Etec 115HP horror stories?

[Obsidian]

I am looking at a 7.5m RIB with twin Evinrude 115s but a few people have said to steer clear as they have a reputation for blowing up and other dramatic endings.

Any anecdotes on here?

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Obsidian

I am looking at a 7.5m RIB with twin Evinrude 115s but a few people have said to steer clear as they have a reputation for blowing up and other dramatic endings.

Any anecdotes on here?

E-tecs are fine and do not have a reputation for blowing up, if they are set up properly and looked after then they give years of service and the V4 115HP is one of the best in the range.

The predecessor to the E-tec was the FICHT. This did have a poor reputation however different engines and different manufacturers. FICHT was OMC Evinrude is BRP.

E-tec have been used by Qinquari on their Seafari boats for years and clock up 1000's of hours, that says enough for me.

[Chris]

Whooops almost forgot the

[Bigtalljv]

You can find horror stories for all motors. You can also find people that have 1000s of hours on all brands. The difference between the big manufacturers of modern engines is pretty slight. Go with what you know and with the dealer/service person that you like. That's the biggest variable these days.

Jason

[Pikey Dave]

I have a 6.4m Ribcraft with twin 115 etecs ( for sale ) no major problems after 6 years.


.....sh1t happens.......

[matt h]

Is that why you jumping ship eh Pd?

Great ship to jump to though! Nice one. actually that warrants a. verrrry nice!!!

[Obsidian]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I have a 6.4m Ribcraft with twin 115 etecs ( for sale ) no major problems after 6 years.


.....sh1t happens.......

That sounds FAST?!

[office888]

The injection technology on the Ficht outboards was awful.

The Evinrude ETECs by BRP are a completely different animal...every inch of them has been carefully thought out.

They even thought to water-cool the ECM!

[Dry Run]

It's not a proper survey (by any means), but of the 130+ boats we have on the Dry Stack, with engines from Yamaha, Mercury, Evinrude, Suzuki, Optimax, Honda, etc.Guess which ones have mechanical/electrical/manufacturer warranty upgrade issues the most?

But hey, I guess time will tell.......

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Obsidian

That sounds FAST?!

Not overly, 42kn on a good day. She's propped for load carrying.


.....sh1t happens.......

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by matt h

Is that why you jumping ship eh Pd?

Great ship to jump to though! Nice one. actually that warrants a. verrrry nice!!!

Nope, I was made an offer I couldn't refuse, otherwise there would be a 150 Etec on the back, I still might live to regret not doing so, time will tell.
Take a look at the Suzuki owners forum, plenty of horror stories on there :errm:

.....sh1t happens.......

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by office888

The injection technology on the Ficht outboards was awful.

The Evinrude ETECs by BRP are a completely different animal...every inch of them has been carefully thought out.

They even thought to water-cool the ECM!

The injection technology wasn't awful. Three major changes that most improved reliability was the indexing of the spark plugs, changing the location and adding of water cooling to the ECU and introducing the XD range of oils.

[jonp]

Ive notice people seem to be far happier with etec's in the UK than the US and Australian market. We do have a few issues out here with fuel, especially the one with ethanol which I attributed partly to the Etec issues.

Personally Ive had issues and know of many others who have also had dramas from Etec. When they first came out they were very popular with some of the tv fishing shows, theses shows have since moved back to either the Yam or Suzuki 4 strokes.

The comercial sector also jumped onto the etec revolution! in the early years but have since moved back to the 4 strokes. When it comes to turning the key and having an engine running all day every day you get to here of some pretty high hours put on Yam, Honda and Suzuki by the police, maritime and other government bodies.

The new etec models look flash and may well of certainly sorted out any previous issues, Im just not prepared to give them a try as selling a boat with a used Etec over a used 4 stroke is bloody tough.

Jon

[willk]

Originally Posted by jonp

The new etec models look flash and may well of certainly sorted out any previous issues, Im just not prepared to give them a try as selling a boat with a used Etec over a used 4 stroke is bloody tough.

Good point, IMO. I found that when selling an older twin Etec rig - it put some buyers off and didn't seem to attract any niche buyers. I found the EMMs to be a weak point - they are very sensitive to fluctuations in power supply and any reduction in their cooling water supply can rapidly lead to fatal overheating. At around £1000 a go, you don't want to replace one, never mind two....

[blueboy758]

I have a 99' v4 115 and I live it.
I've owned it for 5 years and touch wood it's a strong engine.
Fuel efficient when driven easy, quiet and light.
I did need a ptt miter when I got it but that was £100 and sorted.

As long as it's got some service and been tested., do it ! 😁

[blueboy758]

Predictive txt ! I'm sure you can work the words out 😉