Bad deal.
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5292688/1981_Suzuki_DT65_350I made a deal with stickfishangler on this motor.
200 cash
Hi Point 9mm
Ambassadeur 5000
BassProShops Reel
I talked to my mechanic before hand and he said it sounded like a good deal, especially since it had a new lower unit.
I drove almost to Abilene to pick it up. Got there and it fired right up and shifted fine.
So we made the deal.
Got it to the family fried/mechanic and put it on. Everything fired up and shifted fine. None of the set adjustments on the shift linkages were moved from where they were.
Got it all hooked up and got to the boat ramp, fired it up, put it in reverse, and got out into the water. Put it in forward, no go.
About an hour of the trolling motor to get the boat back to the ramp.
Took it straight back to the mechanic, he went with me to the boat ramp.
Did exactly the same thing. Mechanic said it's acting like the clutch dog came loose. It would go into gear, and then pop out when a load was put on it. Every time.
He pulled it back to his place and called me a couple of days later saying the lower unit was junk.
It had fresh lube in it though. I guess that constitutes rebuilt.
The following pm's after we got the boat together.
Hey man,
Give me a call when you get a chance about the suzuki. I need some help getting it adjusted right.
Thanks,
John
I'm fixing to head to Mark's, the mechanic/family friend's house now to see what his idea is.
We got it all installed on the boat and took it out.
It would shift and go backward, but it wouldn't go forward.
Loaded it back up and drug it to the house. I called Mark(he was out of town, truck driver) and he tried talking me through the shift linkages and whatnot.
In the driveway, with the water ears on, I adjusted the linkage the best that I could understand, and it would shift into forward and reverse and spin the prop and rev up and whatnot.
I took it back to the lake today to try again and you could feel the little bump when it shifted into gear, but it wouldn't move the boat. It would churn the water in reverse, but the boat wouldn't move, and it forward, nothing happened, it just seemed like it was in neutral.
Do you have any ideas on how to set the linkage, or if it may be the prop bearing thing worn out? It doesn't sound like the lower unit according to everyone I've talked to, because in the driveway, in either gear, you can't spin the prop by hand.
Just looking for ideas on what to check.
-John
the lower unit is like new.
It has to be an adjustment in the linkage.
We just adjusted the linkage every which way possible.
Something is wrong in the lower unit.
It shifts fine on the stand with the water ears on. But once a load is put on it, it pops out of gear and just revs.
I'm done with it, I'm selling the boat or something, I can't deal with the aggravation that the boat and motors cause for me.
-John
It might be the hold down bracket for the cables on the outboard.
It looked like it had a little flex in it.
Maybe that little flex is enough to allow it to pop out.
That stinking thing is aluminum. You might find a factory steel one or fab one. I would definitely try that first.
Here you can get a factory one for 9$.
http://www.boats.net/parts/detail/suzuki/S-67271-95210.htmlAnd it won't shift in the up position
-John
Its out of adjustment and the cable holder needs replacing.
Get that part then adjust and it will be fine.
It's not out of adjustment, we took all the cables/linkages off to check it out and shift it by hand and it's still not doing what it's supposed to.
When the motor is down, it will go into gear. After shifting it a few times, it goes into neutral and will not go back into gear.
Tilt the motor up and lock it up, and it will lock back into gear but will not go into neutral after it's been put in gear.
Something isn't right in the lower unit, and no one knows what it wrong with it exactly.
-John
I don't think you suppose to shift without the linkage.
The movement of the cable is very precise and if your not careful you can pull shift rod out of the gear case.
You really need to get that linkage bracket and try adjusting from there. The lower unit isn't the problem. The only reason i replaced the seals in it was because i pulled the shift rod out of the gear case myself while i was replacing the impeller.
There wasn't any wear at all in the lower unit.The oil was clean.
I really believe getting that part will fix it.
Well i see you took the lower unit off.
I hope you pulled that cotter pin or you just pulled the shift rod out of the lower unit. When going back on i would suggest taking the carbs off to get to it better.The lower unit comes apart real easy just pull snap ring and put back on the parts that hold prop on and nut.Use a rubber mallet to tap on the nut and thrust washer to slowly tap the prop shaft out.
Here is a parts diagram
http://store.brownspoint.com/pdf/DT50_65%2880-82%29.pdf
the pin you need to remove is under the carbs at the other end of that shifting arm.
Right on, I called the mechanic that helped me install the motor and we're going to pull the lower unit tomorrow.
He went out with me last night to check it out and saw what it was doing and he was thinking it was the clutch dog?
Mike Halfmann and JustWingem both seem to think it's something simple in the lower unit.
Checking it out tomorrow and hopefully get this fixed and be fishing this weekend.
-John
The last message from me was on 9/16 and the lower unit was pulled by Mark a couple of days afterword to discover that it's no good.
-John
Excellent service frome CT (Crucial Tackle) 
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