"Billgran" wrote in message
...

"Jim and Becky" wrote in message
. ..
So, has the Ficht issue been resolved on brand new models?
If so what would be considered the most recent year that they are
considered
reliable?
What was the first year of Ficht?


FICHT history


The first production FICHT came out as a 20" shaft 150hp Johnson or
Evinrude
in late 1996 and was targeted for the bass boat and sport boat models.
It
worked as designed and had won the Popular Science innovation award.

In '98, the came out with the V4 90-115hp and the 175, along with
extra long
shaft lengths for the offshore boats. In some applications, usually
larger
boats that were over-propped, problems developed in the 150-175
series. The
then president of OMC David Jones said that about 20% had problems and
had a
crash program to find out why and what to do about fixing it.
According to
findings from consultants all over the world, hired by OMC, the
abrasiveness
of soot buildup due to poor mid-range combustion scored the internal
parts
of the motor. All the boating magazines had articles about it and what
the
company was doing about it. This was published also in the Australian
and
European press.

The factory then spent big bucks sending special teams around the
country
installing cylinder head and software fixes to the thousands of
engines that
were being used and made an upgrade kit available for dealer
installation.
By then the 2000 models were ready for production and contained not
only the
fixes, but a second generation design called FICHT Ram. The computers
were
more powerful and now were complete engine management modules,
including
charging system operation. The new motors worked well and ran even
smoother
and more powerful than their predecessors. Boat tests and consumer
tests
showed they were OK for all applications. For 2001 the big block V-6's
were
redesigned to a larger 3.3L block for the 200-225-250hp models. The
first
20-225 models came out in '99 with a 3.0L block and worked OK, they
did not
have the application problems of the 150-175 series of that year,
either did
the V4 90-115"s.

The 2001 Evinrude FICHTS finished a close 2nd to Yamaha in the J.D.
Power's
survey that year and got an honorable mention (along with the Honda
130
4-stroke) the previous year.

snip
Bottom line is the 2000 and later 150-175hp FICHTS do not have
problems with
the design, but like some things, the reputation from 6 years ago
still gets
regurgitated.

Bill Grannis
service manager


So to net it out, you would say that only the 150-175 models from
1997-1999 had reliability problems and those were related to
applications on heavy boats that were overpropped? If the fixes to the
earlier models did the job, why did they have to come out with the ram
stuff?

I am perfectly willing to admit I have no access to the statistics and
failure rates, so am asking these questions honestly in a spirit of
inquiry and interest in new technology. I am also still trying to
figure out how an Etec injector works. The Ficht used a metal rod driven
by an external solenoid. What is the difference in Etec? Got a patent
number or two?

del cecchi

I am also still trying to
figure out how an Etec injector works. The Ficht used a metal rod driven
by an external solenoid. What is the difference in Etec? Got a patent
number or two?

del cecchi


Hi Del,

It's been a long time.

Check out Patent No.6398511 B1. It works like an audio speaker where a pulse
of current makes the "armature" move forward, then an opposite pulse stops
it and returns the "armature" to its home position. Unlike the FICHT
injector, it does not depend on springs to return it to start its cycle all
over again. It still is a "linear motor" attached to a pump, but according
to the factory folks, it is not only more precise in delivery and supposidly
operational up to 10,000 rpm, but it can "pump" more fuel in a shorter time
frame so higher horsepower motors are possible. That is why Yamaha has to
use such high pressures, now up to 1000 psi, is to flow enough fuel in the
short amount of time it has between exhaust port closing and igntion. They
still have to start fuel injection before the exhaust is closed and that is
why they cannot meet 2008 emission specs, but only the 2006 ones..

From what I understand, OMC was working on this years back and now
Bombardier has the resources to get it into production. It is a Bombardier
patent and is not infringing on any Ficht family patents so they do not have
to use the FICHT name.

I haven't gotten to see or play with one yet but reports from the field
testers say the E-TECH idles very slow and doesn't even ripple the water
because it is so smooth. Time will tell when the production models roll off
the line next month. According to Bombardier, by next year's model
introduction, they will be the first company to have all their motors meet
2008 emission limits.

I did watch a 3hp rope start E-TECH run 2 years ago. Carbureted small hp
4-strokes can't meet the more stringent emission levels, but E-TECH can.

Bill Grannis
service manager