Suzuki 2.5 hp four stroke; any good?

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

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I am looking for a light outboard. I already have a Tohatsu 3.5 four stroke which is great. I had a Honda aircool, it was a good engine. I have been looking at the Suzuki 2.5 four stroke which is very light at 13kg and it has neutral and forward gears. How reliable are they? any problems?
 
I've had one for two seasons, now, for fairly light use. It's pushed three adults plus gear on a 10' tender ok. Apart from the odd unaccountable stall, (weed?) it's been 100% reliable. It's been a little difficult to start on a few occasions. It's reasonably quiet.
I get about an hour and a quarter of half-throttle running on a tankful.
 
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StormNorm said:
I've had one for two seasons, now, for fairly light use. It's pushed three adults plus gear on a 10' tender ok. Apart from the odd unaccountable stall, (weed?) it's been 100% reliable. It's been a little difficult to start on a few occasions. It's reasonably quiet.
I get about an hour and a quarter of half-throttle running on a tankful.
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Thank you, is it as light weight as they say?
 
Ok, on a couple of occasions I've had the engine die soon after starting, but not often enough for it to be a problem. Either they've sorted it or I'm lucky.
Weight wise, it's ok, but heavier than a two-stroke, and a little bulkier.
 
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Great little engine, I use it to and from my swinging mooring. Starts first time, easy to get off tender and onto pushpit by one person, light enough that wifey can carry it, easy to service and maintain. Mine is about 6-7 years old still runs really well.
 
I had an early one in (2006) where the swivel bracket had snapped for no obvious reason, the engine was like new, they changed the design later so must have been an issue, not so great if your engine just snaps off
 
Had mine for about two years now and I'm very pleased with it. Very light - SWMBO can pass it to me with one hand whilst I'm in the dinghy - and starts first pull. However I did buy a small petrol filter from eBay - you need the really tiny ones which are about 2 cm across- and when I leave it for more that a week or two I drain out all the fuel from the drain on the bottom of the carburettor. It's also very economical.

Mine's been upside down in the sea (don't ask) and there is still no corrosion under the cover. There are three allen bolts which are plugs of some sort which are alloy rather than stainless so I have plastered these with marine grease. They are all on the left hand side of the engine and can be easily seen and treated whilst new.

Richard
 
I have owned an air cooled Honda and now have the Suzuki 2.5 (for 3 seasons) I was disappointed with the Honda build quality. There was corrosion of the 'stainless steel' bolts. Noise was also an issue and I never really got on with the auto clutch.

The Suzuki is for me the better animal. Excellent engineering, quiet and lightweight. I have experienced 2 issues though. 1. a blocked-up cooling water circuit - due to a tiny snail blocking the outlet jet. 2. erratic idling - partially blocked carburettor jet. Either I bought some dirty fuel or I was careless in my care of my fuel container.
 
I ought a DF2.5 about three years ago to replace a Yamaha Malta that had died. It was about the same weight and power but was chosen because it was the only motor available at short notice. I was reasonably ok with it, some problems starting and often hesitated when the throttle was opened up from idle, sometimes cutting out completely. SWMBO on the other hand detested it as she found it difficult to start. Sometimes it would start for her first pull, other times it would take a bit of a struggle, yet others it would resolutely refuse to start for her but would fire for me first pull. So we replaced it with a truly ancient DT 2.5 which starts first pull for either of us, is half the weight and pushes the tender faster than the four stroke.
 
StormNorm said:
Ok, on a couple of occasions I've had the engine die soon after starting, but not often enough for it to be a problem.
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and slow running or stalling when opening the throttle under load. It's not the engine, it's probably water in the fuel. I've had terrible problems this year. We had to strip the carb to get all the nodules of emulsified crud out, and now it's done it again. Mine replaced a Honda which had stuck piston rings - repair cost greater than buying the Suzuki.
 
andygc said:
and slow running or stalling when opening the throttle under load. It's not the engine, it's probably water in the fuel......
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No, its the engine. As said above, to reduce emissions they are set to run very lean when new, and after 2 or 3 seasons use they start stalling. There is a hidden mixture screw- YouTube has a clip showing where to drill the carb to access it, one tweak for an instant cure.
 
I have a 4 hp Suzuki that came with the tender that came with my boat. Not sure of the vintage. Don't have much experience but find it very rough running. Looking to replace it next year with something else with a bit more horses.
 
NorthUp said:
No, its the engine. As said above, to reduce emissions they are set to run very lean when new, and after 2 or 3 seasons use they start stalling. There is a hidden mixture screw- YouTube has a clip showing where to drill the carb to access it, one tweak for an instant cure.
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No, like I said, the only problem I have had with mine has been due to water in the fuel. I don't need to hunt for hidden screws, I just need to get the water out. It then starts on the first pull and runs perfectly. On the other hand, if there's emulsified fuel and water in the carb and the jet gets blocked it doesn't run very well at all, and that's not really a surprise.
 
I replaced my old Suzuki 2.2 2/stroke with the 2.5 4/stroke. At first I was worried about the extra bulk and weight, but in the event, I soon came to appreciate the extra poke and the smoother running and economy. It is an easy shape to hold and manhandle and I prefer the gear lever to the Honda's clutch. Note that the lying-down position is handle-down
 
johnalison said:
I replaced my old Suzuki 2.2 2/stroke with the 2.5 4/stroke. At first I was worried about the extra bulk and weight, but in the event, I soon came to appreciate the extra poke and the smoother running and economy. It is an easy shape to hold and manhandle and I prefer the gear lever to the Honda's clutch. Note that the lying-down position is handle-down
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I have done lots of work with this make and model of engine. Lovely design and engineering, light and powerful for size but like all makes it does have faults. The carburettor problem as previously stated in the thread isn't really a problem and can easily be cured. The main problem I found was the weak clutch. Basically the clutch is too weak and strips clutch dogs like no tomorrow if the gear is engaged with too higher revs. Usually with second hand engines is because there is an underlying carb problem so the tick over speed is increased to get round the issue causing stripped clutch dogs.
Also problems are seized engines due to plastic oil pump drive breaking.
If your buying new and look after them they are a cracking motor
 
andygc said:
and slow running or stalling when opening the throttle under load. It's not the engine, it's probably water in the fuel. I've had terrible problems this year. We had to strip the carb to get all the nodules of emulsified crud out, and now it's done it again. Mine replaced a Honda which had stuck piston rings - repair cost greater than buying the Suzuki.
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Don't suppose you still have the Honda?
 
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