About those E-Tec motors

[Hatch99]

My friend has a 300 Etec. He has had major issues twice with the motor. The first time I towed him off Winnie and the 2nd time he was 25 miles out on Lake of the Woods prefishing for a tourney in bad weather. I believe he said it took him 11 hours to get back with his kicker. I'm not going to debate which motors are better, but I won't buy an Etec & I doubt he ever will again. I debated about posting this, but when people are spending that kind of $$ I believe we should try to keep each other informed. Good luck with whatever motor you purchase & stay safe on the water!

[BobT]

When we hear about issues, I often wonder what the issues were and if it is possible they could be related to upkeep.

No matter what one has, there's always a chance that problems could arise. Components break down. For every report of a problem there are probably hundreds that will report no problem. So before I pass judgment about one particular brand or model I have to ask myself if the problems that are reported are repetitious problems or isolated incidents.

For example, when I researched the E-tec before making my purchase I learned that there was one repeated problem that seem to appear....fuel pump issues. I did more research and learned that in the early model years Evinrude had some issues with this but the problem was traced back to the manufacturer of the fuel pumps not following specifications and particularly the specifications they agreed to when they contracted with Evinrude to build the pumps. As a result of this, that manufacturer lost the contract and to my knowledge the problem was resolved on subsequent motors.

Aside from that I found no evidence of chronic issues and since my motor came with a 5-year warranty I had no second thoughts about making my purchase. So far, 3 years later, I am very happy with my choice.

[gregg52]

Again 300 hp

I would think some of those tournament guys would wise up

that 300 got him there how much faster than a 200 would

Even if he was the first one to his spot didnt do him any good

As I said before I saw all the support at Tournaments but I never saw them working on smaller HP motors not to say it didnt happen

And all those support trailers always had someone at them meaning all brands

[Surface Tension]

It is what it is.

A FD wanting new equipment.

You can't compare that to a private ownership that is footing the bill for the update.

Well I guess you could if your to trying convince your wife why you need a new outboard.

To make the case our going to tell your spouse what a pile of junk your outboard is.

More HP means you'll get home sooner to help out around the house.

I tend to lean the way of the FD and will use this time to thank those that Volunteer their time to provide a service.

Reliability.

Trade in value.

Twin 300 hp to move that tub a little faster.

[delmuts]

" will use this time to thank those that Volunteer their time to provide a service."

+1

[WWW]

Best day I had with my E tech was when I sold it. 75hp left me stranded on more trips. All the repairs where covered under warranty but once the warranty was up I sure wasnt going to spend my dime for the mechanic to play with that motor. Reprogramming, new batteries, 4 new starters, plugs twice a year, broken tiller arm. This thing was dump.

Even on the e techs best day it still wasnt the motor my Yamaha is.

[gregg52]

Wow

lemon for sure

4 starters hmmmmmmmmm

[boatfixer]

" will use this time to thank those that Volunteer their time to provide a service."

+1

Thank you bothFrank & Del

[delcecchi]

Thank you bothFrank & Del

You are welcome. But I am not part of fire department. I am in Beatty twp, not greenwood but I read the local paper. Thought the story was of general interest.

[boatfixer]

I wasn't sure if u did or not.

But I was thanking you 2 for acknowledging those of us who do volunteer.

[delcecchi]

Just saw an update in the Dec 20th Timberjay. Have to type the section since I couldn't find it on HSOforum.

Quote:

Chairman Gene Baland updated the board on the status of the two outboard motors from the main fireboat, which are being repaired. He said that Evinrude had determined the engines had both failed due to problems with a leaking gas line and a vacuum hose, not due to any inherent defects in the engine itself. The township had asked Evinrude for a refund on the engines, which were under repair for the second time in less than two years. The board decided to get the information from Evinrude and then have someone else look at the data.

Just for reference...

From November...

Quote:

GREENWOOD TWP- Yet another problem with the outboard motors on the fire department’s main fire boat has led the Greenwood Town Board to seek a full refund from the engine’s manufacturer, Bombardier Recreational Products.

Last fall the manufacturer had agreed to extend the warranties on the two motors from two years to five years after both motors suffered major problems during their first year in service and needed extensive repairs.

But again this fall, major problems were found. And while the engine repair costs were covered under the warranty, there were additional problems found, including leaks in the gas line that required the tearing up and repair of the boat’s floorboards, at a cost of almost $1,000.

Where is there a vacuum line in an E-tec motor? Just wondering.

[gregg52]

well that makes alittle more sense

[delcecchi]

It makes sense that a leaking gas line will wreck the motor? And isn't the vacuum line part of the motor assembly?

[CaptainMusky]

That seems a bit odd but I'm wondering if there are additional vacuum lines required for oil and fuel since its a direct injected system. It certainly would suck to have to pull up the floor in a new boat. Most companies build access panels that should allow complete service to the tank and lines without tearing up the floor. Something seems odd here still...

[delcecchi]

Come to think of it, the article didn't say where the leaking gas line was. I jumped to the conclusion it was in the boat, but it could have been under the cowl on the motor instead. If the high pressure lines were leaking, how noticeable would that have been, in a big boat like that?

[gregg52]

Well the point is something odd is going on there to have all that trouble

I would be hard pressed to believe it is strictly one motor after another going to he!! or after being fixed they just have the same problem

Its out of the norm ....whatever the problem is

[delcecchi]

I think the problem with the earlier pair was lower units went bad in some way. That is what I dimly recall anyway.

[WWW]

Ended up sending mine back to the dealer that it came from. Told them the last repairs worked great but I want to try a Yamaha for some talk made up reason. Had no problem sticking them with that dump motor. There would of been no way I could of sold it out right to another boater as I was instructed to do be one sales person. "Sell it to someone you dont know". At least with the dealership I could just tell them to talk to Evinrude, I didnt make the problems with that motor.

Hope this all works out well for the fire department. Sounds like the same experience. Nothing but one issue after another and the best day with that motor was the day it was gone.