buying a used DF 115 questions??

[in2deep]

I am about to (hopefully) purchase a 2003 DF 115,after much research ,the Suzuki kept coming up tops. The dealer faxed me the printout from the ECM and it has 263 hrs with 2 overheat codes. One was the result of a faulty sensor and the other I was told was the result of running the motor on the hose/ears out of the water. So I decided to go see the motor and did the basic compression test all over 160 psi(cold),listened to it idle and visually checked the oil ,plugs and motor. All very clean. The motor looks very clean and well taken care of. The prop shaft had no excess wiggle to it. What else can I check or do? Motor is on the boat but out of the water.I know a sea trial would be ideal,but not an option.
Thanks.

[Moonlighter]

The printout should also show the engine rev history - this will give you an idea about the revs the engine has run at. Make sure that there is evidence that the engine has been able to reach well into its recommended max rpm range - this will give you an idea about how well propped it has been.

What I'm getting at here is that whilst everything else such as compression etc might look good, you dont want to buy an engine that has been overpropped and has spent its life "lugging" under load with the wrong prop, as this will severely shorten it life.

Cheers

ML.

[in2deep]

hmmmm..

Interesting you say that,when I saw the printout I was supprised that the motor was only run between 5000-6000 rpm's for around 40 hrs ,most of its time was between 3000-5000 rpm's and some time @ idle(I guess trolling). Im not sure what would be considered normal hrs ? 20% of its current life seems pretty normal to me,personally I usually stay around 4000 rpms as long as the boat is planning and running efficiently. Thanks for your input.
cheers,
Jerry

[sandpiper]

buying a used DF 115 questions

Is this a salt water motor? If this is not a salt water motor then you will not need to look so deep into certain areas of the motor. Compression test ? Most of the boat mechanics that I have talked to and even the dealer I bought my motor from says they use a leak down test and not a compression test. the compression test can vary so much. From experience I have learned that Suzuki has changed, " improved " some of the engine parts over the years due to corrosion issues. Don't let this scare you, but just be aware that some of the issues were due to corrosion. Again if your motor is not a salt water motor then the corrosion issues are not so much of a concern.

[in2deep]

ended up picking up a 2003 DF 140 with 509 hrs,very clean motor,any tips on hanging the motor/installation/initial startup etc....
thanks again