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Picked up my 17' Outrage with its new Etec 115
JohnnyCW	#1  Posted on 10/02/09 - 11:59 AM
Member Posts: 684 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/16/09	Nothing to share really since I don't have a chance to take it out until tomorrow but I'm just so darn excite to get my boat back with its new Etec. They mounted the motor on the third hole from the top. I don't know Evinrude's specs on where the ventilation plate should be but it looks a couple of inches above the bottom of the boat. The re-power process has taken a few weeks. I had them de-rig the boat first and then I picked it up. I used the opportunity to redo the dash for the new gauges, move the batteries from the transom to the center console, and replace all the existing wiring. I also installed a new Bay star hydraulic steering system. Cant wait until tomorrow. Not only am I excited about the new engine, I'm really happy to be done with the old cable steering which I've never liked. I have a Viper 17" prop on there now. I know others have run a Viper 19" but I was worried about a good hole shot. I often run with a full 35 gallon live well and other gear and don't need 45+ mph speeds anyway in such a small center console boat. The old Merc 115 I had moved the boat at a little over 40-41 mph and it got darn scary sometimes. The shop said it ran 45 mph with the Etec but I forgot to ask at what rpm. I'll run it tomorrow with the live well full, a full tank of gas, and two people and see what I get. The Viper prop is ventilated which I didn't know about before.
Joe Kriz	#2  Posted on 10/02/09 - 12:10 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	Congratulations Johnny. Looking forward to seeing photos in your personal page and your reports on the performance of the new E-Tec...
joninnj	#3  Posted on 10/03/09 - 5:31 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 408 Comments: 3 Joined: 06/07/07	Yes Johnny, Congratulations!!! Aside from gas savings and very quite operation, sharing performance info would be very interesting as you get to know your new engine. There does not seem to be much in the way of meaningful comparison in the Mid power range (with the big guns yes). Almost nothing when comparing the older 2nd generation 2 strokes (oil injected/prop shaft rated) If I were to re-power it would probably be an Etec. Have Fun! Jon in NJ Many other boats and outboards in my boating history The Whaler is the one I like the best!!!
JohnnyCW	#4  Posted on 10/03/09 - 7:42 PM
Member Posts: 684 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/16/09	Got a chance to get out on the water today. Ran 70 miles in and about Tampa Bay. Beautiful day for boating too. First impressions with the Etec 115 and Viper 17"... Incredibly quit at idle compared to what I'm used to. With a full 30 gallon fuel tank, full 35 gallon live well, and two adults, the boat simply jumps onto plane almost instantly and seemingly effortlessly. I didn't do any timing but gosh dang, what a rush. Top speed was 44 mph at 5700 rpm. That calculates out to around 9-10% I think slip. Speed check via GPS. At cruising speed, its hard to hear the engine over the wind noise. I think around 3200 rpm has me at a leisurely cruise speed of about 26 mph or so. About a 1 foot chop mostly. Had one thing happen I'm unsure about. I started out with a gallon of oil in the tank. Now I know for the first couple of hours, the engine's computer runs pretty rich on the oil so I expected to burn through it quick, no problem there. However at about 1/4 tank of oil, my engine check light came on steady with a 10 second horn beep. It was pretty choppy at that point in the trip. I shut the motor down then restarted with no warning lights. I idled for about 15 minutes with no warnings. Within about 30 seconds of getting back on plane in the rough water, I get the engine check light again. Had about 6 more miles back to the dock so we cruised back with the engine check light on all the way. Sitting at the dock, I shutdown then restarted with no warning lights. My question is, does the wiring plug for the Teleflex system check tachometer have to be spliced to the Etec's harness when installed? Is there a chance my installer spliced the wrong wires for the system check and it was a low oil condition that was causing the engine check light? Seems by the time I got back to the dock, the oil in the tank was plenty low enough to get a low oil warning light but I never did.
Derwd24	#5  Posted on 10/03/09 - 10:09 PM
Member Posts: 1607 Comments: 9 Joined: 05/09/07	Doesn't sound like you have the std system check tach with the low oil light? Best and safest thing to do is have it hooked up to a laptop and see what codes were set in the EMM and go from there. Dave - 1983 Outrage 22
Joe Kriz	#6  Posted on 10/03/09 - 11:16 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	Johnny, Not sure what color wires are connected to a Teleflex gauge but here are the colors for Evinrude...... http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...icle_id=72
modenacart	#7  Posted on 10/04/09 - 6:03 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 741 Comments: 4 Joined: 02/28/09	I don't know about your E-tec, but for my engine, during breakin, if you wanted to use the oiler, you had to add oil to the gas tank too. They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety. --Benjamin Franklin
JohnnyCW	#8  Posted on 10/04/09 - 7:10 AM
Member Posts: 684 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/16/09	My system check tach does have a low oil light but it never came on. That is why I beleive the warning lights may have been wired wrong. The tach has "no oil", "low oil", "check engine", and "hot". According to my installer and my Etec's user's manual, I am not to put oil in the gas tank ever. The Etec's engine mangament computer uses a higher mixture of oil from the oil tank during the first two hours of operation over 2,000 rpm for break-in. I'll be taking it back to the dealer, no question. I was just trying to get a little heads-up on my end before taking the boat in. Joe thanks for that information. BTW, my gauge is an Evinrude gauge. Looks exactly the same as you posted in the link. Not sure why I posted its a Teleflex. I think I've been doing to much research lately. Edited by JohnnyCW on 10/04/09 - 7:23 AM
ioptfm	#9  Posted on 10/04/09 - 2:29 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 1533 Comments: 3 Joined: 10/28/06	Johnny, my ETEC burned a little more oil than normal when I first got it, but not as drastic amount yours appears to be burning.............Something is not setup correctly............In fact, after my first day out I was thinking something was wrong in that it was not burning enough oil.............Is yours programed and setup for synthetic oil? Tom 1979 Sport 15'
Mark Finkenstaedt	#10  Posted on 10/04/09 - 4:55 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 195 Comments: 4 Joined: 08/20/08	My E-TEC drank really heavily the first tank. i was shocked. Now it has settling down to what one might expect (it's 2nd tank). Apparently that is normal. Mine is set for the 100 oil. For what it's worth. Edited by Mark Finkenstaedt on 10/04/09 - 5:16 PM 2001 18' Dauntless - 150HP 2010 E-TEC
JohnnyCW	#11  Posted on 10/05/09 - 5:33 AM
Member Posts: 684 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/16/09	My Etec is burning oil normally for a new motor. I burned about 3/4 of a gallon of XD100 for about 15 gallons of gas. That works out to a 20:1 ratio. Works out to exactly what I was told to expect for the computer's break-in period. Now that I've got about 2 hours of operation above 2,000 rpm. Oil use should drop significantly. It better because at $35-$45 a gallon for the XD100, I'm not sure I could afford the oil if the break-in rate continued the life of the motor. lol The ONLY issue I'm having is with the System Check lights. No "Low Oil" warning even though the oil level in my tank is almost to the bottom and an "Engine Check" light when I hit about 1/4" tank of oil. I'll be investigating the System Check wiring today for my own personal satisfaction and returning the boat to the engine installer tomorrow to get everything checked out. Edited by JohnnyCW on 10/05/09 - 5:42 AM
HarleyFXDL	#12  Posted on 10/05/09 - 6:37 AM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 917 Comments: 30 Joined: 07/24/07	44 mph with a 115, that's good. I get about the same with a 1999 Johnson 150! Kevin 1988 11' Super Sport, 1987 Johnson 15hp. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance "Vegetarian - old Indian word for bad fisherman."
JohnnyCW	#13  Posted on 10/05/09 - 1:12 PM
Member Posts: 684 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/16/09	Well I don't think its my System Check lights being wired incorrectly. I was able to push the float in the VRO tanks all the way to the bottom and the "Low Oil" light did come on. I'll be taking the boat in to the installer and see whats up with the "Check Engine" light. Out of my own personal curiosity I'd love to be able to hook it up to the diagnostic software myself and at least read the faults. I've made the appropriate cable but cant find the software for download anywhere. I'm not paying $300+ when simple user-end diagnostic software should be made available with the engine. It would probably be a cinch for a programmer to write their own application since the Etec's diagnostic output is simple RS-232 protocol but thats not my field unfortunately.
Tom W Clark	#14  Posted on 10/05/09 - 1:19 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 4280 Comments: 7 Joined: 09/30/05	It is very, very important that all the oil lines be fully purged of air at the initial rigging on an E-TEC. If there are any air bubbles in the lines, that may explain the alarm sounding. Be sure to have your dealer check it out thoroughly.
JohnnyCW	#15  Posted on 10/05/09 - 1:38 PM
Member Posts: 684 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/16/09	Thanks for the suggestion Tom. I got at least two hours of run time and at least a half gallon of oil through it before I ever got any alarms. I'm figuring the lines were at least originally purged well but maybe I sucked some air as the oil sloshed in the tank? We negotiated a pretty good chop that day and I allowed the VRO tank to get down to maybe 2 inches of oil. I never got a "Low Oil" or "No Oil" light while running. The only way I was able to get a "Low Oil" light was by physically pushing the VRO tank float near the bottom of the tank.
Joe Kriz	#16  Posted on 10/05/09 - 1:44 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	Johnny, This sounds more like the "Check Engine" light did come on as it was supposed to. So, this does sound like the engine needs to be checked. It also sounds like the Low Oil light is working properly when you push the float down in the tank and it works like it should.
duf	#17  Posted on 10/05/09 - 3:30 PM
Member Personal Page Photo Albums Posts: 840 Comments: 9 Joined: 04/22/07	my low oil alarm has only come on once, when i first purchased the boat, and was down to 2 inches or less. Once i filled it, never came on again. If your 115 is anything like my 2006 225 E-TEC, you will definately enjoy the small amount of oil it uses once broke in. Mine had over 200 hours when i purchased it, so i can't give you any in-sight to the break in period. duf
JohnnyCW	#18  Posted on 10/05/09 - 5:09 PM
Member Posts: 684 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/16/09	I've finally gotten a hold of the diagnostic software and it has the updates for the 2010 Etec. Now to see if I can get everything to work with one of my laptops and a USB to serial adapter.
JohnnyCW	#19  Posted on 10/05/09 - 7:37 PM
Member Posts: 684 Comments: 0 Joined: 08/16/09	First off, the diagnostic software is just plain super-cool. Secondly, the software revealed just how far off my imagination and guessing was about my Engine Check light. Turns out the fault that set it off was water detected in the fuel. I had emptied the tank before taking the boat in for the engine installation. The shop added 15 gallons of gas to the tank to take it out and test the engine and prop. I then topped the tank off before I took the boat out for my first time. No telling where the water may have come from. Fortunately I now know my System Check lights all wired correctly. My plan is to empty the tank again, change both the external fuel filter and the engine's under-cowl spin-on filter, refuel, add stabilizer, then give it another go. Any comments to that plan appreciated.
Joe Kriz	#20  Posted on 10/05/09 - 9:27 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	I don't think I would drain the fuel tank. I would put on a fuel/water separator as it sounds like you don't have one unless the external fuel filter you mention is also a water separator.... A Racor fuel/water separator will allow you to see water in the bottom of the clear plastic bowl...