Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

[Noob82]

Hi: I'm new here. I've been out of boating for about 35 years d/t job/moving, etc., but I'm back in sunny Melbourne Beach, FL after a 25 year absence. I swore I'd get a boat again once I moved back down here.

My last boat was a 18' Larson tri-hull with an Evinrude 115 2-stroke. It was a great engine and I'm inclined to get another Evinrude. But now I see many 4 stroke engines and people seem to like them.

I'd appreciate some opinions on how the new Evinrude motors compare to the 4 stroke offerings from Honda, Suzuki, etc.

Fir a new boat, I'm going to look at something 20'-25', trailerable, and will be used for recreation (I have 10 year old twins we adopted a 4 years ago) on the intercoastal waterway and close to shore.

Comments please? Thanks in advance.

 

[bktheking]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

In talking to the mechanic at my local marine dealer he told me they rock, they sell more e-tec's than any other motor, guy at work bought one and he loves it.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

You will get a 100 opinions on the direct injection 2 strokes and direct injection 4 strokes.Here is mine The 4 stroke is a quality motor.quiet reliable and smooth it excells in certain aspects of boating.In my opinion It is too heavy and is very complicated with many moving mechanical parts requiring more frequent more involved service intervals.The Etec 2 stroke is also a quality motor; quiet,reliable and smooth.It generally has better hole shot.slightly better top end,Economy is about the same.It is lighter,much less complicated with less frequent less involved service intervals.You should try out each type select your favorite based on its performance and a good well established servicing dealer.

 

[bassboattech]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

get the four stroke, most manufacturers wont even be making two strokes any more. fuel economy,noise,the pollution are big concerns nowdays

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

get the four stroke, most manufacturers wont even be making two strokes any more. fuel economy,noise,the pollution are big concerns nowdays

The poster above is talking about "carbureted two strokes". Direct injection 2-strokes, such as the Evinrude E-TEC, as as clean, quiet, efficient, and environmentally friendly as ANY 4-stroke available today. No service required for the first 3 years! Show me a 4-stroke that can offer that..

Personally I would go for the E-TEC. Not only are they an excellent choice for the reasons steelespike mentioned, they have a very attractive design that will make your boat stand out from those with 4-strokes.

I ran a poll on here awhile back asking what the members of this site thought were the best new outboards on the market. The response was heavy on the E-TEC side with the Yamaha 4-strokes a respectible second. (Note only 35 members responded so take it for what it's worth.

Here is a link to the poll: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=365280

Cheers and welcome back to the boating world and Welcome to Iboats!

 

[bktheking]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

get the four stroke, most manufacturers wont even be making two strokes any more. fuel economy,noise,the pollution are big concerns nowdays

They are rated same or better than 4-strokes, are less maintenance, just as quiet and pollute less. Read about the e-tec, I think you will be surprised.

 

[bktheking]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

Yes Trendsetter agreed, I think it was a post without research based on old technology. The other fact is they require no break in period, out of the box and go.

That and warranty. In speaking with the mechanic he gave me the Merc and BRP comparison with 2 different customers. 1 guy had a powerhead go a month out of warranty, Merc wouldn't touch it. The other guy, E-Tec owner - BRP sent a NEW powerhead from the factory 1 month out of warranty and covered the labour. They stand by their product.

 

[bassboattech]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

no maint for 3 years. any motor or drive i own would never go 3 years without lower unit gear oil or a wsf filter so its just a very well thought out marketing ploy......food for thought

 

[bassboattech]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

i work on these motors day in and day out, they all come back with problems. its not new technology.

 

[bktheking]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

no maint for 3 years. any motor or drive i own would never go 3 years without lower unit gear oil or a wsf filter so its just a very well thought out marketing ploy......food for thought

From the website:

EASY TO OWN AND OPERATE Evinrude E-TEC outboards require no scheduled dealer maintenance - that's right, zero - for the first three years or 300 hours of normal recreational use. Not even gearcase lube. You'll never have to change the oil or the oil filter, which can cost several hundred dollars each year for other technologies.


I guess if you break the 300 hour mark you need to do some, so there are limits agreed. I guess all depends on how much you use it, I couldn't put 300 hrs on my boat in 3 years if I tried.

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

i work on these motors day in and day out, they all come back with problems. its not new technology.

You're right, it's not new technology. It's about 7 years old. Tried, tested and improved. Maybe you are thinking of the FICHT injected 2-strokes? That is not what we are talking about here.

 

[Noob82]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

get the four stroke, most manufacturers wont even be making two strokes any more. fuel economy,noise,the pollution are big concerns nowdays

That is a concern given 2-stroke motorcycles are no longer made. Are boat engines next?

 

[just_crsn]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

Etec vs 4 strokers always gets the reactions. For the record im a happy 4 stroke owner.I believe you need to find out what your needs are then determine the motor that best fill those needs. Once you figure that out ,then research the motors you have narrowed down to. I would never go three years with out doing some maintenance to a motor even if the manufacturers market it that way. Here in the north, you would be taking a great risk not changing the lower unit oil once a year just to make sure there is no water in the lower unit. Anyway, some e-tecs are having injector problems, here is a link.....

http://www.etecownersgroup.com/post?id=4253665

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

Etec vs 4 strokers always gets the reactions. For the record im a happy 4 stroke owner.I believe you need to find out what your needs are then determine the motor that best fill those needs. Once you figure that out ,then research the motors you have narrowed down to. I would never go three years with out doing some maintenance to a motor even if the manufacturers market it that way. Here in the north, you would be taking a great risk not changing the lower unit oil once a year just to make sure there is no water in the lower unit. Anyway, some e-tecs are having injector problems, here is a link.....

http://www.etecownersgroup.com/post?id=4253665

Interesting link, though it seems to me the conclusion was that bad fuel was the primary cause. Not sure what your point is...Bad fuel in a 4-stroke will kill the injectors just as easily as in a 2-stroke.

 

[bktheking]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

Did you read the final post?

There are very very few injector problems that are due to an internal failure. Most returned injectors to the factory are found with water, debris, varnish, etc. inside of them. In the past the factory has generously granted warranty and got the owners back on the water at no cost to them.


The gas we run today is the primary concern not the technology, if all manufacturers addressed the fuel issue failures may be reduced, seems the gas we have today can screw up almost all engines- what makes this complex is the addition of injection IMO.

 

[bassboattech]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

look close at the etec injectors identical to fict injectors,inside is where the have made the changes, as far as the lower units...same tech....so how does gearlube go 300 hours without changing it...marketing. i own an hpdi yamaha its a toss up on how many come back blown up or broken. two stokes will never be as good as four strokes...its very simple if you mech inclined

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

That is a concern given 2-stroke motorcycles are no longer made. Are boat engines next?

I highly doubt it. Maybe you will see the end of carbureted 2-stroke outboards (in North America) but not direct injected. As mentioned before, the direct injected 2-stokes do NOT share the same issues as the carbureted models.

Google it yourself...you will find much information available on the new DI 2-strokes vs. 4-strokes. We could argue this point back and forth till we are blue in the face..

Just be sure you understand the difference between carbureted and direct injected E-TEC's before lumping them into the same category.

 

[bassboattech]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

im just trying to give info here...personally i love my twostroke hpdi , but lets face it there a dying breed...oil is expensive,they smoke,there just not the future. ill buy 4 stroke next time.

 

[bktheking]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

look close at the etec injectors identical to fict injectors,inside is where the have made the changes, as far as the lower units...same tech....so how does gearlube go 300 hours without changing it...marketing. i own an hpdi yamaha its a toss up on how many come back blown up or broken. two stokes will never be as good as four strokes...its very simple if you mech inclined

Now that I can agree on, 4-strokes are amazing motors, why do you think 2 -strokes aren't in cars, cause they can go the distance whereas 2-stroke simply burn out.

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Info sought on E-tec vs 4 stroke

look close at the etec injectors identical to fict injectors,inside is where the have made the changes, as far as the lower units...same tech....so how does gearlube go 300 hours without changing it...marketing. i own an hpdi yamaha its a toss up on how many come back blown up or broken. two stokes will never be as good as four strokes...its very simple if you mech inclined

Look closely at ANY EFI/DFI fuel injector... it's a solenoid that opens and closes to let fuel into the cylinder...