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In 2018 we took ownership of a RIB with a 2012 model year Suzuki DF9.9A (this was the tender that came with a boat we purchased that year). The DF9.9A was sold new in 2015 and was still (just) under it's 3 year warranty when it became ours. This is a carb-fed model that shared the same base motor as the DF8A for a number of years. Pull starter.
Right from the get-go the outboard was troublesome. At WOT it would run, then bog down, sometimes spluttering, sometimes cutting out completely. After cutting out at WOT starting would usually be difficult. At partial throttle it would run fine most of the time. Cold starts was usually instant.
In February 2019 I had the motor serviced at a Suzuki dealer in Fort Lauderdale. He rebuilt the carb, diagnosing ethanol-fuel related damage.
Travel to Caribbean and the WOT behavior persisted. The dealer asked me to bring the outboard back to him, but the boat has not returned to Florida to this day.
Recently I was in the RIB at about 75% throttle when the engine spluttered and died. Back on land, after some intense pull starter action without getting it running again, I found the crank-case was filled with fuel.
Fuel pump diaphragm torn. No problem, I had a spare pump on board.
This is where it got peculiar. I removed the fuel pump and there was no fuel pump rod in place (item 13 in the parts assembly, item 7 in the removal instructions). Nothing.
The rod is back ordered with Suzuki and I expect to receive it mid-April only - a $2.60 part.
Installed the new fuel pump (without the rod), drained and changed oil, and changed the plugs. Engine starts second pull.
The DF9.9A is running again, just like before. Idles smoothly, runs fine at partial throttle, problematic at WOT.
I assume this missing fuel pump engagement rod is the source of my WOT issues.
But why does the motor run okay at partial throttle without a working fuel pump - is the fuel line pressure from the tank through the bulb sufficient to maintain some kind of fuel flow in this small capacity outboard?
Right from the get-go the outboard was troublesome. At WOT it would run, then bog down, sometimes spluttering, sometimes cutting out completely. After cutting out at WOT starting would usually be difficult. At partial throttle it would run fine most of the time. Cold starts was usually instant.
In February 2019 I had the motor serviced at a Suzuki dealer in Fort Lauderdale. He rebuilt the carb, diagnosing ethanol-fuel related damage.
Travel to Caribbean and the WOT behavior persisted. The dealer asked me to bring the outboard back to him, but the boat has not returned to Florida to this day.
Recently I was in the RIB at about 75% throttle when the engine spluttered and died. Back on land, after some intense pull starter action without getting it running again, I found the crank-case was filled with fuel.
Fuel pump diaphragm torn. No problem, I had a spare pump on board.
This is where it got peculiar. I removed the fuel pump and there was no fuel pump rod in place (item 13 in the parts assembly, item 7 in the removal instructions). Nothing.
The rod is back ordered with Suzuki and I expect to receive it mid-April only - a $2.60 part.
Installed the new fuel pump (without the rod), drained and changed oil, and changed the plugs. Engine starts second pull.
The DF9.9A is running again, just like before. Idles smoothly, runs fine at partial throttle, problematic at WOT.
I assume this missing fuel pump engagement rod is the source of my WOT issues.
But why does the motor run okay at partial throttle without a working fuel pump - is the fuel line pressure from the tank through the bulb sufficient to maintain some kind of fuel flow in this small capacity outboard?
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