I have a 96 Suzuki DT55 that came with a used pontoon boat that I just completed a rebuild on. When I bought the boat, the previous owner started it up for me with rabbit ears and it ran fine. After the rebuild, I hooked everything back up, and today - the big moment - I fired it up with the rabbit ears.
It started fine and I let it run for about 30 seconds before I noticed there was no pee stream coming from the large hole at the back of the motor shaft. There was, however, a small stream (warm, even hot, to the touch) coming out of a hole in the starboard side. Not wanting to run the risk of burning anything up, I shut it down. On my 4-strokes, the pee stream starts immediately and the absence of a stream means you've got big problems.
Not sure if that's the case with this 2-stroke Suzuki, and the manual is a bit confusing. It shows the primary water exit coming through the prop (and, yes, I saw that), and possibly shows the large hole at the direct rear of the shaft as well as a smaller side hole as auxilliary outlets. I am hundreds of miles from a Suzuki mechanic, or outboard mechanic of any kind.
So, do I have a problem? Should I let it run a bit longer? Perhaps, long enough for a thermostat to open up? The manual also indicates an overheat alarm and cut off, but I'd rather not take it that far. At the price these things go for, I'd much rather get the advice of someone who knows this motor.
Any help understanding this cooling system would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Ralph
It started fine and I let it run for about 30 seconds before I noticed there was no pee stream coming from the large hole at the back of the motor shaft. There was, however, a small stream (warm, even hot, to the touch) coming out of a hole in the starboard side. Not wanting to run the risk of burning anything up, I shut it down. On my 4-strokes, the pee stream starts immediately and the absence of a stream means you've got big problems.
Not sure if that's the case with this 2-stroke Suzuki, and the manual is a bit confusing. It shows the primary water exit coming through the prop (and, yes, I saw that), and possibly shows the large hole at the direct rear of the shaft as well as a smaller side hole as auxilliary outlets. I am hundreds of miles from a Suzuki mechanic, or outboard mechanic of any kind.
So, do I have a problem? Should I let it run a bit longer? Perhaps, long enough for a thermostat to open up? The manual also indicates an overheat alarm and cut off, but I'd rather not take it that far. At the price these things go for, I'd much rather get the advice of someone who knows this motor.
Any help understanding this cooling system would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Ralph
