Evinrude Direct-Injection/Ficht: Happy So Far

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Author Topic:   Evinrude Direct-Injection/Ficht: Happy So Far

unsinkable_2000 posted 09-14-2004 04:42 PM ET (US)
I re-powered a 1965 Eastport during a full restoration over the winter. On the back I put a 0-hour 1999 Evinrude FICHT 90-HP engine that had the Bombardier update kit installed by my trusty OMC mechanic. I was weighing whether to throw on a newer engine and avoid some headaches, but in an effort to save money I kept the Ficht. My mechanic thought that more problems were seen in the larger models and among his customers only had one 90-HP Ficht go bad. Well, so far so good.
The engine runs beautifully, is quiet, and starts right up with plenty of punch. Granted, it has only been used lightly this summer, but so far it has been a nice engine and looks great on the back of the Eastport. I have a pair of Mercury engines on my Frontier 25 and a small Mercury on a duckboat, all reliable. I have a 70-HP Yamaha engine with carburetor on the 15 Super Sport Limited, also reliable. I really think all the engines are pretty good these days and if you can find a good deal on an engine like I did, sometimes, not always, it works out.
jimh posted 09-15-2004 12:13 AM ET (US)
Despite its reputation, everyone who owns an Evinrude Ficht that I have spoken to directly has been pleased with their engine.
Recently I was told that OMC had worked out all the bugs before Bombardier took over. The current BPR Evinrude Direct-Injection model engines are the refined versions of the original Ficht brand name models. WIth their light weight, excellent pollution rating, and good fuel economy, they seem to be making a comeback.
Sal DiMercurio posted 09-15-2004 10:41 PM ET (US)
The 90 hp FICHTs were never problem engines, it was the 60 degree 150 & 175 hp FICHTs that were the bad guys.
The 200 hp [ 90 degree engines ] just needed the upgrade such as the larger injector clamps & bolts, re-route fuel lines & heavier spark plug wire covers & they were & are still great engines.
Mine is a 2000 - 200 hp with 1,200 hours on it & just as powerful as day one.
Incredible fuel economy & oil consumption with minimal emissions..
Sal
half shell posted 09-18-2004 08:32 PM ET (US)
My 1997 150 Ficht with the update and 450 hours of use runs awesome on my 17 outrage.
Regards Bob
FU2 posted 09-22-2004 09:20 AM ET (US)
The 2 1999yr 225 Fichts on the back of the 28 Conquest run quite well. One had a small problem when we first purchased the boat used. The EMM on the starboard side would over heat and shut down after running for an hour. Sand was cloging up the cooling water going thru the EMM. Easy fix. They are a bit loud. But otherwise we are happy with them.
I also have a 2000yr 200 Ficht on the 20ft Outrage. It just had a problem that was covered under warantee with the EMM. It wound up being my son using the batterys on another boat. And not tightening the neg. cable. Otherwise that one runs like a charm.
All of our outboards use premium gas and Amsoil 2 stroke oil.This may have little to no effect on there longevity or performance. For me it is just cheap insurance.
We have been asked a few times about our loyalty to the Ficht engines. Answer is "They just run well".
We are now looking into the new E Evinrude's as well when repower time comes up.
Happy Boating !!
Peter posted 09-22-2004 09:47 AM ET (US)
FU2, I recommend flushing your outboards with fresh water through the flush port after every use. That should help keep the sediment and sand from building up in the cooling passages. I realize that the flush port is not a very convenient design but for about 15 dollars or so for each engine, you can purchase a quick connect/disconnect adaptor system for the port that makes flushing super convenient, literally a "snap". Can be bought through any of the major retailers. I've seen it at my local dealer's parts shop. With this adaptor, flushing is more convenient than it is on the Yamaha system.
FU2 posted 09-22-2004 11:53 AM ET (US)
Once again Thank You for the advise Peter. Will do.
I also changed the plugs out and gapped them at .30 as you advised. All's well.
Being that the previous owner obviously did not take too good care of these engine's. I am interested on decarbonizing the combustion chambers and ring's. For the well being of these engines. The seafoam seems to be the popular vote here. Any opinion or helpful hint's ?
Peter posted 09-22-2004 12:45 PM ET (US)
I haven't done a decarb yet but for some info on that go here ==> www.boatsetup.com/Decarb_FICHT.html . I've seen variations of this procedure and so I'm not sure I would follow it to the letter. I'll probably do it sometime in October.
One thing I read about and experienced first hand when fogging up the engines during my winterizing procedure last Fall is that the FICHTS do not like to hold idle above 1500 RPM. So for a procedure that says to idle at 1500 RPM, be on guard because they will hold there for a little while but then all of sudden start to run away, particularly if running on ear muffs. To prevent a run away situation, I tie a rope to the kill switch that can be pulled from the transom while I'm working on the engine at fast idle.
gcl posted 09-23-2004 09:30 AM ET (US)
I also have a 1999,90 hp Ficht. It powers my Nauset, which is the same hull as an Eastport. I am very happy with its performance. Powerful, dependable and very fuel efficient. Best wishes, gcl.
tully_mars posted 09-23-2004 08:44 PM ET (US)
Another happy FICHT owner. I have a 2002 Ficht 75hp on my 1971 16'7 Montauk. Just a note, I ran about 45 miles across Mobile Bay down to the ICW and over to Florida. Somewhere around 40+ miles by water and I burned about 10 gallons of fuel one way. So I am getting 4+mpg in rough seas, not too bad.
Capt. Tully Mars
JohnJ80 posted 09-27-2004 01:25 PM ET (US)
Me too. 75HP 2003 FICHT. I'm getting 40% better gas mileage. Oil is even better yet. No smoke, idles great, quiet and lots of power. Old motor was a 70HP Johnson 1995 two stroke.
J

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Author	Topic: Evinrude Direct-Injection/Ficht: Happy So Far
unsinkable_2000	posted 09-14-2004 04:42 PM ET (US) I re-powered a 1965 Eastport during a full restoration over the winter. On the back I put a 0-hour 1999 Evinrude FICHT 90-HP engine that had the Bombardier update kit installed by my trusty OMC mechanic. I was weighing whether to throw on a newer engine and avoid some headaches, but in an effort to save money I kept the Ficht. My mechanic thought that more problems were seen in the larger models and among his customers only had one 90-HP Ficht go bad. Well, so far so good. The engine runs beautifully, is quiet, and starts right up with plenty of punch. Granted, it has only been used lightly this summer, but so far it has been a nice engine and looks great on the back of the Eastport. I have a pair of Mercury engines on my Frontier 25 and a small Mercury on a duckboat, all reliable. I have a 70-HP Yamaha engine with carburetor on the 15 Super Sport Limited, also reliable. I really think all the engines are pretty good these days and if you can find a good deal on an engine like I did, sometimes, not always, it works out.
jimh	posted 09-15-2004 12:13 AM ET (US) Despite its reputation, everyone who owns an Evinrude Ficht that I have spoken to directly has been pleased with their engine. Recently I was told that OMC had worked out all the bugs before Bombardier took over. The current BPR Evinrude Direct-Injection model engines are the refined versions of the original Ficht brand name models. WIth their light weight, excellent pollution rating, and good fuel economy, they seem to be making a comeback.
Sal DiMercurio	posted 09-15-2004 10:41 PM ET (US) The 90 hp FICHTs were never problem engines, it was the 60 degree 150 & 175 hp FICHTs that were the bad guys. The 200 hp [ 90 degree engines ] just needed the upgrade such as the larger injector clamps & bolts, re-route fuel lines & heavier spark plug wire covers & they were & are still great engines. Mine is a 2000 - 200 hp with 1,200 hours on it & just as powerful as day one. Incredible fuel economy & oil consumption with minimal emissions.. Sal
half shell	posted 09-18-2004 08:32 PM ET (US) My 1997 150 Ficht with the update and 450 hours of use runs awesome on my 17 outrage. Regards Bob
FU2	posted 09-22-2004 09:20 AM ET (US) The 2 1999yr 225 Fichts on the back of the 28 Conquest run quite well. One had a small problem when we first purchased the boat used. The EMM on the starboard side would over heat and shut down after running for an hour. Sand was cloging up the cooling water going thru the EMM. Easy fix. They are a bit loud. But otherwise we are happy with them. I also have a 2000yr 200 Ficht on the 20ft Outrage. It just had a problem that was covered under warantee with the EMM. It wound up being my son using the batterys on another boat. And not tightening the neg. cable. Otherwise that one runs like a charm. All of our outboards use premium gas and Amsoil 2 stroke oil.This may have little to no effect on there longevity or performance. For me it is just cheap insurance. We have been asked a few times about our loyalty to the Ficht engines. Answer is "They just run well". We are now looking into the new E Evinrude's as well when repower time comes up. Happy Boating !!
Peter	posted 09-22-2004 09:47 AM ET (US) FU2, I recommend flushing your outboards with fresh water through the flush port after every use. That should help keep the sediment and sand from building up in the cooling passages. I realize that the flush port is not a very convenient design but for about 15 dollars or so for each engine, you can purchase a quick connect/disconnect adaptor system for the port that makes flushing super convenient, literally a "snap". Can be bought through any of the major retailers. I've seen it at my local dealer's parts shop. With this adaptor, flushing is more convenient than it is on the Yamaha system.
FU2	posted 09-22-2004 11:53 AM ET (US) Once again Thank You for the advise Peter. Will do. I also changed the plugs out and gapped them at .30 as you advised. All's well. Being that the previous owner obviously did not take too good care of these engine's. I am interested on decarbonizing the combustion chambers and ring's. For the well being of these engines. The seafoam seems to be the popular vote here. Any opinion or helpful hint's ?
Peter	posted 09-22-2004 12:45 PM ET (US) I haven't done a decarb yet but for some info on that go here ==> www.boatsetup.com/Decarb_FICHT.html . I've seen variations of this procedure and so I'm not sure I would follow it to the letter. I'll probably do it sometime in October. One thing I read about and experienced first hand when fogging up the engines during my winterizing procedure last Fall is that the FICHTS do not like to hold idle above 1500 RPM. So for a procedure that says to idle at 1500 RPM, be on guard because they will hold there for a little while but then all of sudden start to run away, particularly if running on ear muffs. To prevent a run away situation, I tie a rope to the kill switch that can be pulled from the transom while I'm working on the engine at fast idle.
gcl	posted 09-23-2004 09:30 AM ET (US) I also have a 1999,90 hp Ficht. It powers my Nauset, which is the same hull as an Eastport. I am very happy with its performance. Powerful, dependable and very fuel efficient. Best wishes, gcl.
tully_mars	posted 09-23-2004 08:44 PM ET (US) Another happy FICHT owner. I have a 2002 Ficht 75hp on my 1971 16'7 Montauk. Just a note, I ran about 45 miles across Mobile Bay down to the ICW and over to Florida. Somewhere around 40+ miles by water and I burned about 10 gallons of fuel one way. So I am getting 4+mpg in rough seas, not too bad. Capt. Tully Mars
JohnJ80	posted 09-27-2004 01:25 PM ET (US) Me too. 75HP 2003 FICHT. I'm getting 40% better gas mileage. Oil is even better yet. No smoke, idles great, quiet and lots of power. Old motor was a 70HP Johnson 1995 two stroke. J