Evinrude 150 etec / Suzuki 140 / Optimax etc etc

[stephenmcdermot]

Hello,

I need a new engine to replace my dead Honda 130hp. Any good offers out there at the minute, looking at engines like a Suzuki 140 or an Etec 150.

Not sure about another Honda, but will consider what is out there.

Can anyone help please?

[Aidan]

How do Smac d.
There was a recent thread on this which posted a link to another thread of two years ago and teh Suzuki 140/Johnson 140 came out well as a smooth reliable and non thirsty engine. It is also quiter than the 150 by all accounts.

The ETEC got great write ups and seems a sound purchase with plenty of torque. A recent thread and thus pointer to You tube showed a Yam 150 and ETEC 150 in tug of war with the ETEC winning "Hands down" if you forgive the pun". There was a few issues about how honest it was but you will have that.

I spoke to someone in the Dublin Boat show who is supposed to be a specialist in Verado but he didnt know about the 150 which I found suspect.
There is more to life than 275 HP etc.

I intend on upgrading to the SUzuki 175 in due course...

[Peter J]

I'm no expert, I have only ever had two engines. A suzuki 90 and a 150 etec.

I hate the etec. Had nothing but problems with it and even now it sounds like it's going to conk out at low speed. The fuel measurement system has never worked so I never know how much fuel is left for sure. Yes it's got loads of torque - so what. I would rather have a nice smooth acceleration.

I wish I'd had a nice suzuki.

[Aidan]

Originally Posted by Peter J

I'm no expert, I have only ever had two engines. A suzuki 90 and a 150 etec.

I hate the etec. Had nothing but problems with it and even now it sounds like it's going to conk out at low speed. The fuel measurement system has never worked so I never know how much fuel is left for sure. Yes it's got loads of torque - so what. I would rather have a nice smooth acceleration.

I wish I'd had a nice suzuki.

Thank you or That Peter. You have made up my mind if I need to upgrade...

[Tim M]

I have a Johnson 140 4-stroke (same as the suzuki) and absolty love it. It's incredably quiet and smooth, responsive, and its very economical. Optis (imho) are noisey and thursty.

[Peter J]

Aidan,

Do you know you can fly Galway to Southampton now? You can come over and out for a spin and I'll show you the good points / bad points of the etec.

I have family in Mayo and I think Southampton / Galway is going to be better than our usual Gatwick / Knock.

So if I'm passing by your place.........

[stephenmcdermot]

What is the honest opinions of this engine?

Stephen

[Aidan]

Originally Posted by Peter J

Aidan,

Do you know you can fly Galway to Southampton now? You can come over and out for a spin and I'll show you the good points / bad points of the etec.

I have family in Mayo and I think Southampton / Galway is going to be better than our usual Gatwick / Knock.

So if I'm passing by your place.........

Hi Peter, e-mail coming your way. Aidan

[Aidan]

Originally Posted by Tim M

I have a Johnson 140 4-stroke (same as the suzuki) and absolty love it. It's incredably quiet and smooth, responsive, and its very economical. Optis (imho) are noisey and thursty.

Hi Tim, glad you like it, I am hoping to get my one soon. Have you serviced it with Suzuki or johnson.
Is there any difference in it at all between that and Suzuki and why did you opt for johnson.

I will upgrade to Suzuki 175 if there is not enough oomph!!!

What specific boat are you driving with it.

Aidan

[Aidan]

Originally Posted by stephenmcdermot

What is the honest opinions of this engine?

Stephen

HI stephan, I have never had one of these engines but my fairley detailed research work tells me that thie engine is :
Very Frugal,
Smooth,
Quiet,
Reliable
small in footprint and light,
better than the 150 as its power to weight ratio is better and is all tehg above better than the 150

PS I am getting one (140 Johnson 2nd hand)on a 6.5 ballistic soon, hopefully.
so it wins on everything bar low end torque.

I believe the 150 has a higher capacity than the 140 and thus lower end torque. However if the 150 is the same as the 175 then I would opt for teh 140 or 175 suzuki depending on what its going on.

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Optis (imho) are noisey and thursty.

Noisier yes.. cos its a two stroke compared to your four.. thirstier than a four of similar size? depends on what its doing and how its propped, and hight setting is critical for them. My opti 150 sure wasn't thirsty when set up right. Lovely V6 block.

[tiverton_tom]

Pair of Honda 130s (one counter rotating) for sale.

see my ad for RIBs and outboards in ribnet north america.

tom

[stephenmcdermot]

Hi there,

We bought the Johnson 140 4 stroke for our Humber. It is so quiet running! We had a wee short blast with it and it delivered the goods well. It was a lot more compact than I thought it would be, which is a good thing!

Will let you know how it goes on the Humber

Stephen

[Aidan]

Originally Posted by stephenmcdermot

Hi there,

We bought the Johnson 140 4 stroke for our Humber. It is so quiet running! We had a wee short blast with it and it delivered the goods well. It was a lot more compact than I thought it would be, which is a good thing!

Will let you know how it goes on the Humber

Stephen

Hi Stephan, do tell us how many kts vers revs etc.

I didnt get my boat yet but it is a Ballistic 6.5 mtr with Johnson 140 which is identical in every way except colour and control Clocks.
We will have to have a Suzi/Johnson 140 owners club to share info.

DO post yoru findings, pics, etc as you get them.

Good luck with it, as mentioned I researched the daylights out of these and value for moner versus power to weght ratio, they seem to outdo everything else pro rata

[UNIwatersports]

I have been fortunate enough to use several of the engines that you are considering. I should say straight away that the 140 suzuki is a very nice smooth and exceptionally quiet engine that you will have to keep looking back for the tell tale on to convince yourself that you have not stalled it when you bring it back to neutral. The accelleration is very smooth and progressive and very forgiving to use.

I also operate a 6.5m rib with a 150 Etec which i think is awesome! I chose the Etec for a few reasons:
1. I wanted the snappy torque and accelleration for the sensation of going very fast.
2. The 300hr service interval is very nice with no run in period.
3. The lightweight feature if the two stroke engine.
4. for aesthetics i wanted the white cowling!
5. Fuel flow meter as standard to see what how much fuel i really am using as fuel gauges are poo when dancing around in waves!

Having operated the engine i do find that my engine boat combination is beautifully smooth up to 2000 revs, then it jumps up to 3000revs very quickly then it is a nice smooth accelleration above this point. I currently have the boat booked in for an ecu remap and replacement of the air intake cam which will move the snappy accelleration up to the 3-4k revs range making the boat more manoeuvrable in tight spaces.

I would suggest that when considering between the Etecs and four strokes, do think of how you use the boat, if you want quiet and smooth - i would go for the four stroke, if you really want snappy, punchy response, you woudl be hard pressed to find a 2-stroke better than an Etec. The Etecs are not that much louder than a four stroke anyway!

Is it me or do Opti's frequently sound like a bag of bolts or is it just the ones that my friends have? My Etec sounds far quieter and smoother to me.

[Hugh Jardon]

i must admit that some opti 150s sound a bit rattly when quite old but to be honest i just love the snarl and growl of the v6 optis, i personally would have this any day over a 4 stroker
but that said
you cant go wrong with the suz 140, they are very sweet engines

on economy, dont take it for granted that 4 strokers will give better economy because depending on the combination of boat to engine type and size we have seen that a direct injection 2 stroke can be more economical than a smaller 4 stroker that is having to thrash to keep up.

if you want quiet then you cant really beat a 4 stroke imho

good luck with your choice

[gtflash]

what about oil consumption on the etec? No one ever mentions it in fuel/cost calculations..??

[dctucker]

Originally Posted by gtflash

what about oil consumption on the etec? No one ever mentions it in fuel/cost calculations..??

IMO, it's pretty much a wash vs. the oil changes on a 4 stroke. Both types consume oil, they just do it in different fashions -the E-TEC burns it, the 4 stokes change it & dump it. And for me it's quicker and easier to top up the oil tank than to change the oil or drag the boat to the dealer to do it. I haven't had my E-TEC long enough to have a useful sense of oil consumption but FWIW, in 40-50 hours at break-in oiling with the "good" XD-100 oil, I used < 1/2 the under cowl tank, which holds about 1/3 of a US gallon of oil. This on a 90 hp with a full mix of idle, low speed, low planing speed and high speed running. I forget how many gallons of fuel I burned, maybe ~25 US gal??

[Johnscubanut]

Hi all, just doing some research on the Johnson/Suzuki 140 4 stroke? Been offered one on a rib with around a thousand hrs on the clock? Its been serviced every year, but just wondering if those hours were a bit too high? Comments gratefully recieved!

[CJL]

Have you seen the new 4 stroke 150hp that Merc are bringing out next year?

Its not on their website yet but its on Youtube. We are considering it over an Optimax and Verado.

Also be careful of engine comparison tests. They are very difficult to do fairly and unbiased.

Chris