posted 10-06-2004 09:21 AM ET (US)        

Bombardier was supposed to overnite a fresh block; a week later a block was delivered, but it had been damaged in shipping. Yet another block was supposed to be overnight shipped; three days later it arrived.

I got the boat and motor back two weeks after the initial breakdown. I had them put a larger prop on this time (the 17-inch-pitch prop was letting the motor wind to its max at 5500 and I figured I might gain a little speed with a 19-inch prop). The engine idled a bit on the rough side, and had a stumble coming off idle, but I figured it was just a break-in thing (I alerted the mechanic to this and we decided to see if it smoothed out over the break-in period before I brought it in for a twenty-hour service). The motor seemed to run well otherwise, giving me 43-MPH (per GPS) at 5000-RPM with two passengers. (The boat is a 1986 Montauk with a 24 gallon fiberglass tank feeding the fuel thru a canister style filter; engine is running XD100 oil and premium gas from a reputable land based gas station--yes, it has 10-percent Ethanol as do all the gasolines that I am aware of here on Long Island.)

This morning I leave the dock at about 0600 to do some bass fishing, let the motor warm up for a few minutes before I drove out to the bay (another five minutes at idle), get out on the bay and take off for the flats. Thirty seconds into the ride, doing about 3000-RPM, the motor suddenly drops speed without any alarm lights or sounds; I thought maybe the automatic rev limiter had cut in, since it was doing about 1000-RPM, but it was pumping water. So I did what we always do out here on LI: a shot of reverse to make certain there is no weed on the prop, then took off again. I made it about another mile out across the flats (doing about 4000 to 4500-RPM, gotta keep it off the bottom in that skinny water) when it just cut right out again. Totally shut down. Now I'm thinking fuel? The first thing I do is pull the cover and check the filter, which is full. It takes a couple of cranks to start this time and sure enough, there is that exact same sound it made the last time it blew: a knocking noise clearly audible above the purr of the motor. Give it gas in neutral and it's really rough. Now I'm only in 2.5 feet of water and I don't want to put it on a plane here so I idle it for a quarter mile till I get to some deeper water and it takes off just fine and runs fine till I get to my spot. But once there and I idle down that knock is plainly audible.

Needless to say I couldn't settle down and fish, and I tried idling back to my dock but after half an hour I reached the flats and had no choice but to put the hammer down and cruise across. It seemed to run fine, but once I reached my canal and throttled back there was that knock.

The dealer hasn't yet opened and I am now pondering my options: demand my money back? Demand a fresh motor? Who pays for the second tow job for the second blown motor? Just what IS wrong with this setup? We are now into prime fishing (and tournament) season here on Long Island and I am truly not a happy boater.

Sorry folks. I just had to vent.

Possibly a few pertinent points: the block was changed but I was told the EMM [Electronic Module?] and the injectors are from the original setup, as are all of the other electical devices. I have no true idea exactly what was carried over and, as the mechanic was out on a call when I picked up the boat, I don't have any paperwork or printouts from the PalmPilot to tell me anything. The tag on the motor says it was built in Jan 2004 but it was purchased new and installed by the dealer on 1 September 2004 (along with a system check tach and a new ignition key/safety switch).

posted 10-06-2004 10:08 AM ET (US)            

And as for the replacement part that BRP sent out, the mechanic likened it to a short block and he had to strip the old powerhead and bolt everything up to the replacement.

Once again, I will keep y'all posted...

posted 10-06-2004 11:11 AM ET (US)            

I can see where you came up with your screen name...this would definitely put me in a crabby mood!!

Do you know (or anyone else, for that matter) if there are "lemon laws" for outboard motors? I would think that a situation like this certainly requires a full replacement...unbolt that bad boy and put on a new one!

Perhaps you can write a letter to BRP and have your dealer sign it as well indicating how you would like the problem resolved...of course, after you've figured out what went wrong this time.

You are certainly the only person who I have heard reporting a bad experience with these motors, and I would like to think that it ia an anomaly.

Good luck and best wishes!

posted 10-06-2004 12:09 PM ET (US)            

"get raked for another expensive "lunch" by my fishing buddies"

posted 10-06-2004 05:33 PM ET (US)            

-Thanks for keeping us up to date on this situation, as many are following the E-Tecs very closely and appreciate all the info your experience is providing. Best of luck.

posted 10-06-2004 06:24 PM ET (US)            

Get on the phone to customer service right away, 847-689-7090 and tell them what happened! That ain't right.

If the mechanic found debris in a cylinder and did not replace that injector, that is a big NO NO.

It is normal for any outboard company to send the dealer a long block and have the tech transfer the remaining parts to it.

Since you said that the motor quickly dropped rpms, it almost sounds like a fuel delivery problem. EFI and DFI motors can stop just like turning the key off if the fuel is airated, restricted, or if pressure falls off. A vacuum check of your boat's fuel system (per the service manual) would be a good idea.

posted 10-06-2004 08:57 PM ET (US)            

My friend's motor blew (OMC FICHT) and OMC sold him a complete powerhead at below dealer cost even though they were not required to help him out at all since it was an OMC problem. They also paid the dealer to install it.

I think if you call the Bombardier field guy he/she would be pretty helpful.

posted 10-06-2004 09:23 PM ET (US)            

To all others: Thanks for all the suggestions and thoughts; I will certainly do some of the cutting and pasting and emailing to higher ups at BRP. When BRP took their time getting me a replacement block the first time they were kind enough to offer me a case of oil for my troubles (I spoke to a guy named Al at the customer service number)(I was hoping for the same extended warrantee they were offering last winter, I figure if the motors are so good it wouldn't have cost them anything, eh?).

I spoke to the dealer this afternoon who says he has already spoken to BRP and has told them he either wants a fully dressed block or permission to hang a new motor on my boat. I don't know if he is just blowing sunshine in my face or what; I DO know that it was a lot more than the $6K someone thinks I have paid for this lemon and I think the dealer knows that I know he made a few bucks on this sale. In any event, he seems to be in the middle and I really hope that BRP comes through and does the right thing this time around. I want to get the motor to the shop while it is still running (rather than totally dead as it was when we got it there last time) so that it may actually be of some good to the engineers and the rest of us folks who are looking for a good product (the reason I spent more money on the towing package rather than just dragging in a totally dead motor again). Hopefully it won't just get tossed onto the scrap aluminum pile.

Maybe it is time that we got a rep from BRP to start participating in this forum and others like it. Supposedly there is someone named Sean who is a factory rep that is supposed to look at my motor; I will make this suggestion to him if I actually get to meet him tomorrow.

Seahorse: RE: the possible fuel delivery situation you mention...since the fuel is delivered directly to the combustion chamber independent of the lube system, do you think this is really an issue here (assuming something let loose in the bottom end again)?

posted 10-07-2004 08:39 AM ET (US)            

Insist that your dealer tech go with you on a test run using a vacuum gauge and clear fuel line to check for air bubbles or restrictions in the boat plumbing.

Most of the time, multiple powerhead failures are due to a problem in the boat. Air or restricted fuel systems cause a motor to run leaner than normal causing detonation and or excessive combustion temperatures.

Keep us posted.

posted 10-08-2004 10:17 AM ET (US)         

I wonder if the problem is not related to the new gasoline formulations (dropping MTBE in favor of ethanol)?

These DI motors (Ficht, Optimax, Yamaha's HPDI, E-tec) all seem very picky about fuel quality, injection and spark. Maybe it's just my imagination, but in the problem situations, they seem to either run too lean, burning up pistons or they start coking up, with problems arising from the build-up of carbon.

It has to be difficult for manufacturers, making engines that work with all the different gas formulations - they seem to change constantly. I'll stick with my 4-stroke for now.

posted 10-08-2004 01:00 PM ET (US)            

I was interested to see that you were running a 19' propeller at 5000 rpm. Was this stainless steel, how many blades and which manufacturer? How high is your engine set? I am running a 3-blade 15 x 13.25 stainless steel Stiletto propeller on the same boat, at 5200 RPM, which trims up to 5500 at 42.5 MPH. I switched from a 17 x 3.25 3-blade SS Stiletto, which was giving me 5100, trimmed to 5300-5400, with about the same speed.

Another member reports a 17' SST prop delivers 5100 RPM.

posted 10-08-2004 08:28 PM ET (US)            

The 13 3/4 x 15 and the 13 1/4 x 17 also fit the 3 cylinder models.

I had both these props for my 1985 Evinrude 70 hp.....

posted 10-08-2004 11:29 PM ET (US)            

Not to pick on anyone for sure but an EGT guage in an aircraft is used to set mixture for best economy etc. There are all kinds of arguments from Lycoming, Continental and pilots about how to lean, past peak, before peak, best power etc and way beyond this boat discussion. One thing, the computer(s) and black boxes that are controlling these outboard engines certainly monitor such parameters if only indirectly. Lean conditions will kill a two-stroke and they don't like reformulated fuels. While I have not been to a marine mechanic school I am an A&P and I am also a certified Rotax (BRP) mechanic and I also stayed in a Holiday In Express last nite. So--my point is that the Mercury Optimax/SmartCraft and BRP products are certainly monitoring engine operating parametrs and setting mixture automatically to match conditions and much more effectively/instantaneously than a human with an EGT guage could ever do. These engines clearly operate on a knife edge. Fuel is not just for burning but the vaporization provides cooling to the piston crown. Lean mixtures burn hotter to a point and more over the vaporization effect is less pronounced. This is why these engines require high quality materials and computer controls to finely balance the engine operation on this "knife edge". Did you know that a lean mixture actually burns slower than a rich mixture and often results in afterburning in the aircraft(or boats or cars) engines exhaust resulting in high EGT and also burned exhuast valves. Yes, lean mixtures kill four strokes too--just not as fast but just as dead.

posted 10-09-2004 02:26 AM ET (US)            

The DFI motors such as FICHT, Opti, and E-TEC have the "computer" calculate the fuel:air ratio from throttle opening, air and water temps, rpm, and in FICHT's case, exhuast backpressure. The HPDI Yamaha, small blocks only, use an O2 sensor on #1 cyl.

There is no easy way for an average boater to tell if the boat's fuel system is restricted or if a loose fitting is allowing aerated fuel into the vapor separator, which in either case will cause a lean running engine and high exhaust temps, along with possible engine damage. With these motors, only a vigilant set of eyes staring at an exhaust temp gauge would spot potential problems.

The FICHTs, Optis, and E-TECs run in a statified charge mode at idle then switch to a homogeneous mode (stochiometric) as power increases. Yamaha shuts off 2 cylinders in neutral at idle.

posted 10-09-2004 10:38 AM ET (US)            

Sorry, I got swamped with work right after the last breakdown, just have a few minutes for an update here:

Got to the dealer yesterday, actually got to see the motor with the head pulled this time around. Bottom cylinder is quite scuffed up (wouldn't go so far as to say grooved but certainly not the pristine hone job still visible on the top two bores). Same cylinder as last time around. The key thing that got carried over from the original powerhead are the injectors (placed back into the same cylinders); the emm was (supposedly) replaced and the old injectors were dialed into the new program after being placed in the same spots as they originally were located). Can't say why BRP refused to go all the way the first time around, obviously this is the price to pay for a bad injector (or a miscalibrated one).

Seahorse: I assume you want to check up on my story, no problem, will send you the serial number once I get around to dealing with emails (have stayed away from that mess for a few days now and I do my email from a computer other than my work machines). But regarding the fuel system, the fuel filter internal to the engine was full of fuel at the time of the incident, it was a calm day, and my tank was half full with a fresh canister separator between the tank and the motor (this is the same setup that I have run for a long time on this boat without any issues other than replacing the primer bulb occasionally, always with an OMC (and changing the cartridge)). The internal filter doesn't seem to like to totally fill with gas all the time: it sits horizontally and no matter what I try there seems to always be some air in the top of the filter (pump the primer bulb super hard, tilt the motor, tap the filter). Now I asked the dealer/mech about the possibility of something on the boat (fuel system) causing this problem, I specifically told him I was nervous about BRP suddenly saying it's not their problem, and he replied that if it was an external problem it should likely be affecting more than just the one cylinder (and especially the same cylinder).

I know on a friends 2002 250hp injected merc that he cannot use the external canister filter, something about the internal fuel pump will not work properly with it and it has a water separator/filter under the hood anyhow. I asked about this prior to having the E-TEC installed and was told this is not an issue with these motors.

One other point: lots of carbon on the piston tops, maybe just a result of the motor still running on break-in prog, or maybe cause I had to idle the boat a mile or two from my dock so that the towing service wouldn't be overly suspicious.

I am told that as of yesterday the decision had not been made as to whether they will simply hang a fresh motor on the boat or if they will ship out a fully dressed block. Right now I am so swamped with work it doesn't matter, I would be too tempted to go fishing and I just have to meet these deadlines...

Ratherwhaling: 13.25x17 SST (evinrude stainless 3 blade) gave me 38 mph on my 1986 70hp evinrude at 6000rpm's (mounted all the way down but trimmed out) and 41 mph on the 90 E-TEC @ 5500rpm's (mounted two holes up)(one person on board)(I guess it was just a coincidence I had the same prop; I refuse to use aluminium despite what my buddy FU2 sez as I used to go through props too quickly). 13.25x19 sst gives me 43 mph @ 5000-5100 rpm's. (speeds from a garmin48 gps)

posted 10-09-2004 11:23 AM ET (US)            

I don't doubt you at all, it's just possible that I could be of service in a small way. Yours is the first engine problem I've seen with the E-TECs since they were introduced over a year ago. Having a second problem is unheard of, so there may be some other reason, usually the boat, but it could have been the debris laden injector, which should have been replaced. It is up to the service tech to tell the factory what is needed for a complete repair.

Did you call customer service again?

Merc does not recommend extra fuel filters because they have marginal fuel pumps. Yamaha and Bombardier both sell and recommend boat mounted filters.

Your engine mounted filter is horizontal and will not always stay full, that is normal.

posted 10-09-2004 11:51 AM ET (US)            

quote:

---

There is no easy way for an average boater to tell if the boat's fuel system is restricted or if a loose fitting is allowing aerated fuel into the vapor separator, which in either case will cause a lean running engine and high exhaust temps, along with possible engine damage. With these motors, only a vigilant set of eyes staring at an exhaust temp gauge would spot potential problems.

---

So if you refuel at a marina, and pickup some dirty fuel you could have a bad problem. Maybe the manufactures should add cylinder temp as a input to the ECU.

posted 10-09-2004 03:12 PM ET (US)            

Hoosier: I can't seem to locate any email addresses on any of the BRP sites I've checked, including reading those promo "insider" things on the Evinrude site.

posted 10-09-2004 06:07 PM ET (US)            

There is no public email for Bombardier, but don't worry, the company is aware of your problem.

posted 10-09-2004 06:54 PM ET (US)            

I suppose it is a good thing I have no spare time for a few days else I would be down at the big in-water boat show going on this weekend here and telling the BRP reps and everyone else in earshot what I think of their repair practices...

posted 10-11-2004 08:29 PM ET (US)            

Again, thanks for taking a peek at things for me. There's a guy at BRP customer service named Al that has gotten pretty familiar with my situation and he seems pretty helpful every time I call. It would be interesting to know the structure of the CS department and the path that trouble tickets take (ie: how many layers of paperwork and higher-ups things must pass through on their way to a resolution).

posted 10-11-2004 08:49 PM ET (US)            

Your tech should set the computer to "break in mode" before running the engine. If you think you need a new primer and hose, that means you should go ahead and do it now. Let me know how many inches of mercury the vacuum gauge reads while the motor is running at all different speeds. The temporary clear line in the system will show if any air bubbles get into the gas and make a "froth" like a head of beer, that is what can ruin an engine by making it run lean a high power settings.

posted 10-12-2004 08:39 AM ET (US)            

If a perfect fuel system is so necessary for these motors to run without destroying themselves it should be made very clear to both the riggers and the new owners rather than waiting for something like I have gone through. Is this system check something that should be automatically performed when a dealer hangs a new motor and field tests it?

Just in case I can be present when this test is run I'd like to know the set-up: where should the clear hose be connected, where should the vacuum guage be tee'd in, and what are acceptable levels? I can dig through my shop manual for my old 70 to see if they reference anything there but as injected motors weren't around back then the specs might be different...

Thanks Seahorse.

regards,

posted 10-12-2004 06:13 PM ET (US)            

Any of the late model service manuals explain how to check the boat's fuel system. Ask your dealer to make a copy of it for you, or loan you a manual.

posted 10-14-2004 10:04 PM ET (US)            

Incidently, I believe that the original part that failed--the connecting rod--is the same part used in much higher horsepower engines than this 90-HP. It seems unlikely that a part that survives in a 150-HP engine would fail in a 90-HP engine.

In retrospect, it sounds like the original diagnosis of a bad connecting rod that failed was probably wrong. Some other problem precipitated the failure of the connecting rod, and, since this problem was not corrected, it has again caused a failure in the engine after just a few minutes of running.

At question here is if the failure is related to any dealer performed rigging of the engine, of if the engine itself is at fault.

posted 10-16-2004 02:10 PM ET (US)            

A quick recap: first powerhead (2004 90hp E-TEC built in Jan04) died with a bad knock after about ten hours and a new short block was installed with the old injectors. Second powerhead died a similar death and displayed similar symptoms (badly scuffed lower cylinder)(earlier reports from me about a bearing or anything else cannot be confirmed; it turns out no real diagnosis or full tear down was performed at the dealer other than the removal of the cylinder head (both times)).

A fully dressed powerhead was supplied by BRP and installed and run-in by the dealer. The entire fuel delivery system was also inspected and updated (new supply line, new primer bulb)(pickup tube removed, inspected, and replaced into the fiberglass 24 gallon underseat tank). I will report on the vacuum check when I get to see the paperwork at the 20 hour check.

I am not totally pleased with the new powerhead. It has a pronounced miss in the 2000 to 2500 rpm range and seems to be about 2 mph slower than the last replacement powerhead with the same prop (the original powerhead had a 17 inch SST connected to it and gave me the same speed but revved to about 5500 rpms). It also seems to stumble on a hole shot coming off idle. The boat holds a plane and rides well at 3000 rpms but at anything less than 2800 it seems to lose power and drops right off. Top speed is about 40.5 mph at 5100 rpms with a 19 inch SST prop (17 Montauk, 12 gallons, one person (170 pounds)).

I've got about 4 hours on the motor plus about two put on by the dealer so maybe the rough running will work out; if the winds and weather cooperate I may reach that 20 hour mark by next weekend and will see what happens. Of course I will monitor the situation carefully (I'll admit that I feel quite paranoid about things at the moment) and if the performance seems to degrade I will have it back to the dealer pronto.

posted 10-17-2004 07:56 PM ET (US)            

Whenever Chris is at the helm on our boat, I always yell at her if she gets the engine in the 2000-2500 RPM range. The motor is lugged down, the boat is throwing a huge wake, and the chances for problems are at a peak.

posted 10-18-2004 12:44 AM ET (US)            

I also echo Jim's note about that range as being the bogged range on all motors, even the 9-HP on my old john boat. Just pushing too much water. Again thanks for keeping us up to date crabby.

posted 10-18-2004 01:15 AM ET (US)            

"[E-TEC engines] employ a lean burn, stratified charge at low rpm. At speeds up to about 2000 rpm, there is no attempt to fill the entire combustion chamber with an ignitable mixture. Instead, the fuel is concentrated toward the tip of the spark plug. This small area of combustible mixture is ignited and the flame front then expands to the leaner areas of the combustion chamber. Lean burn technology is said to reduce pollution and is responsible for these engines excellent low-speed fuel economy."

See http://www.trailerboats.com/site_page_1482/article_page_312.cfm

The transition from stratified charge to full combustion may be what is observed by crabby as "a pronounced miss in the 2000 to 2500 rpm range."

As sjohnson notes, there has been mention that the E-TEC engine's control system firmware has been reprogrammed in a field modification on some engines to make changes to this transition zone. Interestingly, another E-TEC owner reported a decrease in top speed when his engine was re-programmed with this field modification. This may correlate with the observation from crabby that his current engine (#3) is slightly slower than his original engine (#1). This assumes that #1 had the original programming, while #3 has the revised programming. Also, unless the test conditions are very tightly controlled, the 2-MPH difference may be entirely due to some other factor or to measurement error. It is hard to say. Inasmuch as different propellers appear to have been used, it may be completely inappropriate to attribute any difference in speed observed to the firmware in the engine. Most likely there is no correlation.

posted 10-18-2004 03:52 PM ET (US)            

1. Seahorse advice for DI!

2. Have run 19 and 17 inch pitch propellers on my Ficht 225s. Prop hub looks much cleaner (e.g., less fine carbon dust) with 17P than with 19P. Fuel economy is about the same with each. Engines run smoother with 17P.

3. Although the means for injection is slightly different (voice coil v. solenoid), stratified/homogenious combustion rationale is same or similar, lessening amount of carbon build-up is desirable.

4. Ratherwhalering running 15P with 90 E-TEC on Montauk.

Hope that's enough.

posted 10-18-2004 05:53 PM ET (US)            

As for ratherwhaling, I can't see how he is using a 15 inch prop. With the 17 inch sst I was hitting top end at about 4900 rpms and maybe getting 1 more mph as it revved to 5500. I will admit the motor sounded "happier" (as opposed to "throatier" with the 19 inch prop) (very subjective terms I will admit but those who have been here should have a sense of what I am saying) but it just didn't have any more to give for the extra revs. (my motor is mounted two holes up from the bottom and my max revs are with the motor trimmed way out (not what I regularly run it at))

As a point of comparison, I was using the 17 inch sst on my 1986 70hp and getting to 38 mph at 6000 rpms (actual top rated rpm for that year motor) with the motor mounted all the way down (but trimmed out to whatever it's happy point was). This is why I am a bit perplexed about not being able to spin a 19 inch blade on this seemingly more powerful engine.

posted 10-18-2004 06:32 PM ET (US)            

Also, sounds like your motor is mounted high on the transom. Nothing wrong with that but based on my experience with the SST I'm not confident that the SST was designed to be run high relative to the water surface. If you are running a high transom setting, a 13 1/2 x 18P Raker (bass boat prop) designed to run higher might be a better propeller for that assuming you can turn it close to 5500.

posted 10-18-2004 07:08 PM ET (US)            

I did try a 13.25 x 17" aluminum Michigan propeller. It peaked at around 5000 RPM if I recall, and gave me nothin' from there on out. Needless to say it is now a spare.

I have come to believe that all propellers are not suited for all engines and/or applications. I think that the exact same size SST and Stiletto will provide different performance on the same engine. I believe the same propeller will perform differently on a DFI/EFI engine than on a carburated engine. I also think there is a huge difference with engine height and set back. I have 4-inch set back brackets, and about 4 inches of height, above the lowest transom point. If I fiddle around with the height, different things happen. If I go higher, the prop blows out easier, especially in following seas, but I go faster and see more RPM. If I drop it lower, it planes quicker and rides smoother, but RPM and MPH drop significantly. I suppose I could switch back to the 17-inch Stiletto, but I am quite happy where I am. The engine seems well rounded, great hole shot, excellent mileage, nice top end, and good bite. (A note regarding gas consumption. I went fishing with a buddy, and after running 16 miles and trolling for 4 hours, he gave me a twenty for gas. I gave him back $11.00.)

Anyway, I think that finding a propeller is like finding a wife...its damn hard to find a perfect match, and expensive to boot. (Anyone want to buy my used Stiletto 13.25 x 17 Stainless? $170.00...the wife isn't for sale. Yet.)

posted 10-19-2004 12:29 PM ET (US)            

This spring I bought a Stilleto 13.25x17 prop to use for water skiiing, wake boarding, and tubing since the boys are getting bigger and beefier. The motor will now only turn 5400-5500 RPM's with the same load as above. Go figure. I suppose the Stilleto has more cup, I know it has more blade area, still I dropped 2" of pitch and lost RPMs at WOT with the same load.

So I guess the bottom line with propellers is that buying one is not an emprical practice. Trial and error is the only guide it seems. I would assume that my carbed Johnson 90 has more torque than the E-TEC 90 (4 cylinders vs. 3 cylinders) but other than that 90 hp is 90 hp and a classic Montauk is a classic Montauk.

It looks like I'll need a 15" pitch prop in a couple of years, if the boys keep growing I may end up with a 13" pitch.

posted 10-19-2004 01:49 PM ET (US)            

Sal, I'll see if I can't do a side by side comparison this weekend, since I still have both props.

Crabby: I used it for 2 months, no dings, still in like new condition. Available next week?

posted 06-16-2005 04:10 PM ET (US)            

But to make a long story short...

First problems surfaced with about ten hours on the motor. Running down the bay the motor seemed to over-rev briefly, almost as if the hub let loose on the prop. After stopping and thinking about things I decided to keep heading out to the inlet, where with an outgoing tide and offshore winds I decided to head home. By the time I got home there was a pronounced knock in the motor. I tried to run it into the dealer but never made it all the way. The outcome was the lower cylinder was scored, and BRP provided a shortblock replacement.

Second time around it also happened at about ten hours on the replacement. This time I had it towed all the way to the dealer. BRP provided a full dress powerhead (everything was new: emm, injectors, etc) and so far I have not had any real issues. I likely have at least 150 hours on this powerhead so I feel I am out of the woods regarding the original problem. I got a look at the second powerhead with the head removed: the lower cylinder was very scuffed up. I never received any information directly from BRP regarding the cause but the dealer figures it was either a faulty or miscalibrated injector that may have been causing that one cylinder to run lean. As to why BRP chose NOT to give me a full dress powerhead I can only speculate but it certainly didn't make me happy. They never reimbursed me for any of my towing expenses, but did give me a full case of oil for my troubles. And by the way, I have been running the xd-100 oil right from the start.

Regarding the shrouds, my dealer tells me that he has had to replace several due to cracking of the plastic around the nuts that secure the two halves together. Although the motor likely is quieter with the plastic housing and all the insulation in it, I would prefer to have metal down there.

Hopefully for all you saltwater folks considering these motors BRP has truly worked out the needs of us folks on the coasts. My motor sat in the water all winter and I don't like the looks of the bolts that hold the lower unit in place; on my old 70hp I never noticed any corrosion or electrolysis but I don't like the looks of the bolts (they don't even look to be stainless) and will be bringing up that matter with the dealer (and replacing them myself if he does not do it for me). My motor had a build date of early January 2004, maybe things have changed for the better (it is a blue motor, not labeled as "saltwater").