Suzuki Horrible customer service

[OseaD777]

After dealing with suzuki customer service for the last week, I have come to find out that there is NONE.
I have been dealing with them on an issue with spinning multiple suzuki prop hubs.. the person I spoke with at customer service took down all the info and testing results from two different suzuki props I tested.
1st prop tested was a 3x16x21.5
Max rams 5700
2nd prop 3x16x20
Max rpms 6000-6100 prefect
Except I keep spinning hubs

Suzuki tech professional answer " I'm using the wrong props, I need to be using 3x16x18.5" which would make me over rev??
When I spoke with the customer service person they advised me that was the solution and nothing else could be done about the issue. When I asked to speak to there supervisor, they advise they do not escalate calls and there was no one else to talk to at suzuki..Also if I was to call back I would only talk with same customer rep. Local dealer also advised suzuki that there recommendation was incorrect also.
So at the end of the day I have a handful of useless suzuki props with spun hubs.. prop repair shop says he can replace them but they will just spin again. Very sad, because I have always liked suzuki motors, but in the future will look elsewhere after this customer experience.. if there gonna blow me off for something small what's gonna happen if I have an issue with the motor..

[wilbur1]

There are other props that will work with the correct hub. I run a Merc on mine.

[OseaD777]

I plan on going either with merc eco or powertech? I was just amazed at how a large company could have such poor service for there customers.

[Lunchmoney]

The one time I called, they kept referring me to my local dealer. I hung up feeling like I was more knowledgeable about the engine than the person I spoke with.

[barrell]

Note that a spun hub may be due to overheating of exhaust gasses. You need to look at that. Second Turning point has been developing new props for the large Suzukis called the OS series they use a solid drop in hub not rubber.

[OseaD777]

The one time I called, they kept referring me to my local dealer. I hung up feeling like I was more knowledgeable about the engine than the person I spoke with.

I couldn't agree more, when she said "if you hang up and call back you will only talk to me again, also that there is no one else to talk to at Suzuki". And that I could not report this issue to anyone else at Suzuki. Complete run around!!!!

Common sense would tell you if you are hitting your rev limiter with a 20P prop going down in size (which Suzuki recommended) would only make issues worse.

[OseaD777]

Note that a spun hub may be due to overheating of exhaust gasses. You need to look at that. Second Turning point has been developing new props for the large Suzukis called the OS series they use a solid drop in hub not rubber.

Ive been monitoring my eng temp I have not seen it get over 140 degrees. From what i understand that is not bad?

[Moonlighter]

I replied on another post on this forum a few days ago re the same issue.

This is not a Suzuki technical issue - it is something your dealer should deal with, or, indeed, a professional prop shop. After all, this is what prop shops deal with day in day out. So frankly, you are barking up the wrong tree.

And, I would note that if this was an endemic Suzuki problem, we would know about it! And its rarely been reported on this forum.

So it isnt a common problem, nor is it a "Suzuki" problem.

From my quick research, it seems to occur on various engines from different manufacturers at times, which suggests that it is more to do with maintenance regimes rather than any design fault with engine or prop itself. The Suzuki prop system is common to many other brands, nothing special or different that would contribute to the issue.

I did some more digging and there seems to be a couple of views about possible causes:

- the most common view is that the engine is running hot, so that hotter than normal exhaust gases causing rubber hub to be damaged and let go. As we know, heat will loosen tight fittings. In fact, I gather that new bushes are sometimes frozen in liquid nitrogen and then pressed into props hubs using extreme pressure so that they get an extremely tight fit when they return to normal temps.

Solution: find out why the engine is running hotter than normal and fix that problem.

Stale or low quality/grade fuel, impeller and housing needs to be replaced (alway sdo both together as a set), poppett valve not working properly/stuck, thermostat not opening properly/stuck - these would be some things to check out.

Or, engine cooling passages may be clogged with calcium/mineral/corrosion buildup - how do your anodes look? When were they last replaced?? It may be worth doing a vinegar rinse treatment to help clean out those cooling passages.

- some are also suggesting that once props have been rebushed more than twice, the hub may be stretched and no longer will hold the bush. Ive seen a couple of props where there was a tiny crack in the tsructure around the hub and this would clearly cause issues for the bush.

Solution: new prop. I would suspect that alloy props may be more susceptible to this that a stainless steel prop. You didnt say what yours is.

The only times I have been on a boat where the prop spun a hub were many years ago, and in one case was simply a very old prop where the rubber bush just deteriorated due to age, the other was on an engine that was in the process of carking it and was running very hot. So there seems to be some credibility to that line of thought about heat being a factor. And both were alloy props.

You may want to talk to a prop guru - someone like Ken from Propgods.com would be the best. Ask about how many times a prop can be rebushed. Especially alloy ones if that is what you have. It is beginning to sound like this may be where your problem may be.

Do let us know what you find out and how you solve the problem. BTW I agree that prop size is not the issue, your revs look fine with current prop.

Suzuki dealers do have access to technical support, so if your dealer cant solve a problem, insist that they get on the phone to their regional Suzuki technical rep. This is they way they work - thru the dealer. Even here in Aus, you can only get to a Suzuki tech rep if your dealer has set it up for you.

A final note - The purpose of this forum is to help each other with issues and share solutions. Its not about bitching about issues for the sake of it or dumping on Suzuki because they cant solve your problem - which, as I said in this case isnt a Suzuki technical problem anyway. If you want to continue to do that, kindly go somewhere else.