Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

[OMC_Creditor]

I call myself "OMC_Creditor" because I have a 98 piece of Ficht. It has blown up four times. The first two times OMC fixed it, last time i did. It was still under warranty if OMC didn't fold. Anyway, when I had it fixed 6 months ago I had the water pickups changed with the advice of my mechanic - thinking that I suffered a cooling problem related failure. WRONG, it just blew again. My mechanic and i now think that these failures may be due to an lack of oil problem. Further, my mechanic had a 2000 175 that went bad in his shop at the same time. When he called Bombardier they indicated that they would replace the powerhead only if the customer agreed to purchase a new oil injection pump for $800.00. Humm, anyone else heard about an oil injection pump revolation? If not i'm going to scuttle this $12,000 anchor. I probably will anyway. It's simply junk.

 

[clanton]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

I heard that the big B were going to warranty the 2000/1 engines. The oil pump should be warranty with the block. Are they crawfishing?

 

[Dunk]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

If you were not in Ca I'd buy that horse in a second...I'm looking for a V6 Ficht for my 17 Mako...I know how to make them live...

 

[Fouled Plug]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

So, why not share the info with OMC Creditor?

 

[dick]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

Yes , do tell I would love to here this.

 

[Dunk]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

First there's alot of questions that need answered. What rpm was she proped at for wide open trimed up throttle? How much low speed(under 2500rpm) running do you do? I've never heard of an oil pump problem with the Ficht's. Did you ever have the oil pump tested to see what oil mix it's feed the engine. Another way would be to just see what it's burning in relation to the fuel burnt. Has this been done?<br /><br /> See another thing that guy's say is the powerhead blew,,,blown powerhead....Well what is that? Did she punch a hole thru the block when a connecting rod let loose, did she seize up and score a cylinder wall,break rings, loose compression?? There's lot of different versions of a blown powerhead...<br /><br /> The oil could still be the problem on the older Ficht's like this. The biggest problem was coking under 2500rpms. The new Ram Ficht oil cured a lot of this problem along with the updates. Even the regular OMC oil did this in those engines. The cheaper oils were even worse. What oil have you been using??<br /><br /> From what I've seen the biggest offenders with these engines were the guy's that told me they never ran them wide open and always took it easy on them. The worst came from back bay type fishemen that barely ever put the boats on plane.<br /><br /> OMC started testing Ficht's in 93-94 at the test canter in Stuart Fl. They tested these engine just like had tested all their other engines and that was at WOT. This was a major screw up and the engines never got enough time at what turned out to be the problem rpm range, 1500-2500. <br /><br /> There's bunch of these 97-98 Ficht's around here that are running fine, but the local dealer has these guy's cleaning them with carbon removers every 20-25hrs. This seem to keep them living fine. I know several of them that are on their 3rd and 4th powerheads, but now that they've started keeping them cleaner they continue to run fine. It's just something you have to live with, it beats buying powerheads.

 

[OMC_Creditor]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

Thanx for the input Dunk. Powerhead failure means at least two scored pistons. I currently use the RAM oil. My RPM at wot was only 5000. I am going to reprop it to get the rpms up. The strange thing is that I bought this motor used. The previos owner/the records indicated that he never had one problem with it. I think that this motor would run fine on another boat. I have it on a skeeter fish and ski. If you want it I will sell it to you at a grest price. I will also pay for the shipping.

 

[Michael E]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

Re-thinking about trading up to a 98 Evenrude 150 - after reading your comment - 18 mos warranty incl. any advice?

 

[evin300]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

Michael, who is doing the warranty? Bombardier is only doing 2000 and newer. Does this have the updated "pinned" heads? How was it taken care of? Like Dunk said, certain operating conditions were hard on these things.<br /><br />Alot of changes were made in 2000, read about "Rude Ram" on the Evinrude website. Do a "search" on these threads.<br /><br />I have never owned a Ficht, but almost bought a used powerhead (98) on EBAY, so I did some research, personally I would stay away from the V-6 only in 98-99 The V-4 was ok.<br /><br />However, If I could start with a new powerhead, or pull the heads and inspect a used motor, provided all updates are installed, I would probably go for a 98-99.<br /><br />Further reading can be found at: http://www.boatsetup.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=6 <br /><br />The Forum is moderated by "Rowdy", my understanding is he was a OMC factory rep. untill OMC went bankrupt, and he has dealt with alot of the 98-99 issues.<br /><br />Good Luck, This is a motor that you want to do your homework on. Mike

 

[Michael E]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

The dealer is providing the warranty in response to my concerns about the OMC reputation - the dealer replaced the powerhead and software - said that it has run well since then and would stand behind it in writing for two full seasons -

 

[evin300]

Re: Ficht oil injection pumps, could this be the older fichts main problem?

Thats great, obviously the dealer believes in the Ficht, and will back up their words. Sounds like a winner to me. Do a compression test at minimun, before buying.