My DF6a got seized after 30 hours of working due to a design flaw !! careful handling , correct storage, oil change at 20hours, cleaning with fresh water after every use didn't help. And repair cost was not covered by the warranty. The mechanic showed me that even if you keep it in upright position for hours, there is still water left in the cooling chambers. You have to keep this engine at negative trim angle (tilt it backards) until the chambers are completely drained. Keep in mind: While mounted on an engine trolley, the engine is at upright position and while carrying it is at positive trim position. Just tilt it back and watch see water come out.
I'm sorry to hear that! I've heard of certain Suzukis doing that and that would DEFINITELY be an engineering design problem. I haven't had any of those issues thank God but I am aware of people that have had that problem. With me personally, if I DID have that issue, and Suzuki would not do whatever it took to fix it..on their dime...I would never buy another Suzuki product again for life..so ultimately it would be their HUGE LOSS. Did you go with another engine brand and how is your current outboard experience working out?
@@jimmyfraser11 thanks,I had the problem 10 days ago, and it was fixed in 5 days. First the service said that Suzuki accepted a design flaw, but later that day they said that they have checked my engine serial number and there's no problem with my engine. So I had to pay myself. It was a relatively small repair, only both valves were stuck, pistons were fine and the saltwater didn't enter cylinders. Therefore I'll be using the engine . I'm planning to buy a bigger boat, I definitely wont buy Suzuki and I'll check out if other brand users have similar guarantee issues or not. Also I'm thinking of replacing oils and filters myself from now on, because I'm pretty sure that warranty is nonsense.
Oh that's good! I'm glad you got the problem resolved though yes...they still should have footed the bill for that..in my opinion. It has also been my experience that most "warranties" are worthless though every once in awhile a reputable, sincere company and staff come along. Thanks for your feedback and happy boating my friend!
@@boatsandoutboards9070 I wonder if it got in somehow if maybe you didn't let it completely drain out before picking up the foot, then the water flowed back up into the engine. I have a chance to get one tomorrow very low hrs supposed to run perfect but he has already had to clean the carb from sitting with non ethanol fuel in it, seemed kind of odd. I thought maybe that could have been water got in the carb maybe, is yours still running good?
Thanks for the video. My portabote will be delivered tomorrow. Just got the call from the shipping company. Not sure when my DF6A will arrive, but I'm getting pretty excited.
@@rodgraff1782 cheers Rob. Appreciate the tip. I'm wintering it atm. Will drain the carb. It's only stored upright next to the seagull so fingers crossed
Good to see im breaking in a 6 horse 2020 mariner at the moment only done the first hour will be doing the second soon iv seen that 6 horse power will get up to 20mph so good luck with your engine
Good luck.. We bought one of these, a 2018 Suzuki DF6A S2, and there is a factory defect. Anytime it is stored for longer than a few weeks the exhaust valve seizes up. This is an ongoing problem with these engines, and if you look at the Suzuki forums, many people are experiencing the same problem. Some people have given up, junked them, and bought something reliable. We had the whole valve train replaced under warranty, along with the cylinder head, as the seized valve actually bent the push rod. The Suzuki servicing dealer stated that Suzuki has a problem with their valves. Even after the repair, the problem has re concurred. You cannot store these motors outside in a Marine environment. Suzuki says that the engines need to be stored inside, in a dry environment, The materials used for the valve and guide, evidently corrode during storage, because of a defect that allows moisture to condense in the exhaust valve area. Our engine only had a few hours on it when this started happening, and it now only has about thirty hours total. To get the engine running, I have to remove the valve cover and use a small slide hammer, attached to the exhaust valve retainer, to pull the stuck valve back. I then work it back and forth with finger pressure a few times, and it will then run. I have found if I disconnect the water tube, that leads out of the thermostat, and connects to the exhaust leg, and leave it off, the moisture will vent out, and this seems to help. I like the engine, when it works, but it has been super un reliable. One should not have to free up stuck valves after the engine has sat for a while. We use a fuel stabilizer, and drain the float bowl after every use. We do the fresh water flush, and store the engine upright on a outboard mounting bracket, at the transom of our trawler. We follow the maintenance schedule, and use Suzuki lubricants and maintenance kits. Suzuki customer support has been lousy, and the selling dealer Port-a-Bote International in Mountain View CA, has been no help. There have been reports of this same problem on the 2019 and 2020 engines, along with our 2018 model. You can read my, and several other bad reviews on productreview.com.au
Wow! I am SO SORRY to hear that! That's the first I've heard about any issues with these motors! I did however already have to take ours to the factory because during a rough tide and strong winds I slammed into a bridge piling pretty hard (trying to get to that fishing spot..lol) which resulted in a major overheat. I took it to the factory and they told me that the push rod had come through the cylinder head cover, which helped lead to a major overheat. I Thank God that they inspected everything thoroughly and said that there was ZERO engine damage mechanically. They installed a new valve cover gasket ( the old one melted), a new cylinder cover and gasket..and for good measure replaced the water pump and thermostat. The engine checked out fine after that. She only has about 11 hours on her right now but I keep a HAWK'S EYE on that motor everytime we take it out. If I EVER started having the repeated multiple problems that you're having I would DEFINITELY ditch the motor and go with a completely different one. NO ONE should be caught up in that kind of stupid crap ESPECIALLY on a new or late model, low hours engine. Thanks for watching and thank you so much for your testimony! Keep me posted as to the progress (or sale of) your motor and no matter WHAT we have to do..happy boating and fishing from here on out!
Boating And Learning As We Go : After your done running, I would un clamp and remove the water hose that exits the thermostat, and leave it off, so any moisture left in the exhaust ports can evaporate out, instead of condensing on the valve stem and guide. This seems to be helping with the problem. Could you check your engine and see if there is any kind of vent installed there? John Walker, who has a you tube video about his port a boat and Suzuki DF6A, had the same issue I have. He said the servicing dealer installed some sort of breather valve to vent moisture away from the exhaust valve area. The shop was very vague about describing the part, and did not show it to him, or give him any paper work with a part number. When I called Suzuki, in Brea California, they said there was no such update part, and there were no service letters, or reports of this valve problem. When I asked, that they address the problem, they said they were not technical people, and hung up on me. I called back and left a message, and they will not call me back. Port A Bote International in Mountain View California, will not help me, or talk to Suzuki on my behalf either. They have been no help, and will not take the engine back or exchange it. I like the engine, when it works, because of the ability to store it on three sides, it’s lightness, etc. I just wish that it was not so susceptible to corrosion. Most people in our marina, store their tender motors, on the tender, or on a rail mounted storage mount, not inside on a dry room as Suzuki suggests you do. That tells me something, that maybe they know about this problem. There is a consumer guide Australia that is full of complaints and problems with these engines having problems after they are stored. There are also numerous threads on Marine Engine . Com and the Suzuki forums. Most people who are having this problem have junked the engines out and bought something more reliable. Look for threads that say, bent push rods and valves, no compression. After storage, etc. hope you don’t suffer from any of the issues.
It's a good thing I purchased the latest version of that Suzuki engine because in 2020 & 2021 Suzuki has completely remedied the corrosion/moisture collecting issue. I don't have that problem.
I ONLY use ethanol free fuel mixed with Stabil fuel stabilizer...and so far she runs perfectly with zero issues. I don't like to use fuel with ethanol in anything that has a carburetor..even 93 octane. Thanks for watching!🎉
Hi Brad! I would think that with the external fuel tank that you would keep the onboard fuel tank cap closed, since the motor won't be pulling fuel from the onboard tank. If you have an older external fuel tank and it has a vent cap on it, I would open that up while running the motor. I believe a lot of the newer external fuel tanks are non vented due to the EPA requirements, but instead they have some sort of spray valve/fuel regulator in the hose run itself in place of the older vented cap system. Feel free to check back in and let us know how it worked out!
How big is the drum? I have brand new Suzuki DF6A and the manual says use 55 gallon drum to do this. ⬆️ But the blue drum doesn’t look like 55 gallon drum.
The drum has no marking on it but I'm pretty sure it's a 55 gallon drum. If it's not, I've never had any issues running the motor inside of it. As long as you have plenty of room for the prop to turn properly, it should be good. :)
Have you connected Externl fuel tank to it? I purchased Suzuki 6 HP Outboard Motor, Model DF6AS2 last week, and it will ship either this week or so. I am interested in adding External fuel talk, but I am not sure about the type of engine connector I should look for. If you have some suggestions for connecting remote fuel talk to the motor that would be a big help.
Hi! No we haven't connected an external tank to the motor. Usually where we like to go, we just top it off once in awhile when we're beached somewhere doing some fishing and that has worked well for us. We keep a small 2 gallon spill proof gas container on the boat with us ( ethanol free fuel only + Stabil ) and we rarely use more than 1 gallon each time we take it out for a few hours. Congratulations on your motor purchase and have a great time with your new Suzuki motor!
Aloha! Planning on getting this motor here in Alaska for my 16' Grumman Sport boat (square stern). How is this motor doing 2 years in? 6hp is the maximum rated for my boat. Thanks! Mark
@Brad...Ours is a 2020 model and the Suzuki Owner's Manual clearly says .7 liters (24 oz.) for ours. Maybe they changed the oil amount on the 2021 but whatever it is I would go strictly with whatever your Owner's Manual says. Hope that helps.
Why are outboard motors always in need of such lengthy break in routines ? Generators, water pumps, brush cutters and chainsaws generally get put straight into hard service and somehow survive ok.
@@jimmyfraser11 my Suzuki 6hp arrives tomorrow. Chose the white model as I think it looks quite nice. Looks I'll have to spend a full day on the water and get this break in over and done with.
Hi Joel! Yes we ran the motor all day a few weeks ago on our 12 ft. Porta-Bote. We ran it in the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway. It was me, my wife and our boat loaded with fishing gear, coolers, anchor...fully loaded down 12 ft. boat. The motor ran strong...top speed we got was 11 mph. We turned the motor off and on multiple times and it always started on the first pull. It's a very fuel efficient motor..cost us $3.50 to run the boat all day. I would highly recommend this motor. We love ours!
Check out the reviews on productreviews.com.au before you buy. After owning our lemon Suzuki DF6A for almost three years, I’d never buy another Suzuki outboard. They should have just stuck to motorcycles. The customer service after the sale is horrible.
@@jimmyfraser11 I have a chinese motor that's about 2 years old that I've lost confidence in. This gives me confidence that this motor could work for what I do in the Pacific.
@@Ben-bd8yf in garage i flushed it in non salty water and run it out of petrol.. ive got it fixed yesterday by mechanic,will update you what the real problem was..
@@Ben-bd8yf there was no issue if i can say like that,i didnt start a engine a single time from december till now so the exhaust valve got seizured.. mechanic cleaned it and now it works like charm
I was only able to get into the stage at 1.45 hours at 3K R/PM and had to pack up for the day. Can I finish my last stage of 4K R/PM in the morning like I had planned? Also for the most part I stayed at 3K for 1.45 hrs with maybe 10-15 minutes of reduced idle all together in that whole time, is this also ok? Thanks!
