2005 Evinrude Direct Injection opinions

[thomascw]

Newb, looking at fishing boat with above motor. All I have found are etec reviews which seem mostly favorable. BTW , this engine is a Salt Water Edition, if that makes any difference.

Thanks

 

[ziemann]

Re: 2005 Evinrude Direct Injection opinions

Welcome Thomascw-

You don't definately say which DFI we are talking about. 2005 was the last year of some FICHT models. You also don't say which horse power category- I am assuming you know an E-Tec DFI from a FICHT DFI.

Both technologies recently have been awesome. Depending on what motor it is, there have been some E-Tec units with firmware upgrades, but overall the E-Tecs have been solid. The last few FICHTs were very solid units as well. They run like a swiss watch. There is a stigma about FICHT units (due to the early problems they had under OMC in the late 90's), therefore resale will suffer when you go to sell it in a few years.

Either way, you will do well with a E-Tec or a FICHT unit in the 2005 model year.

 

[thomascw]

Re: 2005 Evinrude Direct Injection opinions

You're right, I didn't say.I could have sworn I did. It's a 200 hp and it is not an etec engine.
Thanks for your input.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 2005 Evinrude Direct Injection opinions

Newb, looking at fishing boat with above motor. All I have found are etec reviews which seem mostly favorable. BTW , this engine is a Salt Water Edition, if that makes any difference.

Thanks

Bombardier has built the Evinrudes since the 2002 models and they are head and shoulders above the older OMC built engines.

Like anything else used, have a qualified mechanic check over the motor first and give you the engine history printout from his laptop.

 

[thomascw]

Re: 2005 Evinrude Direct Injection opinions

Actually, it's a "demo" engine. It's still supposed to have full warranty. I would verify this with serial number before I bought it.

Tom

 

[ziemann]

Re: 2005 Evinrude Direct Injection opinions

Obviously if it is under warranty, the price is right, and looks like it is in perfect condition, then personally I wouldn't be afraid of it. Once BRP started makeing the FICHT units, they really performed well and were very reliable. A dealer demo unit was hopefuly broken in properly (since they know they are going to sell it later). Most likely it has had the right oil (XD-50 or XD-100) and had proper maintenance.

I would definatley ask how many hours are on the "demo" unit....

 

[ziemann]

Re: 2005 Evinrude Direct Injection opinions

And- it is probably propped right and been running in the proper RPM range...

 

[Whaler27]

Re: 2005 Evinrude Direct Injection opinions

I have a pair of 2002 Evinrude 225s which started life as dealer demo units. About 450 hours on them now and they have been reliable and with very good performance. They are easy to maintain, stingy on fuel and oil. They run very smoothly with near instant throttle response.

A fellow across the dock from me has a 2002 250 and has had the same experience.

The only thing that you really have to be a bit more careful about than a carb'd motor is running in very shallow water where there is a possibility of ingesting sand or silt into the cooling system. The cooling system not only cools the block but also the EMM and the vapor separator. The cooling passages in the vapor separator are fairly small and can get clogged with sand or silt or muck. Because the EMM is in series with the vapor separator, a clogged vapor separator will cause the EMM to run hot and go into a SAFE operation mode pulling the power down. I've had to back flush the vapor separator a few times due to ingesting muck and small shell fragments while backing into my slip during extreme low tides.

I would have the motor checked out by a knowledgeable Evinrude Tech who can plug a laptop in and read the EMM's story. If it checks out and if the price is reasonable, buy it.