart of Rislone. Run the engine no higher than 4000 rpm for about one month and change the oil again but this time use a full amount of regular oil. If you notice any improvement at all you might try this treatment again. While this engine may perform fine whether you see improvement in oil consumption or not, by all means check oil level before every trip and keep it topped off.
 
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