Tag Archives: Outboard Engines: Maintenance

For years I have been alternately praising and cursing my Suzuki DT4, depending on whether it ran or didn’t, as if it was able to understand me. But, seeing as how I was mainly interested in sailing and only used the outboard once in a while to get in or out of the marina, I never really knew what was going on with it. After reading this book, I at least have an understanding of how it works. Not, necessarily, enough to fix it. But its recent refusal to idle, for instance, looks like a fuel problem. Possibly contamination of some kind clogging the fuel pump, leading to gummed up carburetor jets, particularly the ones that control the idle. Gives me a few ideas to try. If they don’t work, I’ll figure it’s likely the fuel pump and/or the carburetor needs cleaning. So I’ll siphon the gas out of it and take it to the shop and tell them to look at both. Much better than exasperation, anyhow. And while it’s there, I’ll look again at a Minn Kota electric, and consider blowing off this combustion baloney.