Suzuki DF 9.9A Questions

[okeewoman]

Hi! I'm new to the forum and yes I'm a woman but have been around boats all my life. I have a 2011 (or possibly a 2010) DF 9.9A that I purchased new in 2011. The last few times I've had it out after it's been running awhile it will bump like I've hit something then the motor hesitates (not stalls) and the signal light on the tiller handle comes on. I put it in neutral then the light goes off then I take off and a little further it does it again. It's not weeds or anything and the water pump is working fine. When it gets warm I'm also having a really HARD time shifting it into neutral, forward or reverse. It's been at the shop for almost two weeks now and they've been too busy to take it out for a test ride. Do these smaller motors have the computers that show codes like the bigger ones? I'm probably picking it up tomorrow since they haven't check it and try it again this weekend. Any suggestions?

Thank you!

[Moonlighter]

Welcome to the forum.

It's a bit hard to suggest things, perhaps you could describe the bump a bit more for us? Is it just one bump, or a series?

Sometimes an engine misfire can occur due to a bad spark plug or plug lead when the engine gets warm, and it can feel like a bump because the whole engine shakes.

But the hard gear change that happens again only when warm is another factor. Occurring at the same time may or may not be related.

I would be tempted to pull the plugs and see how they look, if one is dirty/oily/wet you might try changing it. Simple things first!

Also, I would want to have a look at the gearbox oil. It's pretty easy to check and change the oil yourself, and if there is anything nasty happening inside there, you should find evidence of it in the oil.

Bear in mind that the lower oil plug on the gearbox is magnetic so any filings and other metail bits will stick to it. Hopefully the will be none of that, and the oil itself will not be milky (sign of water ingress).

Buy a new pair or drain plug washers to install when you refill. If you've never drained and refilled an outboard gearbox before, Google is your friend, there are heaps of videos you will find to show you how to do this job.

Let us know how you go. Again, providing as much detail and description of what is happening and the circumstances will help us to suggest things to look for.

[okeewoman]

Suzuki DF 9.9 Questions

Thank you so much for your reply! The shop took the motor out late Friday and did find an issue but it was late in the afternoon and they said they'd look for the problem this week. I was afraid they wouldn't find anything wrong but they did so it's just a matter of hearing from them again. I'm sure they'll figure it out.

As far as the bumping it felt like I was hitting a Lake Okeechobee gator and after it happening twice I used my trolling motor instead.

Thanks and have a great day!