Suzuki 175 4 stroke idling prob and parts cost fiasco

[odes20]

Well I took the wife out last week on a calm night but came home early when the Suzy suddenly wouldnt idle anymore. At 900 hrs she is still ticking along just fine.
Anyways i was educated enough to know the IAC valve on the intake side was probably the culprit and after a quick test found it wasnt working. Getting it unscrewed was tricky as the last screw is tucked away a bit and most people reckon you need to remove the flywheel to get at it.

Having established it was faulty, I had remembered reading on different forums that this part is the same as ones used in some Suzuki cars etc, so, knowing that the marine motor cost for the same part was likely to be dearer than the car one, I sought quotes from the local car dealer and marine Suzuki dealer. Shock horror, Marine motor price which is exactly the same part number as the car one, is $450.00 and the car one is $725!!
While researching availabilty, I discover that this part is actually made by Mitsubishi and is used in a range of their vehicles as well.

So on Fleabay Aust i bought a mitsubishi one Brand new for $109.00 !

its astonishing how this radically crazy some retail pricing is, and it leaves no doubt that online shopping is worth the effort after the research.
This part fits all Suzuki 4 bangers from 150 hp upwards, so just advising that if you ever have an idling prob, and it is the IAC VALVE, its worth researching a Mitsubishi original version.

[Moonlighter]

Thanks for that. Yes, i had read that the Mitsubishi part is identical on our USA sister site THT. And that the cost is far cheaper as you have discovered.

Could you post the Mitsubishi part # here so if anyone needs it they have the right number to search for on flea-bay?

[odes20]

Its a Mitsubishi MD619857 exactly , it matches the Suzuki part 18137-52D00. The local Suzy parts man said that its not uncommon to replace these after a lot of hours. Im not complaining that mine failed after 900 hrs, just happy to replace at right price

[Stuart]

The after parts market is a bigger money making cone than the actual purchasing of the engine.

[The Woo]

Suzuki is well known to sell you the bargain engine, then ream you for parts. They even seem to "engineer in" some faults so they may keep the revenue stream pumping.

[ozynorts]

Yamaha parts are made of gold apparently going on the cost of them.

[scottar]

It aint just outboards. Had a bumper fall off a $10000 hyundai panel van. Replacement - Over a grand. If you try and build pretty much any item out of spare parts the costs are way out of proportion. It's a bit like someones signature - If you have them by the balls, their wallets will follow. Most of the time, you're a captive audience. Good to hear of the little man going one up in this case.

[odes20]

Ya cant really say an IAC Valve failing at 900 hrs is engineered in. Fairly good outcome I think.
Cant really agree with that view, as have had largely trouble free boating from this motor and the part is made firstly for a Mitsubishi.
Suzuki is well known to sell you the bargain engine, then ream you for parts. They even seem to "engineer in" some faults so they may keep the revenue stream pumping.

[wayno60]

And ol mate on ebay is making money out of selling for $109 so how much is this part really worth??

[odes20]

Ive saved heaps by owning a full service manual for this donk and by reading forums all over tthe world , the internet is such an amazing tool

[Jsmfun]

This is the first thread I think I've seen where the 175 has had a prob so on that not why does mine rev a fair bit when I start it only 4 months old

[odes20]

Mine revs like that goes up to about 2000 or so then drops down to apprx 650 rpm. So i dont think yours has a prob, i think its just the way they are set up. Does it always settle down to an idle?

[Jsmfun]

Mine revs like that goes up to about 2000 or so then drops down to apprx 650 rpm. So i dont think yours has a prob, i think its just the way they are set up. Does it always settle down to an idle?
Yes most times it only started after the first service first time it happed it went to about 4000 it was screaming but since then about 2000 for about 5-8 seconds then down to a idol

[scottar]

Do they have an "automatic choke" as such like a car. The wife's camry does something similar.

[Jsmfun]

I personally am unsure it does seem strange though

[odes20]

Im very happy with the overall performance of my motor, just the same. After 900 hrs and basically routine maintenance, i dont think I could expect more. Ultimately all moving parts wear. So the failed IAC valve at those hours is really a win in my view. And if I expected more i would have to blame Mitsubishi as the manufacturer of the part , not Suzuki. :)

Cheers

This is the first thread I think I've seen where the 175 has had a prob so on that not why does mine rev a fair bit when I start it only 4 months old

[stevemid]

Same deal with my 95 Saab 900S. Oxygen sensor: my mechanic said, "Ignore the warning light, dont bother replacing it as you're getting good fuel economy and the replacement is $800. I found the OEM replacement in Singapore for $87. with free shipping. Same for the electronic part of the ignition switch. $108 in Sg, $490 here.

It pays to shop around and the internet cuts out the middle man (the dealer) who previously had you by the balls.

[odes20]

Balls, curlies and most other aparartus. The gouging is insane

[Noelm]

It is not always the "middle man" that inflates the price....

[odes20]

So... the same part. $109 $450 $725 who is doing the inflating here?


It is not always the "middle man" that inflates the price....

[Noelm]

probably not the guy at the shop you buy it from, the importer? fishing tackle, motors, the whole lot, everyone thinks the guy in the boat store or tackle shop is making a mint... nothing could be further from the truth.

[scottar]

Just remember that not all mark up is profit . The cost of running a business in Australia is not cheap and if you do choose to cut out the middle men (Distributor and the retailer generally in the marine game) you are excluding these costs times two. Its a personal choice. What really used to sh*t me when I was in the industry though was when the same people who you knew bought all their gear off the net would bitch that you didn't have the particular model they wanted to look at on the shelf or they would come in and get offended when the free advice wasn't there for equipment purchased overseas. The margins in the industry vary between products but ultimately a lot of businesses aren't going to turn their owners into wealthy people overnight. A lot of them work bloody hard just to stay afloat. There have been plenty of marine businesses go to the wall in recent years. That doesn't happen if the guys that own them are making large profits. I'm not trying to say that gear doesn't cost a heap more in Australia because obviously it does. But guess what - so do most other things in Australia. Take a good look at what you do for a living, what you get paid, and how much you could get it for overseas. We can have overseas pricing in Australia, but it comes with overseas wages and conditions across the board. Unfortunately we just can't have it both ways.

[odes20]

Scottar I respect your point, but only to a point. The prices I have listed are like 400 and 700 percent higher than I paid. If thats what it takes to keep these businesses afloat then I cant support that. As far as people and the whole visit to the retail shop expecting support while buying online, thats pretty low and selfish.

[scottar]

I get that too Odes20. I appreciate that times are tough and everybody is trying to stretch a dollar as far as it goes. I also appreciate the individuals right to choose where they spend their money. What we have to remember though is that when you purchase something from a business in Australia, you are supporting far more than just the industry you purchased from. Just as an example, an outboard dealer that offers mobile service. When you make a purchase from him you are also supporting - his bank with overdrafts and vehicle leases, his landlord, his insurance company, the dealership he purchases his service vehicles through and their service dept or another mechanic, the company he purchases tools off, the service station he gets his fuel from, his phone company, the RNA if he attends tackle & tinnie or the boat show as an exhibitor, his staff ,any clubs he may sponsor for comps etc, freight companies, The Australian public via taxes and licences not to mention the public servants, The work wear company he gets his uniforms off and on and on and on. Not to mention this exact same list for the distributor he buys his parts through and every business he deals with.

More and more these days these businesses that offer a service are expected to remain competitve against what is quite possibly a guy in his spare room collecting a 5% margin for redirecting an email for a product that will be drop shipped from the original manufacturer direct to your door. Unfortunately it can't happen. A business requires a certain amount of cashflow/profit to survive. When the amount of turnover starts to dry up either you increase margins, fold or attempt to diversify but as you diversify you eat into someone elses margins and he starts to end up where you were and so on and so on. Its a vicious cycle.

I don't have the answers to this problem - way above my paygrade unfortunately but if we wish to maintain our standard of living in Australia, it is a problem that needs to be addressed.

The way I see it, we are all part of the problem. Not just the distributor and the retailer. I know there will be exceptions to this where some companies will price gouge but realistically, unless we can see their books we have no way of telling.

Sure we could go down the road of the other business model where Aussie businesses become the back room variety, don't carry stock, don't have expenses as such and in all likelihood don't want to know if you have a problem but I for one don't wan't to be around when and if it happens.

I hope no one sees this as a personal attack as it is certainly not meant to be that way. After apending a considerable portion of my life in the marine industry it's just one of those subjects that gets me on my soapbox. Anyhoo, thanx for reading . Hope I didn't put anyone to sleep.

[Noelm]

retail shop expecting support while buying online, thats pretty low and selfish.
happens every day, fishing tackle, people trying on shoes and clothing to get the right size, looking at electronics to get the right model, and so it goes, I doubt you will ever stop it.

[odes20]

I think its a reality that retail shopping is in for ever increasing upheaval in the coming decade, whether we are ready or not. The shear force of globalism empowered by the internet and ever increasing tech and software cabability is changing our world forever. I predict we will see massive and radical changes to retail and it will bring a lot of pain and empty sq metres of commercial space in our cities and towns. The price of such and the sheer cost of operating sq metres these days puts enormous pressure on overheads besides all the other matters that Scottar mentioned.,

sorry to be so melancholy

[Dave_H]

Im very happy with the overall performance of my motor, just the same. After 900 hrs and basically routine maintenance, i dont think I could expect more. Ultimately all moving parts wear. So the failed IAC valve at those hours is really a win in my view. And if I expected more i would have to blame Mitsubishi as the manufacturer of the part , not Suzuki. :)

Cheers

There are often two very different sides to a coin - and sometimes it is worth the toss, other times not so... Having once worked in the game let me give you a small insight into how it works...

No one can begrudge anyone for wanting to save a buck here and there, though you might want to consider that many vehicle/machine/engine manufacturers don't actually make most of the individual parts that go into their products. Most are sourced from suppliers (such as pistons from "X" manufacturer, rings from "F", valves from "J" etc etc) and it is no different for the electronics part of the equation too.


So... the same part. $109 $450 $725 who is doing the inflating here?

In fact many OEMs will spec a suppliers part/s to suit their application, quite often with an internal material or external seal spec or something that differentialtes it from and will make it last in the intended OEM application. This of course means that there are instances (such as yours) where another (similar) part will do the job and you may get many years of hassle free boating out of it, which I sincerely do hope is the case, but for me I would always be wondering if that replacement "Mitsubishi" part was actually manufactured in China (like most of all that sort of componentry is now) with the cheap rrs internals that when they fall apart will get drawn into the engine (destroying it, though I am not saying that this will happen to you!) if it isn't actually a straight knock-off part... A large (well respected) small engine brand recently discovered their "unbranded" engines that were originally designed specifically for one domestic market popping up in a couple of other markets in other countries where they weren't supposed to be as the Chinese company making them under licence decided it needed some more income...

Peace of mind costs, at worst I'd have used the genuine car version of the same part number as at least you'd have had some guarantee it was built to (an) OEM spec rather than the unwarrantable part you've sourced and fitted.

Life is a gamble, we've all had good and bad experiences with cheap(er) price point machines or parts. Sometimes they are not worth the hassle, other times you end up miles in front after making an educated decision. Hey, I got bagged by a couple of mates and family for my (less expensive) choice of brand new outboard going back 5 years ago now but guess whose outboard is still going as well as they day it was bought with only the manufacturers required servicing having been carried out (and a very good wash/flush after each use)! Guess who gave up on his more expensive one after a number of seperate issues with it and admitted the extra dollars weren't worth it - therefore giving me the last laugh (so to speak)!

Hope it works out well in the long term for you!

[odes20]

Interesting that the original actually fell apart when I removed it last. Mm