Anyone with the new Suzuki DF15A or DF20A Outboard?

[ranger58sb]

Thanks, Mark, very helpful.

With that, I was also able to find an owners manual, although it's in Russian so it's pretty slow reading for me

See http://suzuki.ru/uploads/files/226/DF9.9B_15A_20A.pdf if you're interested. Actually, even just the pictures/diagrams is helpful for my immediate purposes...

I'm not so concerned about the horsepower; in fact, I had been leaning more toward a 10... but I eventually decided a little more couldn't hurt. But I probably wouldn't really notice any difference between 15 and 20, since we mostly putter around more than anything else.

Anyway, thanks again, very useful info!

-Chris

[a64pilot]

Today I put the first three hours of break-in on mine. I would tell you that puttering around is where it excels, it doesn't load up and smoke like a two stroke and seems like it would be very happy puttering around although the manual warns about frequent oil changes if you just troll with the motor.

[ranger58sb]

From cursory review of the Russian-language owner's manual, I deduce Suzuki's new 9.9B is another version of the same motor. The Suzuki website -- which seems to me to not be all that great -- does now show a 9.9B, not in the main list of portables, but in the sliding strip of motors across the bottom.

It's the same dimensions/weight as the 15/20hp models... so I'd guess intent is to provide a product that is horsepower-compliant with various local regs, and/or with that horsepower/weight/capacities sticker on various boats.

In the older 2-stoke world, it was quite common for 10s and 15s to be built on the same platform, and 20s/30s were on a larger platform. In the 4-stroke world, it's been 8s and 10s on one, 15s and 20s on another, etc. Suzuki is apparently breaking that mold here... but in the grand scheme of things, since the 9.9B isn't any lighter than the DF15A/DF20A, it wouldn't really offer me any particular advantage.

Still... perhaps useful for some to know it's out there....

-Chris

[colemj]

Since the Suzuki's are fuel injected and computer controlled, it is very easy to make a single engine be any HP less than the physical limits of displacement and bore/stroke. For example, the 15hp is simply limited to lower revs and a different fuel rate by the computer over the 20hp. It looks like they have carried that down to the 9.9B also.

Mark

[a64pilot]

whatever it's worth Mercury covers their entire larger motor range from 150 to 300 hp Verados with two different engines, smaller four cyl 150 to 200 is the same motor with different programming and the 225 to 300 are the six cyl with different programming.
De-tuning for parts commonality etc. is becoming more and more common.

Way back in the day when laws were changed to only allow less than 10 hp motors in many locations, it was common for a manufacturer to simply label up to 15 hp motors as 9.9's because 10 to 15 hp motors weren't as marketable the day after the law prohibiting them in certain locations was passed, but changing the label didn't change the hp of course

[ranger58sb]

Yep, the computer control and common parts all make sense to me.

FWIW, I've just been looking more at the suzukimarine.com website; gotta say it's not the most helpful thing in the free world.

Call your dealer. Well, OK, that'd be useful if I owned the product. Otherwise the local dealers I've spoken with on the phone haven't been overly enthused... I assume since I'm not an owner.

It's not obvious that softcopy manuals are even available, although the Russian-language example argues that it oughta be a no-brainer. Nor is it obvious that the DFxxA models even have an owners manual or service manual; at least the site's order list, which appears to be hardcopy only but doesn't say that, doesn't include the DFxxA models.

Nor do they accept e-mail (although at least they clearly state why).

They have a link to make suggestions about the website... but the link doesn't actually go to anywhere where one can make suggestions about the website.

I assume you guys got hardcopy owners manuals? Did you dealer offer to -- or agree to -- supply softcopy manuals?

-Chris

[a64pilot]

It came with an owners manual, a service manual can be purchased

[ranger58sb]

That's what I would have expected. Hardcopy only?

-Chris

[a64pilot]

I assume, owners manuals generally aren't of much use. I don't know about the service manual

[colemj]

The service manual is very complete - it is for service technicians and covers absolutely everything about taking apart and rebuilding the engine. I have only been able to find hardcopies of both service and owner (excepting the Russian one above). I'm hoping to never need the service manual, and the owner's manual can be memorized in a single reading (like every other useless owner's manual).

Mark

[s/v Jedi]

Of course, Mark is going to scan the service manual in order to have it in his e-book library

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by colemj

...and the owner's manual can be memorized in a single reading (like every other useless owner's manual).

Yeah, that's what I would expect.

BTW, Mark and A64, what's your assessment about work involved to pull, clean, and reinstall an injector (or both)? Easy? Moderately difficult? Have to dismantle the whole engine including the lower skeg and prop to do it? Or...?

-Chris

[colemj]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Of course, Mark is going to scan the service manual in order to have it in his e-book library

Sure, I have nothing else going on at the moment - by the time I get done handling it, it will only be one thick page long anyway…

Mark

[colemj]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

Yeah, that's what I would expect.

BTW, Mark and A64, what's your assessment about work involved to pull, clean, and reinstall an injector (or both)? Easy? Moderately difficult? Have to dismantle the whole engine including the lower skeg and prop to do it? Or...?

-Chris

To pull and reinstall an injector is dead simple and easy. Remove the bolt holding the fuel line on it and pull it out - it seats in the block using a rubber grommet and they are readily accessible without removing anything else. I don't know about cleaning one.

Why are you concerned about servicing the injectors?

Mark

[a64pilot]

I've run my power boat with a Merc 175 hp Verado for the last fours years and have never had any fuel injector issues. Now, I always Sta-Bil the fuel too, but I think it's the air / fuel interface in a carburetor that causes the varnishing and gumming up, I hope that since there is no air in a fuel injection system, that fuel gumming and varnishing is a non-issue, but I will always use Sta-Bil anyway.
In other words, I hope with this little Zuk engine that we won't have fuel problems, but time will tell.