SUZUKI DF50 PROBLEM

[puggsy]

Hi to all...I hope someone can help with this. just got back to the mooring after a nice days sailing , Everything, including motor [ DF50] working O.K. in the process of flushing the motor, was raising the leg by means of the small side button on the motor itself to fit the flushing bag [ fresh water]. Lowerd the leg for upright operations, climbed back onboard and NO ELECTRICS. the raise/ lower control on the throttle was U/s and so was the key starting circuit. NOTHING. Checked the dual batteries, both at 14 volts. I recently fitted a rotary OFF/ 1/ 2/ BOTH switch. checked the obvious fuses near the batteries but am totally lost at the motor end.
Any ideas...anyone...Heelllpp!

P.S. right now, the leg is in the down position in my SHALLOW mooring and I am very concerned that if I get a low tide before I can raise the leg again, the fin will scrape all over the bottom and wreck it...

[Kelly Hanson East]

You will have fuses for the tilt under the motor cowl - probably one of those is gone..

[MadMacX]

Double check your grounds. Check battery cables and make sure they are clean and tight. If starter and tilt/trim are not working your problem is in the wiring, if just the tilt/trim isn't working check the fuses.

Pat

[puggsy]

Thanks for the response....Went back to the today, worried about the motor being in the 'down' position. Got some good advice from the local SUZUKI dealer who showed me the hydraulic release screw that over rides the electrics and allows the motor to be manually raised. Had to walk the boat into shallow water in the teeth of a strong northeaster. hung it towards the shallows by adding 100ft of extra rope from the mooring buoy. Then sunk another anchor into the shoreline with another 100 ft or so of MORE rope and dragged it further into the shallows. Was then able to stand in less than waist deep waters and raise the leg. Once raised, locked the tilt and retitghtened the release valve. motor is now safe. SO TO THE PROBLEM... Yesterday, no raising circuit and no starting circuit...So tried them again...and guess what...BOTH WORKED...no blown fuses...no nothing wrong...WHAT HAPPENED...I'm back in business...
Took the opportunity to scrub off growth around and a bit under the waterline and around the lower motor bracket...

So by this time the wind had gone northwest and stronger...25 - 30 knots. Recovered the side anch and rope...which put me STILL on the extended mooring and BEHIND my next door neighbour and doing what
's like to do...swing wildly...
Had to wait till it was on the ' away' swing and haul like mad to get past him with banging...just made it....
Just try dead pulling a over 100 ft into a 30 knot breeze...and just shy of 70.
's sure do have some windage....Puggsy

[MadMacX]

Dirty contacts at the battery or grounds. Double check all your connections.

Pat

[puggsy]

Thanks, Pat, I'll do that. And another little query...My second battery reads at 14 volts, yet when the circuit is switched to it, by itself, the starter motor clicks as though its not getting enough voltage...To my way of thinking it must be dirty battery contacts...the cabling is brand new and I smeared the battery contacts with vaseline before fitting...Any thoughts??? Puggsy

[K9Kampers]

Puggsy-
A few thoughts-

Check the connections on the engine for clean/tight: positive battery cable to solenoid and solenoid to starter, and both ends of the negative cable. What is the voltage reading at the solenoid end of the positive battery cable?...& at the starter? What is your battery voltage after trying to start the engine? Does the voltage reading recover close to the before reading, or is it significantly lower? Are your "new" battery cable ends just crimped, or crimped & soldered too? What gauge wire is the battery cable? Have you done a load test of your battery?

[puggsy]

Thanks, K9..i'll take all the advice I can get. There might still be a problem lurking there.

[MadMacX]

Puggsy,

K9 made some excellent points. I might add that your battery may have just used up it's useful life. Since you already have a meter, check the draw between the starter and the motor itself, when you try to start the motor.

I will still go with a bad connection somewhere, or a battery issue, because you originally stated that you had no trim/tilt or starter, then you did. Don't just look at the connections, remove them, clean them and re-install, including the grounds and the battery switch if so equipped. My guess is that it will come back to life.

It's a PITA when you have intermittent electrical problems, but I figure it's God's way of forcing us to do preventive maintenance.

Good Luck,
Pat