2006 Suzuki DF150 Won't Fire

[jpetter]

16 months ago I had to have some fiberglass repair done to my boat. When I dropped the boat off for repair, the motor ran flawless. It cranked everytime and ran smooth as a top.
When I got it back. I charged the batteries, changed the fuel filter and drained any gas in the tank and replaced it with fresh gas. Disconnected the fuel line at the motor and flushed the fuel hose. Connected everything back up and attempted to start the motor. It cranked normally, but didn't fire. I checked the "White Wire" and fuse (Even replaced the fuse) but it still will not fire. I check the kill switch at the ignition and even bypassed it, still not firing. I even checked the switch in the controls (Gear Shift). still won't fire. I am at wits end. I don't understand why this could be if it just sat. I would think it would run, but maybe run rough. The batteries were stone dead and it took some time to recharge them, but they spin the starter like they were brand new so not sure it could be the batteries.

Any suggestions or help would be greatly apprecieated. I am handy with a meter so any points to check would be easy for me.

Thanks,

Jim Petter

[artdf175]

Jim
there are others on the board that have the 150's.. I have the 175
first thing .. getting spark? pull one of the plugs out.. ground it and turn over the motor and see if you are getting a spark..
inline fuel bulb. (manual pump) getting it to pump fuel until it is hard and won't pump any further?
you didn't mention the low pressure fuel filter.. visually, is it full of fuel?
and when you turn the ingnition switch on.. you should hear the high pressure pump running..

one other thing.. water/fuel seperator-- if it boat sat for 16 months..should replace that as well .. could be full of water

Art..

[Harper]

Nope, doesn't sound like batteries. Start with the basics.....check for spark, check for fuel pressure. Also make sure no varmints got up into the motor and clogged the intake in any way. You didn't mention it, but you did pump up the bulb in the fuel line, right? It isn't normally necessary to do so, but definitely is necessary after sitting for a long period, or whenever the fuel system has been serviced.

[jpetter]

Thanks Mike and Art. When I replaced the gas, I replaced the spin-on fuel/water seperator filter. I disconnected the fuel line at the engine and squeezed the bulb until the fresh gas washed thru. I dumped the low pressure fuel filter, and it is filling with fresh fuel. I haven't tried to pull a plug and check for spark. It has been so long since I heard it run, I am not sure if I hear the fuel pump or not. I do hear something running. Where is the fuel pump located? Also, if memory serves me right, doesn't pushing in the ignition key activate some sort of choke? I push the key in and don't hear anything.

If there is no spark. Where should I look next? It's hard to believe just sitting would cause this effect.

Thanks for your help and insight.

[Harper]

Hi Jim,
No, if your key pushes in, it does nothing. Mine doesn't push in. Anyway, there's no choke on an injected engine. All fuel management, whether hot or cold, is done by the ECM. The fuel pump that you should hear when turning the key on is in the motor itself. When you turn the key on, the ECM should go through a diagnostic self-test, the warning lights all illuminate, the warning buzzer sounds for a couple seconds, the lights go out, then the tach needle will deflect for a moment, indicating the number of hours on the motor. I always let it go through that entire process before actually cranking the motor. It is possible, in fact probable, that the fuel that remained in the system ( the VST, the hoses, fuel rail and engine mounted filters) are all in need of cleaning. Even gasoline that has no ethanol (if you[re lucky to find it) will turn bad before 16 months. It turns to a kind of varnish, and even smells like varnish instead of gasoline. I'll try to attach a short tutorial on basic cleaning of your fuel system.

[jpetter]

Thanks Mike,

All the things you describe happens. The diagnostic self-test. Lights on the tach and the tach itself. I usually always wait for all that to stop before trying to crank. In fact I think the dealer said to wait to the selftest stopped as this would allow the fuel pump to charge the system.
I am going to test for the spark just to make sure I am getting fire. If so, Then I will move to the cleaning process. I did use the ethanol additives at all times, but I realize all that stuff breaks down with time. There wasn't much fuel in the tank when I dropped it off so I disguarded every bit of it. I am now thinking that what was left in the engine could be the culprit.
I will definitely give it a try.

The engine ran so good before all this and I am just ready to get her wet again and stretch her legs.

Thanks again...

Jim

[jpetter]

Mike,

I read the txt file. Any chance at posting a diagram or manual page of the fuel rail, vst tank etc... I will look myself and try to find a diagram.

Thanks again..

[Harper]

Yeah, give me some time and I'll see what I can find in the manual and scan it.

[jpetter]

Awesome!

Thanks.

[Harper]

20 pages.....it'll take awhile

[Harper]

Okay, here goes nothin'......I have a feeling the file will be too big to upload...


.....nope, way too big. Jim, if you want the file. you'll have to post up an email address, or I think you have to have posted ten times to send a private message, so you can do that, too, if you don't want to post your email on the forum. Either way, once I get your email, I can send you the file. It's the entire section five of the manual, pertains to the fuel system. Each of the 20 pictures is too big to upload. The entire zip file is 25.2 MB.

[jpetter]

Hi Mike,

No problem. my email address is jimmypetter@att.net. You can send the file to me at this address.

Thanks again.

[jpetter]

**UPDATE**

I want to update all of you on my progress with my 2006 DF150. I took some suggestions from Harper and made a plan to execute. First let me advise that my engine is out of warranty and I would not reccomend these steps unless your engine is out of warranty.

First, I needed to know if my motor would fire. The suggestion was to remove the plastic shroud from around the flywheel and squirt some starting fluid or Carb/Throttle Body Cleaner directly into the intake. I opted to use the throttle body cleaner. When I sprayed a small amout into the intake and hit the starter, the engine fired immediately. This told me that all my electronics was working correctly. This was a relief as prior to this I was checking everything from the ignition key back to the ECM.
Knowing that my engine would fire and run. I moved forward with checking the fuel system. The next step was to drain the FVS Tank and see what would come out of it. I remove the top intake hose and then lossened the drain screw catching what drain out of the small tube into a small glass bowl. ***!! Some nasty stuff. I then closed the drain and spayed the throttle body cleaner into the FVS until it was full. I let it set for about 15 minutes, then I drained it. More nasty, dirty liquid drained. I did this about three times until it was almost clear. Once I felt it was clear, I attached all the lines and primed the gas and went thru the start up procedure of turning on the ignition to prime the FVS. I was told by the dealer that I should turn the key on until the beeps stop and the fuel pump stops running, and I should repeat this process three times, then hit the starter. When I did this, I immediately heard something different. Before I flushed the FVS, I would hear a faint grinding sound. Which I figured was the fuel pump. This time when I turn the key, I hear a definite motor spinning. The fuel pump is definite pumping the fuel up. It seemed my fuel pump may have been gummed up.
I hit the starter and the engine fired right up. I did have the waterhose connected and verified the water pump was pumping. I let her run for about five minutes, then shut her down and restarted the engine. She fired right up. Next test will be on the water first sign of good weather.

I want to thank everyone who helped me thru this.

I also want to say that it is worth every cent to buy a service/owners manual for your engine. These manuals show everything you need to do. What bolts/screws to remove and expected results. Worth the investment for sure.

I now have a running engine.

Thanks again,


Jim Petter

[Harper]

Glad your up and running again, Jim. Thanks for letting us all know how it turned out.

[jpetter]

Update

Well, I felt I needed to update my Update. As reported. The motor was idling great. The next test would be on the water. Well, it failed. It would not get past idle speeds. No Acceleration.
I did some checking and decided to pull the Fuel Vapor Seperator. This houses a few components, like the fuel pump, fuel pump filter, and the high pressure fuel regulator.
I need to mention again that my motor is out of warranty, with that said, The best advice to give all of you is to invest in the rapair manual. It is valuable at diagnosing issues and repairs.
When I removed my Fuel Vapor Seperator and opened it up... OMG! it was clogged, corroded, full of sludge, and what looked like fine sand. I also notice that the rubber spacer on the bottom of the fuel pump was cracking and deteriorating. The filter on the fuel pump was clogged, and the high pressure fuel regulator was totally submerged in yukki gassy sludge. I don't know how all this got in there. I have a spin-on fuel filter in line between the engine and the fuel tank and I replace it yearly. Oh well, it is what it is.
Now one thing is for sure, after looking at the design and taking it a a part. I could have never flushed this stuff out. It must be taken apart and cleaned. I priced the fuel pump and high pressure regualtor and web pricing has these items totaling anywhere from $450.00 to $550.00. I found an outlet selling the complete Fuel Vapor Seperator (Genuine Suzuki OEM) for $550.00. So this seems like a good deal for an all new unit with all new parts. It would be bolt, clamp, and play. I will need to order some replacement hose clamps as those suckers were hard to remove.
Yes, I could replace just the fuel pump, high pressure regulator and float, and put mine back together, but the way they have these items priced, for a few dollars more, I can get it "All New". There is another filter mounted outside above the Fuel Vapor Seperator. It is the High Pressure Fuel Filter. That baby cost $97.00. I may go ahead and replace that also, although gas seems to be flowing threw it without any problems. Just after seeing all the yukki krud, one would believe it would be wise to replace.
I will report back once I have completed this task.

Thanks,