Runs out of gas over 5000 rpm

[Marty D]

Suzuki 250 2015 with 150 hours. She runs great. Will run at 5000 rpm all day. If I go 5500 or WOT she runs for about 1 min and dies. It stays running. I have a 6 gall tank that I hooked up. It has to be the motor. Filters? Pump?

[Harper]

Is it hard to start after quitting? Might be a weak low pressure pump (electric LP pump on your model), not keeping up and the bowl in the VST going dry. or some restriction in the line between the LP pump and the VST. or a sticky valve/seat in the VST. Gotta be something befoe the VST, I'd say. I think your high pressure side is probably good.

[Marty D]

It doesn't shut down. It stays running.

[Harper]

Well, I was going to pose that question, too. So now I'm sure that I don't understand. You said it dies, you say it doesnt shut down, keeps running. Enlighten me. Which is it?
To me, "it dies" means it quits running. Now if you mean it falters somewhat, doesn't run properly, or whatever, then the same conclusions might be offered. Something on the low pressure side or the filter or fuel lines leading to the motor, depending on where you hooked up that 6 gallon tank, if that's what you did.

[Marty D]

When the motor goes over 5000 rpm it dies. But it stays running idling. Takes about 1 minute to do that at 5200 About 45 sec at 5500. At 6000 in 30 sec. it's running out of gas. Motor runs good. It's not missing or running ruff. I had that 6 gall tank right to the motor.

[Solarman]

If you pump the bulb as this happens, does it still occur? If so, it could be a problem at/ before LP pump?

You must be pulling throttle back, or I'd expect it to surge back up in rpm's? Is this fly-by-wire (possible protection against such surging?)?

Sounds like fuel restriction before it gets to vst, or possibly vst float is slightly out/ under adjustment (float level in vst needs adjustment), plus I would check fuel lines to vst while working on vst.

Was fuel tank new when motor was installed (new boat?) Possibly aluminum dust/matter in tank impeding fuel flow?

How long has this been happening, what's been done so far? Is motor still under warranty?

Good luck. Post back when able.

[Marty D]

Motor is under warranty. It's a 2015 with 130 hours. No, it's not fly wire. I did check the gas ball. That's ok. I went to my garage and got my 6 gall tank with new gas and connect the gas hose right to the motor. Took boat out and the same problem. At this point I'm 100 percent it's the motor. I called my Suzuki dealer in the next town I live at and I dropped off the boat. It's in there hands now. I still wanted to post this problem to see what you think it is. I thought it's the high pressure pump or filter but it makes sense that the vs tank is running out of gas. I didn't know there is a float adj. in that tank? I made a few calls to Suzuki dealers when this problem started last week and they never said it's the motor. They all said it's the gas tank- gas ball -gas lines in boat or bad gas. That kind of got me pissed. That is why I got the 6 gall. Tank and now know it's the motor. This problem could of started last week or day one when I got the boat. I didn't start going over 5000 rpm until a few months ago. If I did go 5200 it was for 30 sec. my 90 year old dad been fishing with me all summer so I didn't go fast until last week

[artdf175]

post back what you find from the dealer..
however, just a comment, you are killing us with your terminology!
everyone here interprets your word "die" as the engine is shutting down, like stopping.. dead in the water.. so to speak..
and, in my way of thinking, it will not go from 5000+ rpm to an idle without the throttle lever somehow being pulled back to the "idle" position..
What action are you taking when the engine is backing down to an idle?

if the VST were to run out of fuel, the engine would "die".. stop.. it would not slowly back down to an idle..

so when it idles down from 5000+ rpm to an idle - what exactly did you do to get it to run back up to 5000 again?
ever think that you might have a linkage problem?

Art..

[Marty D]

What am I doing when the motor goes from 5200 to idle. I bring the shifter back and give it gas again. I do say a few words to my self. Why did I buy a Suzuki when I had a Yamaha with 4000 hours and never had a problem. I spent more money on this new Suzuki then I did with Yamaha. This is my 3 rd problem with this motor. Sorry, you don't want to hear that but it's true. I'm hoping the problems stops. Linkage problem ? I can't see how.

[Moonlighter]

Marty, do you have a Racor style water separating filter between the tank and engine? It really is important to have one. None of these EfI engines like dirty fuel or water in fuel. And once it is in the system, it may require the whole fuel system to be cleaned out.

You could simply have a partially clogged high pressure filter, although even then, I would expect the engine would stall so quickly that you would have to have a F1 drivers reflexes to get the throttle backed off fast enough to prevent a complete stall. Or, possibly an air leak in one of the fuel lines under the cowl.

You would be surprised how many issues reported on this forum end up being fuel related!

One other thought - we did have a perplexing case reported here a while ago that had some similarities to yours. It turned out to be the engine overheating at high revs and the ECU was going into a protect mode. Although the impeller had been replaced a couple of times, the water pump housing ( the stainless steel part) had not been, and the new impeller did not seal well against the old one. So a complete new water pump kit was fitted and problem solved. Lesson = always replace the full water pump kit when servicing that item.

Let the dealer sort it out now, and do let us know what the problem is at the end of the day so others can learn. I suspect it will be nothing major.

Some problems are obvious, others are hard to figure out when we are not there to see and hear the motor running, and that is why it is really important that when describing issues you do so with clarity and precise detail about exactly what is happening - you are our eyes and ears, so to speak. So bear that in mind.

Anyway, good luck, and let us know how things turn out.

[Marty D]

Moonlighted. Thanks for that info. I do have a 10 mic filter. I replace them 3 x a boating season. Even tho it was replaced one month ago, I replaced it again 3 days ago. What you said about the water pump. I drifted into a very soft sand bar early spring. The piss hose got clogged. I ordered the water pump kit. I had the lower unit down already and as I was waiting for parts I replaced the two therm. Took all 7 motor zinc out and flushed the motor. When the water pump kit came in, it did not come with the housing. She pumping great now and motor never overheated. Never. The way she is cutting out at high rev. It's sounds more like a electric cut off. The reason I say that is --- motor doesn't stumble or show any signs of missing or signs of it's going to stall. It just dies!!! It's like you pull the plug on the lights on your house. Lights on- light off. I did ask two questions. What happens if motor over revs. Mech said motor will go down in RPM and up. It's not over rev. Overheating. He said you will get a alarm. I'm not getting that. Im nuts when it comes to my gas and gas tank. I check hoses and vents and pull sending unit out ones a year. I even put a vent cover over my gas tank vent 8 years ago. Salt water can't get in. As soon as I find out I will post. Thanks again. I didn't mean to knock Suzuki. It my wife getting on me. I must of spent over $800 the season buying all new parts. I did do the 100 service with that money. Wife is saying to me , should of keep the Yamaha. I'm starting to over think this. Did moving the motor up two holes cause this ? Did putting the 4 blade prop cause this ?

[Harper]

Marty, nobody is upset at your knocking Suzuki. We've all been in situations where we get frustrated with a persistent problem, regardless of brand of merchandise. The main problem, as Art pointed out, is your choice of descriptive words. It still sounds to me that you're saying that the engine quits when you try to rev above 5000 RPM, meaning it completely stops running. The fact that it will not stop running at idle or any RPM below 5000 is really immaterial, except that it's that particular item that makes me believe that you're running the VST dry above 5000 RPM, for whatever reason. Anyway, don't feel like we're upset at your frustration with your Suzuki. We're all here to help, but can't do that without clarifying what you're saying.

If your motor does stop running those times above 5000 RPM, I asked if it was hard to start at that point, because if you do have to crank it for an abnormally long time at that point it would be further proof that the VST had been dry and has to refill at leaast to a point where the HP pump can supply fuel to the fuel rail.

[Moonlighter]

The other motor I mentioned where the ECU was overheating did not get or show any alarms either. It just got hot enough under the cowl that the ECU didn't like it and suddenly went into a safe mode, quite similar to yours. The engine never got hot enough to throw an alarm.

The wp housing can get an ever so slight warp in it and pumps OK at lower revs but then the extra heat at higher revs it can't cope.

The problem frustrated them for months - this was a boat in a remote area of northern Australia. Eventually my local Suzuki guy heard about it and told them to change the housing and that was it fixed. The clue was they took the boat for a test run with the cowl removed and it didn't happen - the engine and ECU was able to running cooler with no cowl!

For the sake of the relatively minor cost of installing a wp housing....... you never know, it might be the solution?

We now always recommend that when servicing the water pump, the full Suzuki kit incl the housing be used.

I take it they have put in onto the SDS system and checked for fault codes?

Good luck, and dont tell the wife what you are doing! I always find it's easier to ask for forgiveness after the event when things are good than to get permission in advance! Ha!

[Marty D]

Just to clear this up. No. eng does not shut off when that happens. It goes into a idle. It always stays running. The reason I use the word dies. That what it sounds like. It's sounds like you turned the key off. I had eng run out of gas at 30 mph and the motor will make high and low rev sounds. As soon as this happens I can do a hole shot and do 5000 rpm again within sec.

[redlowrey]

Dos your engine have a throttle cable, or has it got electronic throttle control.