Tohatsu TLDI

[CKboater]

Have these TLDI engines been on the market long enough to get any idea how reliable they may be? It seems like we're at a point where some manufacturers are backing off from the move to all four strokes but I have yet to see any of these advanced two strokes from Yamaha. It hard to know which way to go for a new mid range outboard.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

The TLDI's have been out for seven years. Tohatsu is the only manufacturer that has never issued a recall on any models. That means they are the only manufacturer that had a working, no bugs, DFI engine from the get go. Yamaha and Mercury both had massive flaws in the system. They also corrected those problems and are trouble free today. Etec;s have had their share of problems from mostly minor software and minor part redesign with just a few complaints. But for the most part, people who own them are thrilled with the engines performance.

So which one is the best? Depends on what you focus on and the specific model. In general the following hold true:

Yamaha = solid performer with checkered past
Tohatsu = solid performer with solid history
Mercury = solid performer with checkered past
Evinrude = solid performer with minor birthing pains.

 

[kenan]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

the "guru" is correct (as usual). i have a 2005 90 tldi tohatsu ob and have not had any bad issues. pushing a 20" sea ark alum boat. great reliability and very low fuel usage. had a 115 hp carborator old tech motor before, cut my fuel usage by prox. 35% the way i fish. only trick to owning this brand is to make sure you have a good dealer/service shop close by when you may need service . ken.

 

[TGuy]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

And don't use some generic, cheap oil. Use an oil designed specifically for use in a Direct Injection models. Even though they're all "TCW3", they're not all the same. You'll save yourself a lot of headaches in the long (and short) run.

 

[ziemann]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

I have put alot of hours on my 50 TLDI and will be starting the 4th season on this outboard come spring. I must say, I couldn't be happier. It is solid- runs flawlessly, provides great fuel economy, and quiet. Many days, it idles all day...and never misses a beat. I have a good dealer near my house...but have never had to use him...

 

[CKboater]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

Thanks for all the great information. I recently bought a '93 Tohatsu 40 from a dubious source who said it was in great condition. When I got it in the water I found it would start but stall, had no throttle didn't want to shift and clearly had not been serviced in a dogs age. I brought it to a local Nissan/Tohatsu dealer fearing the worst but the mechanic said the engine still had excellent compression and spark and he was able to fix it well within my budget. The engine is running beautifully now so the dream of a new TLDI Tohatsu will wait for awhile.

Bill

 

[ShawnQ]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

Does Tohatsu make anything over a 115?

If not, I've got a Evinrude 1995 88SPL (same as the Evinrude 115 I believe). I am looking to re-power, but was hoping to jump up to a 150hp (max rating on the boat).

Will this 115hp Tohatsu give me much of a power and hole shot difference over the old school technology of the V4 OMC?

I had a 90hp Nissan on my old boat, carb model...and it was awesome. Ran the snot out of it and probably didn't maintain it as good as I should have...never skipped a beat. I'm a few years older and ready for a new one to call my own (and not deal with anyone elses problems). I've got a few dealers near me and I'm seriously considering tohatsu.

Thanks
Shawn

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

The largest that is currently available is the 115. It is also slated to be released as a 130 0r 135 at some point this year. At the moment Those That Make Decisions are all standing around discussing which size is best from a marketing point of view.

Versus what you have any of the DFI's from 90 up would make a difference, but any of the DFI's over 100 would make a huge difference in every respect.

 

[hightower]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

So whilst we're on the subject of DI's. What is the Evinrude DI 150 like for reliability? I have an option on a (pre Etech) 2005 version with 30 hours. I understand that they are the same as Ram Ficht which had some horrible reliability issues.

I too wanted a Tohatsu 150 something and got in contact with Tohatsu Japan. They told me it was still in development but the plan is to release it in one country this year so that they could more closely monitor reliability issues before general release.

Andy

 

[papasage]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

just bought a pontoon with a 40 hp Tohatsu . it cranks and runns good . seamed like it wouldn`t go in reverse like i should . i ajusted the cables and every thing is fine . it will push the 20 ft. pontoon 16 mph . the boat is rated for 50 hp . don`t think a 50 would push it any faster .it cranks good when cold . and when it is warmed up it onley has to turn over .verry pleased with it.

 

[gazzagary]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

I have Tldi 90 HP Injector problems. I am in Uk and had an injector on top cylinder replaced. Cost 120 sterling for the part. This was diagnosed and fitted by a main tohatsu dealer. the firstfailure The engine was running. it then sounded awful and and would not start. When we trimmed the engine the 15 amp black fuse tripped. we had to be towed home. so the guy replaced the injector. The next time we used the boat we ran for 30 minutes next trip. we trimmed up the engine as we were in shallow water when it was off and the fuse blew and the engine was exactly the same. Back on land we saw the the new injector had failed and fuel was leaking through the centr of it out onto the wires and shorting out the electics.
I think we were lucky it did not go bang, So we have had two injectors on the top cylinder fail in twenty minutes boat time. Surely this is too much of a coincidence. i can not believe one faulty injector has beeen replaced by another that has lasted 20 mins running time. I take it this part must be under warranty as it only lasted 20 mins this is a dangerous fault as fuekl was shorting electics. is there something that could cause the injectors to fail this way, are they being overloaded or some form of computer error. please help me so I can guve the engineer some clues. should he replace the part from tohatsu free of charge seing it only lasted 20 mins? thanks gary it is 1 2002 engine and has been fine before this witha round 100 hours onlu use

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

The injectors do not cause the engine to blow fuses so you have more than one problem. The first thing I would suggest is that you take it to an authorized dealer who actually knows something about Tohatsu. No matter how smart your engineer may be in his field, he is out of his depth at this point.

 

[gazzagary]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

Firstly The engineer is from the main dealer and he spent a couple of hours on the phone for technical advice from somewhere. He has visited again and seen that the replacement injector failed after just 20 minutes of average use. Fuel was coming out of the centre of the injector at a steady rate and sdripping straight into electrical plug that goes into the injector. This was making the engine run awfully and shorting the fuse as a circuit was established by the fuel. The engineer witnessed this happen and replacd under warranty the injector that failed for the second time. I am tolD I have just been very unlucky. I will find out at the weekend if another injector fails. all credit to him for conming out so quickly. the point I was trying to ask was is there was anything the engine or electrical system or ECU could be doing to make two injectors on the top cylinder fail within 20 minutes of running??

I hope the problem has been cured and the replacement injector was just plain faulty I do not really beleive in such a coincidence though

thanks Gary

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

If you have an A model with the black injectors then all of them should be replaced with the blue injectors. Caution*** They have to be the correct blue injectors for your model number in your serial number range. Is is possible, in theory, that the ECM could have a fault that would cause the injector to go to ground. However, any TLDI tech would be able to tell that from the fault codes your engine should be screaming out. It is not really very likely that you had a bad injector and got another bad injector.

Also, I've never heard of any dealer that an an engineer on staff. Do you mean a mechanic?

 

[gazzagary]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

When I said engineer it is a term that we can also use in the uk for a mechanic. it is an A series engine. the fault code that showed up only indicated an injector fault not any ECU issues. I will let him know your views thabks very much.

 

[gazzagary]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

I have now had two trips out since the second failed injector was changed under warrantly and so far things have been fine. I have run for abour two hours at a wjole range of revs so lets hope I was very unlucky in getting one faulty injector replaced with another faulty injector. I thinks it a good job i do not play the lottery as I clearly have very bad luck. I will update if anything goes wrong again.

 

[TGuy]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

Actually that would mean you should play the lottery. The odds of getting a faulty injector is extremely low. The odds of getting it replaced with another faulty injector is even lower. So the fact you beat the odds means you should play the lottery

TGuy


the lottery is a self imposed tax on people that have poor math skills

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

You know I really don't think that the second injector was bad. I think it is more likely that they put in the wrong injector the second time and just didn't own up to it

 

[gazzagary]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

please see my previous posts Just to update with my Tldi injector problems. I had further issues and I think this will explain why two injectors went wrong within 20 minutes of running. When starting the engine up on muffs whilst ashore ,the top cylinder was not firing. I thought o no not another injector gone. The diagnostic fault code revealed that the top injector was faulty but also the third light indicated a possible severed wire. I checked the injector and it was not faulty it just did not work on the top cylinder.

we pulled out the loom and behold we found a burnt out wire which eventually led to the top injector. we soldered that up and no probs since 10 hours. therefore this could have been an intermitent fault that eventually went big time. I guess this may have explianed why the two injectors died on me so quickly if they were getting a bad voltage due to a wire in the process of burning out it could explain damage. anyway hope that is the end of it now happy days. it did seem too conincidental that one injector would fail then repalced by another that only lasted 20 minutes. any views

 

[ziemann]

Re: Tohatsu TLDI

ALrighty, I remember watching this thread last year and holding my tongue- but I am tired and cranky...and in a hotel room in North Dakota....

Is there anyone else that thinks that gazzagary is a troll?

There were so many odd items....EXAMPLE: Fuel was leaking from the center of in injector and caused an electrical short blowing a fuse? Huh? Explain how fuel leaks out backwards from the center of an injector in a TLDI? And if gasoline creates a short (read- arc to blow a fuse) we simply blew a fuse.....uhhh ok.

Now it is a wiring issue. But was diagnosed as a bad injector. Then another one. There are too many issues to this part of the story to even begin.... So how exactly were the fault lights on the console showing the fault codes read??? A guy spent a couple of hours on the phone with "someone" and is troubleshooting your TLDI? They are a dealer and no service manual?

My head hurts.

If you are legitimate, then you are being screwed by the mechanic, or he is really incompetent. I would run- not walk- away from the mechanic that you are letting touch your motor...

I am really on the fence as to whether this is simply a troll and I am wasting a ton of energy on this...

Sorry for the rant...