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New (but mothballed) DF60A Electrical and Fuel Issues

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emc045

New member
I just took possession from my parents an old pontoon with a new Suzuki DF60A that they repowered it with in November 2023. Because of my dad's rapidly onsetting dementia, they only used the motor for 1 or 2 hours tops. It has been sitting unused basically for almost 3 years. So I checked the fluids, emptied the fuel tank, added 5 gallons rec 90, and changed the fuel/water separator filter. The issues i'm seeing are as follows:

  1. The Suzuki analog tachometer is not responsive when the key is moved to the on position -- no indicator lights and needle doesn't move. Same for when the motor is running. The only thing working on it is the backlight. The wiring harness it's attached to is the Suzuki remote control harness that they installed with the new engine. Everything seems plugged in.
  2. The kill switch does nothing. Meaning i can turn over the motor with or without the kill switch inserted. So definitely something funky with the wiring or electronics is going on i presume.
  3. Finally, I primed the bulb with the fresh fuel, turned key to on position, can hear the fuel pump doing something, and then when i turn the key all the way it fires right up. But only for 15-30 seconds, 1 minute tops. Then just shuts off right away or with a sputter. Pumping the primer bulb while its running doesn't change the result. When it shuts off, i can turn the key again and it will start right back up and run for another 30 seconds and then it shuts off again. So seems like its just burning a small amount of fuel primed by the pump and then it dies out. Rinse and repeat. I also tried running the fuel hose right off a jerry can and got same results.
So looking for some ideas on what/how to test would really be appreciated.
 
Drain the VST. You probably have old stale fuel in it, collect the fuel in a clear container, I’ll bet it’s the colour of an amber ale. Once the VST is empty prime the fuel bulb again and cycle the key on/off a couple of times to fill the VST. Try starting it again with fresh fuel in the VST. A full VST should hold about 200 millilitres of fuel. This is a guess based on my DF90A.

Replace the low pressure fuel filter, for now you could Jerry rig a suitable hose and bypass the filter incase it’s clogged.

The above suggestions are a quick easy check to see if you can get it running for more than 15 seconds. The ASSUMPTION I’m making is a brand new engine has likely had bad fuel sitting in it. Hopefully the bad fuel hasn’t gummed up the VST too bad and the float is still functioning.

I believe the engine will turn over with the kill switch engaged. The ECU will prevent spark but engine will still turn over.

Ensure the battery is fully charged, Suzuki engines need a solid 12 volts.

If you don’t have a genuine Suzuki service manual I would suggest you get one. Worth the money.

A screenshot of my fuel system, a 2009 DF90A. Not your engine but should be close enough to give you an idea of what yours is like.

IMG_8275.jpeg
 
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