2018 Suzuki DF30A Knocking sound for a few seconds on cold start

[Mr Manouche]

I have a df70 with the same noise. Any updates on the issue that caused it?

 

[Clawtooth]

I finally got my boat back just before the corona virus lockdown, and have not been able to use it much. They say they replaced the power head with a new one. I have only started the engine a couple times and it still makes noise for a few seconds and now there is also a squeal or whining sound. I uploaded a short clip if you care to take a listen.




The mechanics at the shop say they never heard the original noise I was complaining about. I am not sure if the rep from Suzuki that went to the shop heard it or not, ( Customer no service at Suzuki was hard to understand on the phone at times, acted as if it was a chore to speak to me, and was rude at times. I asked to speak to someone else but was not able to ) The Suzuki rep took the oil filter and sample to test and they say they found metal in the oil so they told the shop to tear the engine down. This engine does not have rod or cam bearings. Mechanics say the rods were ok, there was some damage to the head in the location you would expect to find a cam bearing. Nobody has said what the knocking sound could have been.




The reason they replaced the power head with a new one is that the exhaust manifold was defective. This engine was doomed from the day it left the factory. The surface where the manifold attaches to the head was not true and was allowing water/vapor to enter the cylinder through the exhaust valve. Mechanics say it caused rust in the head and cylinder wall, then the rings would wipe the rust away and it would circulate in the oil through the engine after overcoming the filter. They said suzuki rep told the mechanics that this is not the first one they have seen and that there was a revision on the exhaust manifold. They were surprised there was no water in the oil.




Is it common to use black RTV when assmbling a power head ? This one has it sqeezing out at the head to block, head cover, and exhaust manifold. Just asking since I did not see anything in the service manual about it, and the original engine did not show signs of having RTV on the gaskets.

 

[Clawtooth]

That looks like a complete tear down. I wonder how it came to that instead of replacing it.
I can imagine your pain. Hopefully they will get a working motor back to you soon.

I have less than 6 hours on the new power head right now and have only cold started it 3 times. I am posting a picture of the bill showing the list of parts and the price. I attempted to get Suzuki to just replace the engine instead of making me wait so long to get back on the water. They refused and instead spent damn near the cost of a new engine to leave me with an engine that still does not seem right to me and that I have no confidence in. This has been a terrible experience, and I am sorry I bought this engine.

 

[Clawtooth]

I have a df70 with the same noise. Any updates on the issue that caused it?

I just posted in the same thread about what they found.

Besides this DF30A I also have a 2016 DF70A and it does not make any noise like this 30 does.

 

[jasper60103]

Yea, this is disappointing. Poor customer service on Suzuki's part.
Thanks for sharing and update.

 

[lakensea]

Yea, this is disappointing. Poor customer service on Suzuki's part.
Thanks for sharing and update.

Keep in mind that the OP, for some reason, purchased the engine from a dealer too far away for service. He then self diagnosed and worked on the engine himself and states that he does not trust dealers. He also did not report the problem to the local Suzuki dealer (that he did not purchase from) for a year after discovering the problem.

 

[Clawtooth]

Keep in mind that the OP, for some reason, purchased the engine from a dealer too far away for service. He then self diagnosed and worked on the engine himself and states that he does not trust dealers. He also did not report the problem to the local Suzuki dealer (that he did not purchase from) for a year after discovering the problem.

Keep in mind that the OP, for some reason, purchased the engine from a dealer too far away for service.



I went to an out of town dealer for the original purchase because there were no local dealers with this boat and engine combination in stock. Local dealer could have ordered it, it would have taken time to deliver and they couldnt match the price.




He then self diagnosed and worked on the engine himself.



The Suzuki shop owner I took the engine to said there is absolutely no problem with me servicing my engine myself, including adjusting the valve lash, as long as I kept receipts and notes.

What in the world could be wrong in trying to self diagnose my engine? First thing I was trying to do was see if it was a normal sound. For all I knew this was a normal sound. This site and many others are full of folks trying to figure out what kind of problem their machine might have.




and states that he does not trust dealers.


I said I didn't have a mechanic I could take it to that I fully trusted. There are good an bad mechanics. Before this issue I had not visited any shop for any reason, so I wanted to have some idea if the sound was normal or not. When it came down to it, none of the mechanics that listened to the engine heard anything, so that would have been the end of it if I had not insisted and they did the test on the oil and found metal.




He also did not report the problem to the local Suzuki dealer (that he did not purchase from) for a year after discovering the problem.


As far as how long it took for me to report the problem. The first times I remember hearing the sound were very intermittent and rare. I was not expecting it to happen and was not recording them, and it only lasted about 3 seconds. When I thought the engine started making noise consistantly, I got right on it, recorded the sounds, got opinions on what was happening then took it in to the shop. And I will say it again, the mechanics never heard an abnormal sound when starting the engine.


I was completely honest with the shop and Suzuki with the evolution of my concerns with the engine, they did not have a problem with the timeline, so I dont know why you or anyone else would.

 

[Clawtooth]

Yea, this is disappointing. Poor customer service on Suzuki's part.
Thanks for sharing and update.

I must say that Suzuki did live up to their warranty. It would have been great to just have a new engine hung on the boat and I could have got right back on the water but the warranty says they will repair the engine and that is what they did. I hope in time that I will be more confident in the engine and it gives me many more years of service.

I took the boat out yesterday and I must say that it does sound better than it did in some of the videos I took. I will just have to see how things go from here. Maybe the sound I hear now is just normal exhaust sounds, I did not hear that sharp knocking sound yesterday. I have my fingers crossed and I will keep my towing insurance current

 

[jasper60103]

I must say that Suzuki did live up to their warranty. It would have been great to just have a new engine hung on the boat and I could have got right back on the water but the warranty says they will repair the engine and that is what they did. I hope in time that I will be more confident in the engine and it gives me many more years of service.

I took the boat out yesterday and I must say that it does sound better than it did in some of the videos I took. I will just have to see how things go from here. Maybe the sound I hear now is just normal exhaust sounds, I did not hear that sharp knocking sound yesterday. I have my fingers crossed and I will keep my towing insurance current

Great news. Maybe it just breaking in. All you can do is run it. Hopefully things continue to get better.

 

[Clawtooth]

I just wanted to come back and clarify for anyone who has made it this far in the thread. Suzuki fully covered the replacement of the power head and labor. I could have been more clear about that in earlier posts.

I posted the bill to show what it cost in parts to repair this engine vs the cost of the engine new. You can see in the image that the two sections shown say "warranty claim" and then I blacked out the number. The only part I paid out of pocket was for a new timing belt, thermostat, and gasket to be installed during the assembly of the new power head. ( about $80.00)

They covered this under warranty because from what the shop told me, the exhaust manifold was defective. It was allowing water to pass the exhaust valve of cylinder #1 as the engine cooled and cause rust in the head and the cylinder wall. The mechanics never heard an unusual sound from the engine, but if I had not complained, Suzuki would not have done the test on the oil and found the damage that was taking place inside the engine based on the metal they found in the oil. The shop told me that there was a revision to the exhaust manifold, but I do not know what years or how many engines may have been affected.

I have 9 hours on the engine now and the squealing / whining sound seems to have gone away. I am going to assume that it was caused by the new timing belt.

It took quite a while to get my boat back on the water but fish is back on the menu so all is well that ends well.

 

[jasper60103]

I just wanted to come back and clarify for anyone who has made it this far in the thread. Suzuki fully covered the replacement of the power head and labor. I could have been more clear about that in earlier posts.

....

I have 9 hours on the engine now and the squealing / whining sound seems to have gone away. I am going to assume that it was caused by the new timing belt.

It took quite a while to get my boat back on the water but fish is back on the menu so all is well that ends well.

Excellent!