I rebuilt the carburetor of my Suzuki 2.5 engine last winter and it seemed fine for a few runs and then quit completely the other day and won’t start. I have read stories of people cleaning the carburetor 5-6 times before they got these working again when there are problems. I probably should have put in a fuel filter as some posters recommend, but did not. Anyway, I am considering replacing the carburetor, buying a new engine or both. It is a long row, and while good exercise, I would not want to do it against wind and tide. Although cheap and plastic, the Suzuki is the lightest on the market (30 lb) and while I have had some problems, it has lasted nearly 10 years and been pretty reliable. Arguing for fixing or replacing with same is that I now know the engine really well, so can probably keep the next one in better shape for longer. What trashed this one was a water pump issue I did not notice that overheated the engine and probably warped the cylinder 5 years ago. The only engine close in terms of weight are the Honda and the Yamaha. The Honda is really noisy and really got trashed in reviews as not reliable. Some people hate the centrifugal clutch as well. I can find nothing about the Yamaha in terms of people’s experience with it and it is hard to find for sale. It is about 6 pounds heavier than the Suzuki, but at least it is not 10-12 pounds heavier as most (Tohatsu, etc.) are. Then I came across a bunch of small engines on Amazon that I assume are Chinese imports. They are only about 20 pounds (vs. 30 for the Suzuki) and less than half the price. I have never seen one on a boat in my area. Any advice from the group? Thanks- Dave
S/V Aries 1990 C&C 34+ New London, CT
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