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Author Topic:   2000 115 Evinrude FICHT

kapikog_cruiser posted 05-20-2004 05:05 PM ET (US)
am considering buying a 17' Starcraft (1990?) with a 2000 Evinrude FICHT as a ski boat for my cottage. Am looking for opinions on the quality of the motor.
JohnJ80 posted 05-21-2004 10:18 AM ET (US)
I have a 2003 FICHT and love it. It is a Bombardier motor and it came with a 7 year warranty.
There were problems with the original FICHTs but I don't remember the date range or the specific motors that were involved but I think 2000 is one of the year's of the problem.
The problem with them was significant. If they worked, they were terrific. If you had problems, they were huge. In point of fact, the warranty repairs and development cost are what put OMC out of business.
The other problem is that if it was under warranty to OMC, the warranty as i understand it, is no longer viable. that died under the bankruptcy. Bombardier bought the assets, but not the company so they do not have obligations under those warranties. That all being said, from what I have heard, Bombardier has been really decent about helping customers that have problems with those motors.
The FICHT technology is great. The engines run clean and quiet and are powerful.
So, before you buy this engine, you should check its specific history and to see if it was properly fixed per the recalls etc... A friend of mine had a 175HP with the problem and it necessitated a new powerhead at $6000 (deeply discounted by Bombardier - dealer cost) that he had to pay for. All that aside, he loves the engine, loved it before and it has been very reliable since the repair.
J
Peter posted 05-21-2004 12:52 PM ET (US)
I think the pre-2000 150 and 175 V6 motors that did not have the "pinned" heads were more problematic than others. I think the 115 was never issued without pinned heads. In any event, you may wish to take into account that OMC was a sinking ship in 2000.
djahncke posted 05-21-2004 02:18 PM ET (US)
I have had a 2001 115hp Ficht on the transom of my Dauntless 17 for two years. It has been a wonderful motor. Always easy to start, quiet and easy on gas.
The on board computer keeps significant statistics on the motor. It might be worth taking it to an Evinrude dealer and getting a printout of these stats.
Billymac posted 05-24-2004 04:12 PM ET (US)
First, call an Evinrude dealer and ask the mechanic who works on them, maybe call two. They will know and give you the specifics on the warranties and the problem history.
My friend bought a boat with I think a 2000 115hp Ficht and he was told that the V-4s (I don't know about "pins") did not have the problems it was the V-6's, so I think you are OK there.
The Ficht technology is great, Direct injection gives you very good fuel ecomomy, clean (no smoke), quite, very smooth at low RPMs and unlike 4-strokes, great acceleration. I just bought a 2003 225hp Evinrude for my Revenge re-power and can't wait to get it running and in the water.
Billymac

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Author	Topic: 2000 115 Evinrude FICHT
kapikog_cruiser	posted 05-20-2004 05:05 PM ET (US) am considering buying a 17' Starcraft (1990?) with a 2000 Evinrude FICHT as a ski boat for my cottage. Am looking for opinions on the quality of the motor.
JohnJ80	posted 05-21-2004 10:18 AM ET (US) I have a 2003 FICHT and love it. It is a Bombardier motor and it came with a 7 year warranty. There were problems with the original FICHTs but I don't remember the date range or the specific motors that were involved but I think 2000 is one of the year's of the problem. The problem with them was significant. If they worked, they were terrific. If you had problems, they were huge. In point of fact, the warranty repairs and development cost are what put OMC out of business. The other problem is that if it was under warranty to OMC, the warranty as i understand it, is no longer viable. that died under the bankruptcy. Bombardier bought the assets, but not the company so they do not have obligations under those warranties. That all being said, from what I have heard, Bombardier has been really decent about helping customers that have problems with those motors. The FICHT technology is great. The engines run clean and quiet and are powerful. So, before you buy this engine, you should check its specific history and to see if it was properly fixed per the recalls etc... A friend of mine had a 175HP with the problem and it necessitated a new powerhead at $6000 (deeply discounted by Bombardier - dealer cost) that he had to pay for. All that aside, he loves the engine, loved it before and it has been very reliable since the repair. J
Peter	posted 05-21-2004 12:52 PM ET (US) I think the pre-2000 150 and 175 V6 motors that did not have the "pinned" heads were more problematic than others. I think the 115 was never issued without pinned heads. In any event, you may wish to take into account that OMC was a sinking ship in 2000.
djahncke	posted 05-21-2004 02:18 PM ET (US) I have had a 2001 115hp Ficht on the transom of my Dauntless 17 for two years. It has been a wonderful motor. Always easy to start, quiet and easy on gas. The on board computer keeps significant statistics on the motor. It might be worth taking it to an Evinrude dealer and getting a printout of these stats.
Billymac	posted 05-24-2004 04:12 PM ET (US) First, call an Evinrude dealer and ask the mechanic who works on them, maybe call two. They will know and give you the specifics on the warranties and the problem history. My friend bought a boat with I think a 2000 115hp Ficht and he was told that the V-4s (I don't know about "pins") did not have the problems it was the V-6's, so I think you are OK there. The Ficht technology is great, Direct injection gives you very good fuel ecomomy, clean (no smoke), quite, very smooth at low RPMs and unlike 4-strokes, great acceleration. I just bought a 2003 225hp Evinrude for my Revenge re-power and can't wait to get it running and in the water. Billymac