2001 Evinrude 150

[boatless4now]

I have been looking for a replacement boat and found a 2001 Four Winns 180 with an Evinrude 150 Ficht engine on it that may be a 2000 or 2001. I called 4 local shops and the resonse was 1: Run as fast and far away as possible. We don't even work on them any longer. 2. If the updates are done it should be OK but we need to see it to be sure. 3. It's OK till it breaks and then be ready to break the bank. When I said you mean like Cadillac repairs they said more like Audi. 4. It should be OK if the oil injection update was done but we would like to look at it to be sure. 4 for 4 is a bad sign in my books. The current owner got this number off the motor 04953735 which also was stamped Build with pride at Colburn Georgia. What year is it anyway? Since I have no clue what in the world is going on with this engine I really need knowledgable people to fill in the blanks? Is it a good or a bad choice? Is it more expensive to repair than any other outboard?
I HAVE BEEN A I/O OWNER FOR 7 YEARS AND THINK I WANT TO GET A FISH/SKI BOAT WITH AN OUTBOARD AND TROLLING MOTOR. IS THIS THE RIGHT OR WRONG DIRECTION? I REALLY WANTED THIS BOAT BUT TURNED AWAY JUST BECAUSE OF THE ENGINE. WAS I TOO QUICK TO TURN IT DOWN OR AM I CONCERNED FOR NO REASON? THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR THE INFORMATION

 

[jonesg]

Re: 2001 Evinrude 150

You talked to 4 shops already, what more do you need to know?
The resale value is ( as you found) next to zero.
If I had it I'd run it, but I wouldn't buy one unless it was dirt dirt cheap.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 2001 Evinrude 150

FICHT, was one of the worst things OMC did. they did not get the support system in place (tech training/tool) to service the motor. it have many problems, which should have been worked out before marketing. 2000 was a better year, but must have all updates done. most shops do not have the equipment to service the motor.

i would not spend my $$$ on one.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: 2001 Evinrude 150

I don't want to contradict the guys above me, but, I think that the boat and motor combo you are looking at should actually be pretty good.

As noted there are some updates that need to be made to the FICHT motors. However, by 2001 almost all of the bugs were worked out and there aren't many additional recalls or service bulletins to be done.

From my limited experience response #2 that you got from a shop is probably the closest to the truth. I think there is still a stigma about the FICHT name that causes people to respond pretty negatively when they hear it. OMC, when they finally realized there were problems, actually went above and beyond to try and fix the problems with the motors. In the end by the 2000 model year and even more so in 2001 the motors actually got to be pretty darn good. By most accounts all of the money spent to fix these problems is what put OMC out of business. When Bombardier bought up Evinrude there was some additional work to get more stringent quality controls in place, but by and large the design stayed unchanged until the E-Tec was released. From what I know the E-Tec motors weren't a clean sheet redesign. I'm pretty sure they borrow pretty heavily from the FICHT era.

That all being said, it isn't an easy call. If you don't feel comfortable with it that is what matters. For myself, I decided that if the right deal comes along, FICHT or not, I'd buy it.

I have a 2001 150 FICHT motor currently that I don't have a boat attached to. I bought it cheap and planned to either get a boat for it or sell it for a small profit.

I have found that regular maintenance items are no more expensive than other outboards of the same era. None of them can really be described as cheap. The computers and fuel injectors are really the only things that approach the really expensive realm that you wouldn't have on a carbed motor.

To determine the model year of the motor you are looking at you need the model number not the serial number.

It will look like this:

E150FPXSSV = SS - 2000
E150FPXSIF = SI - 2001

 

[gaslk]

Re: 2001 Evinrude 150

I concur with Rotary Racer. I have a 2001 180 LE with motor s/n E150FPXSIF. Knock on wood I have had no problems with the motor at all. Great combo of motor and boat. Blows away all other 18' bow riders I have come across. Handles like a sports car.

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: 2001 Evinrude 150

I had a 2000 Ficht 150 and never had a single issue with it, it was a great engine, started great, ran great, idled smooth and barely smoked, was fast as hell, would whip the boat it was on right on plane in a second. I sold it to someone I knew and he still runs it today with no issues.

I'd look at it like any other used engine, as long as it was maintained, it all depends on the previous owner/s. If it's still running fine 10 years later, how many issues could it have had?? It wouldn't be around if it was one of the ones that had issues, because it would have been blown up by now. By now all updates and issues have been taken care of.

The guy who told you to run away as fast as you could, would probably turn around and sell you an Optimax, and you could search and find/hear as many, if not more, horror stories about that system and those engines, it's just that Merc stayed in business because they are owned by a mega giant...Brunswick. OMC put themselves out of business to take care of their mistakes and their customers.....Toyota is doing the same thing now (and always has), but they are big enough that they won't go out of business.

 

[marinemech1]

Re: 2001 Evinrude 150

By far the biggest problem with Ficht and D.I. motors was\is improper service.
If you service these engines properly it is not uncommon to see over 2k hours on them.
By service I mean Spark plugs at least once per year (100 hours)
Proper XD-50 oil in tank not some cheap gunk.
Oil system primed and maintained properly
fuel filters once per year
Technician who knows how to service\maintain motor
Proper lap top\and program.
Wayne

 

[marinemech1]

Re: 2001 Evinrude 150

P.S. had one customer put Mercury premium oil (good oil for Mercs) in one his spark plugs lasted 26 hours.
Cleaned out oil re primed and no more issues.
Wayne

 

[boatless4now]

Re: 2001 Evinrude 150

Thanks for all the responses. I appreciate insight from folks in the know!