efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

[380voltz]

Hi
considering that on the sea, boat wiring goes black completely in 2 seasons, sometimes I wonder what is more reliable.

A good old 2 stroke with a carb or a hi tech 4 stroke with efi and programmed ecu ?

which outboard do u think is most likely to take u back home?

cheerio

 

[scooper77515]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

Neither will fail sooner than the other. One may need carb cleaned more often, one may need injectors swapped, but carb or injected will not affect the longevity of the engine (unless you are running REALLY lean on a carbed engine).

 

[380voltz]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

Fair enough, the mechanics are nearly the same, but there is much more (more like double) wiring and electronics on an efi/ecu outboard likely to fail.

I mean for example ... take a regular manual 2 stroke outboard, put a controlbox on and immediately u hv at least 2 new electrical problems that can cut out your engine i can think of likely to show up at some point, ud never have using a manual outboard. this wld be the microswitch and key switch. both are hard to pre-maintain and both show up without warning. if u get my drift

its quite head scratching actually if u think abt it.

 

[JB]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

The one that is correctly maintained is less likely to fail.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

Nicely put JB !!!

 

[glengold]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

so which needs less maintenance?? which costs less to maintain??

Its so easy to say.... well, you have to maintain it.

My question is, which one needs 50 dollars in spark plugs?? 50hp Evinrude Etec?? or 50hp Evinrude Carbed??

The OP feels that the more wiring on an engine the more likely to fail, he goes offshore in saltwater, so his instinct tells him carbed is less likely to fail. Saltwater is hard on wiring, so I can understand where he is coming from.

Me?? I have no idea, just wanted to point out a common misconception that it is easy to maintain all motors. Many of the newer motors have EXPENSIVE parts, and if you "maintain" these motors, you are replacing parts before they fail, meaning you are spending money before you really NEED to. I understand the reasoning, you don't want to be stuck offshore, but it gets expensive fast!!

 

[roncoop75]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

Me?? I have no idea, just wanted to point out a common misconception that it is easy to maintain all motors. Many of the newer motors have EXPENSIVE parts, and if you "maintain" these motors, you are replacing parts before they fail, meaning you are spending money before you really NEED to. I understand the reasoning, you don't want to be stuck offshore, but it gets expensive fast!!

Spot on there. I worry more about being able to fix it MYSELF than how soon it's going to fail. Because eventually, it's all going to fail.

KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

I believe the simpler design is less likely to fail. Simply by virtue of fewer parts.

A properly sealed and well designed ECU will outlive the mechanical parts of the motor. There aren't any parts to "wear out".

Yet a poorly design ECU or one that is exposed to the elements could very likely fail in short order.

Spare parts for an EFI motor can be expensive to keep on hand in case of emergency. I trust my old (90's) Evinrudes to bring me back home safe. If they won't run, I know I can fix 99% of the problems that they may have with the tools in my onboard toolbox.

 

[380voltz]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

frankly ... the more I understand outboards ... the more i realize that a small spare simple 5hp motor is not an option especially with an efi engine.

the unsealed part of the ecu is wiring right ... and connection plugs, they will all oxidize in 2 years on the sea. in fact the whole harness will go black and it is not easy to even resolder any part of an oxidized wire without scratching the wire. even then u can feel the wire is getting weaker.

cost apart ...
how do u maintain a harness ? change it every few years ?
how do u replace any electrical part on an outboard out at sea with a 1m swell?

 

[5150abf]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

I would say the carbed engine too just because it has less to fail if we are talking fuel related failure.

The engines themselves are pretty much the same and that part is equal but as to fuel delivery I would go with a carb every time.

 

[dingbat]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

I have just as much electronics on my carbed motor as an EFI or DFI. The motor is 13 years old and has over 2200 hours. It has lived in SW its entire life.

I've had three electrical failures in 13 years. The wiring harness has never been an issue. The first was a power back. It blew @ 25 miles out. Tilted the motor up and replaced the power pack.

The second failure was a coil that went about 10 miles out of port with an intermittent failure above 4800 RPM. Cruise is 4400 rpm so it did not affect the boat at cruise speed. The third failure was a voltage regulator. It failed about 20 miles out if port. Had no affect on performance other than

For those of you that say whichever motor is maintained better, what do you do to maintain the electronics on your boat? Change coils on a regular basis? Change the voltage regulator every XXX hours? How about power pack? How often should they be changed?

FWIW: I?m done with carbs and their lousy fuel economy. When this motor blows I?m going EFI 4-stroke or DFI 2- stroke.

 

[whofan]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

I have the old carbed Johnson 70, great motor but rough compared to the new ones.

Just look at your cars` engine. would you go back to a carb in you car or truck?

Maybe if you are looking at 30 years from now with your motor, you would want to stick with a carberator.

I will be looking forward to the day when I will have a fuel injected motor on my boat.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: efi engines vs carbs engines ... which is less likely to fail ?

it also depends on who made the electronics.
if motorola or prestolite, expect failures.
if hitachi or mitsubishi odds are it lasts a long time.