DF150 & DF175 air intake manifold

[The Grocer]

Evening all; been quiet for while - been busy

But the forum's starter for ten: has anyone running Suzi DF150s or DF175s had any interesting experiences with bits of plastic suddenly appearing where they have no right to be? I'd be very interested to hear from you if you have...

[yam man]

Originally Posted by The Grocer

Evening all; been quiet for while - been busy

But the forum's starter for ten: has anyone running Suzi DF150s or DF175s had any interesting experiences with bits of plastic suddenly appearing where they have no right to be? I'd be very interested to hear from you if you have...

Plastic?

[The Grocer]

Plastic.

[The Grocer]

Just posted this elsewhere - it may explain 1) where I've been; and 2) why I'm not exactly the happiest wee bunny in the warren...

"Hi, I run a small wildlife tour operation in Scotland. I was out with passengers 2 weeks ago when the port engine (a DF175 K7) failed. After many false starts with diagnosis I found that the flaps on the air intake manifold had disintegrated and caused damage to the inlet valves; the power unit is now in a workshop being stripped to investigate possible piston damage and then (hopefully) rebuilt.

What is concerning me as a professional skipper is the safety of my vessels, crew and passengers - and my hard-earned reputation. I have 2 DF175s with 1,200 hours on each, and a DF150 with about 500 hours.

I've already found references to several other instances of this failure on this forum and elsewhere; I'd like to ask how many other owners of these units have experienced this problem because I need to assess the risks involved - and what has Suzuki's response been when this failure has been raised with them?

If you'd like to email me rather than discuss this in open forum, please do - my details will be in the profile somewhere..."

[The Grocer]

So that's the starboard engine failed too. Well done Suzuki for failing to use basic engineering principles...

[The Grocer]

This is the inside of a failed Suzuki DF175 air intake manifold; three out of four diverter valves disintegrated and were sucked into - or past - the inlet valves. This is not, in my experience, a Good Thing (TM)...