2004 Johnson/Suzuki 4 stroke 200 not running right

[Elliotto7!]

What's up ya'll, I'm new here on this forum & I have a few questions. I just picked up an04 Johnston 200 fourstroke but I'm under the impression the suzuki made it hence why I'm posting on this page. I put the engine on the boat but I'm having issues with it. When I gun it or even just put the throttle all the way forward it's pulsates around 3500. I'm not getting any power out of it at all & I can't plane. I'm stumped & have no clue where to go from here as to why my engine is doing this. She starts perfect, idles even better but once she gets gas she bogs & doesn't go pass 3500rpm. It's been driving me nuts because all I want to do is catch some fish but I can't do so until this issue is resolved. Any help will be much appreciated!

-Elliott

[Moonlighter]

Hi Elliott and welcome.

Yes, your motor is actually a Suzuki wearing Johnson clothes. Exactly the same as a Suzuki 4 stroke from the same year.

The Suzuki's have a neutral throttle switch on the gear linkages under the cowl. This is the switch that prevents the engine from being over-revved when it is in neutral. If the engine is revved in neutral, the ecu will limit spark and fuel supply at about 3500rpm, the engine will not rev any faster and will sound like a race car with the pit lane speed limiter activated! Missing and surging etc.

If the neutral throttle switch fails or is broken or misaligned, when the engine is put into gear the ecu may not get the signal from the switch, and therefore thinks it is still in neutral.

This switch can fail in older engines, so it is the first thing I would look at given that the symptoms ypu have described fit a failed NTS pretty much perfectly. There may be other causes if course, but what you described pretty much fits the bill.

At the top banner of this forum you will see a header "Purchase Suzuki Parts" in red. Follow that link and select a Suzuki motor with same model and year as your Johnson. You should then be able to dig around and find the part number and diagram that will show you where the switch fits. You can also purchase direct from there.

Its not an expensive part nor is it difficult to remove and replace it yourself.

Good luck! Let us onow how it goes.

[Elliotto7!]

Hi Elliott and welcome.

Yes, your motor is actually a Suzuki wearing Johnson clothes. Exactly the same as a Suzuki 4 stroke from the same year.

The Suzuki's have a neutral throttle switch on the gear linkages under the cowl. This is the switch that prevents the engine from being over-revved when it is in neutral. If the engine is revved in neutral, the ecu will limit spark and fuel supply at about 3500rpm, the engine will not rev any faster and will sound like a race car with the pit lane speed limiter activated! Missing and surging etc.

If the neutral throttle switch fails or is broken or misaligned, when the engine is put into gear the ecu may not get the signal from the switch, and therefore thinks it is still in neutral.

This switch can fail in older engines, so it is the first thing I would look at given that the symptoms ypu have described fit a failed NTS pretty much perfectly. There may be other causes if course, but what you described pretty much fits the bill.

At the top banner of this forum you will see a header "Purchase Suzuki Parts" in red. Follow that link and select a Suzuki motor with same model and year as your Johnson. You should then be able to dig around and find the part number and diagram that will show you where the switch fits. You can also purchase direct from there.

Its not an expensive part nor is it difficult to remove and replace it yourself.

Good luck! Let us onow how it goes.

Moonlighter thank you!

You seem pretty confident that that's what's going on with my engine. I'm not sure how to approach finding the part on the forum given I have a "Johnson" VIN. But I will go look at my engine & see if I can find what you're talking about. What if it is locked in neautral because the way the throttle & shifter cable have been set up onto the engine? What if they weren't lined up correctly causing this to happen? I don't know how the adjustments should be set up with the cables going into the motor but that's always a possibility. I'll look for the NTS in the meantime!!
Thank you!
-Elliott

[Moonlighter]

Here is the link on this forum to the parts page for your motor. You will need to spend some time searching the various links on that page to find the section that shows your NTS.

2004 DF200 Suzuki Outboard Parts

Bear in mind that there are 2 neutral switches on these motors - one is in the throttle binnacle, it prevents the engine from starting when it is in gear. That is not the one we are talking about here.

The one we are talking about is on the engine as I described. Its not an uncommon issue, that is why I suggested it was the problem, based on your description of what is happening.

I also described what the switch does and how it sounds, but I cant see or hear your motor, so you need to be the judge of whether that fits the symptoms your motor has.

You could test the theory by starting the engine, warming up, then use the neutral throttle lever to rev the motor up in neutral and see if it does the same thing when it hits 3500rpm.

If youre not confident, best to take it to a Suzuki dealer to supply part and fix, shouldnt be very expensive if you ask for a quote to supply and remove/install a NTS on the engine.

[redlowrey]

It is a little more complicated than the four cyl engines, it has a shift position switch as well, I suggest you get your self a work shop manual.

You will need to do some voltage drop tests also encase it is not the switch.