Etec Outboards

[delmuts]

For those of you that have them. Opinions?? Care, ease of service?

Looking at a boat that has a 115 Etec, that's why I'm asking. Thanks!

[Savage Brewer]

I dont have one myself, but a close freind up north is on his 3rd season with a 150HP ETEC.

His has been very trouble free if he could keep the prop out of the rocks

[magnum mike]

Mine is a 2006 75 horse. The master control module failed last year but was still covered under the exceptional warranty. I have never had a better outboard.

[BoxMN]

I don't have one, but my brother's father in law does... I know, that is far stretch, but it is true, I know Bob and live only a mile or two from him and the lake he lives on. He has a 40, and about 6 years old. Lots has gone wrong with it, lots of little things. It is going into shop again for a fuel leak. Had throttle issues (control box type stuff) and some other small stuff. This is on a pontoon owned by a grandpa, but sits in the sun. He did do the recommended stuff in manual. I know they are good, but he has seen his issues. I only know that it is not as quiet as a 4 stroke of same hp, and even though I am 2 stroke fan for big boats, I am 4 stroke fan for pontoons. Good luck.

[mwal]

I had 2007 115 HP E-tec on my Prince Craft. Never had one issue. I now have a 2012 115 E-tec on my Stratos and it to has been issue free. I was choosing between Stratos and Nitro for Bass Boats and bought Stratos based solely on my past with the E-tec. Nitro come only with Merc's .

Mwal

[shamalex72]

I had a 2007 115 and a few minor issues the first year, then it was trouble free until 2011 when I traded the boat in with a little over 400 hours on it. Over all, I was happy with the motor. Averaged about a gallon of oil per year and was really good on gas.

[terickson]

I'm a happy, new owner of a 150 ETEC on a 2013 Trophy 175. Love it so far - but I did plenty of research prior to pulling the trigger to ensure that I would not be disappointed.

I had the fortune of talking to one of the engineers prior to buying. I was originally looking at the 115HO, he asked lots of questions about how I was using the boat (we use our boats like an F-150). He talked me into the 150 because of its stronger gear case and because we are frequently loaded to weight capacity, the low and mid-range torque of the 150 would be appreciated. It is.

I'm not trying to upsell you - just pointing out that the boat its mounted on and how well matched the power (and prop) is to how the boat is used will factor into ownership experience and purchase satisfaction.

[BobT]

I upgraded my boat to a 2011 90hp E-TEC in the spring of 2011 so I'm on my third year. Totally issue free so far.

- Quiet engine although not quite as quiet as a 4-stroke.

- Fuel efficient. I'd put it up against a comparable 4-stroke in fuel economy. If you do a lot of trolling it is advertised to be even more efficient than a comparable 4-stroke at idle.

- Economical on oil use. Mine is set up for 100:1 ratio so it sips the oil.

- No typical 2-cycle oil exhaust.

- 2-stroke performance. Will out-perform comparable 4-stroke out of the hole.

- Super easy winterizing. Automatic winterizing process takes less than 2 minutes.

- Easy to start and so easy on the battery. Never have I had an outboard or any motor for that matter start easier and faster than this one. I kid you not, after sitting all winter I can hook up the garden hose and turn the key and I'd swear that motor is running before I hear the starter engage. That's how it always starts, hot or cold, no matter when I start it up.

- Mine came with a 5-year warranty. They wouldn't back it up like that if they felt they would lose money.

I am very pleased with my 90hp E-TEC!

[JohnMickish]

The last few years I ran an Etec 250HO and was very impressed with most of it.

Loved the easy starting, super easy winterization and how easy it was to wake it up in the spring. Very lightweight (relatively speaking) and quiet. Fuel economy is what it is when pushing that kind of HP.

Not impressed with the oil consumption at the power levels I ran the engine at. Big horsepower takes oil to keep it safe, but I ran thru 13 gallons of oil in 2012 alone. Yes, it was set in the XD100 setting. Remember this was in a 250 plus horse power motor. I hear the small and midsize motors are very good on oil.

I would not have a problem purchasing one again.

[Dave S]

My dad has a 60HP ETEC on the back of his Crestliner. IMO, it does sip the gas compared to the 60 HP Mariner he replaced but overall top end it doesn't seem as fast as the Mariner was.

It does run smoother/quieter. I could still smell the typical 2-stroke oil burn but not as bad as the old carbed motors.

[delmuts]

Thanks! I just bought a "new to me" Ranger Reata with a etech 115. So time will tell.

[Dave S]

Congrats on the purchase Del. Enjoy the new rig.

[BoxMN]

Congrats! Have fun!

[Raider4ever]

I see the winterization is almost one-who-thinks-I-am-silly-proof. Does the "Self-Winterization" cover the lower unit also or do you still have to drain and replace like other engines? Thanks

[delmuts]

You still need to change the lower unit oil yourself, and grease where needed. Just the cylinders are done with the controls.

[Raider4ever]

OK. Thanks.