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:o

[color=maroon][/color]Need some advice:

Muy cousin is re-powering his 210 Ventura from a 2000 Evinrude 225 ficht to a new Honda.

His marina will only give him $1500 on the trade-in and he wants to sell it privately. The motoir has only 213 hours on it, has had the necessary corrections with fuel injector clamps based on the coast guard advisory etc. He would like $2,500 for it.

Should I run for the hills and not even consider it? or, as it has been completely trouble free, consider it. I've heard some say that, even with the correction, they're still time bombs and will have other problems in the future.

Thanks!

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I had a 1999 175 with about 450 hours on it that self destructed so I personally have a negative bias about the FICHT motors.

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It is all personal opinion. Just like discounting the VRO's, or Opti's burning up you can find A LOT of "My friend this" or " I know a guy who" or "My (Know it all) mechanic said" on boards and around the marinas.

The fact is there are a lot of these motors that are still out there that are running with out problems and always have been. Yes they were problems with some motors.

Here is what I was told by my mechanic. "If it has been running well for all these years it should be a good motor. If it was a problem motor it would have failed a long time ago. If the motor has had all of the factory service notices taken care of and updates made it should be fine." Now some could say well that is your "KNOW IT ALL" mechanics opinion. Yup it is but, there is a reason why his shop is the one if the oldest if not the the oldest continuously operating Sales and Service OMC / BRP dealership in the US (if not the world).

My opinion is that is a lot of Motor for a great price. If I was looking for a motor for a larger Whaler and I had that deal I would take it.

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McAekho

I see you edited your post from

"TIME BOMB"

To

"I had a 1999 175 with about 450 hours on it that self destructed so I personally have a negative bias about the FICHT motors."

So, you do have first hand knowledge with these motors. What failed and what was determined to be the cause of the failure?

I have known of all kinds of Motors failing at that hour range. In fact I was on a Mercury Demo ride in Miami and I met guy who a 2 Verado 275's fail with less than 300 hours and one of them even caught fire. The story was confirmed by one of the Mercury Engineers on board. That does not change my view that the Verado is a great motor.

I had a 1997 Chevy Pick up with 12,000 miles lose a small internal metal cap in the intake manifold which then got stucked into the head and ruined the head and cylinder. I still think Chevy and GM make a quality product.

Sure you could have / should have gotten more hours out of your motor. I would expect a standard life span to be at least 1000hours.

My 235 Evinrude failed me at around 500 hours. Cracked head gasket. Hey S__T Happens.

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Jeff,

I read your post and then edited mine because I thought time bomb was a little harsh or abrupt or something...

I grew up in the 50's with Evinrude Motors that are probably still running, so my bias is actually in favor.

That's why I didn't think twice about buying a used Whaler with a motor that had 300 hours on it.

I actually think the FICHT models that had the most problems were the 150 and 175. Same block I think. I still see larger models running around.

This particular motor had a flat spot in the throttle up, where it would sputter and act like it was going to die. It didn't idle worth a darn and the temperature would climb for no apparent reason, then drop back to normal. Two different mechanics in Costa Mesa worked on it and neither could solve any of the above problems. I personally think the oil injection was working intermittently and that's what eventually killed it off.

One day at cruising speed the motor developed a loud clacking sound. It wasn't overheating and it had good oil pressure so I limped back home.

The mechanic told me it would be about three to four thousand to fix it, and it would probably happen again. Then he said he wasn't surprised because most of them blow up. I said, "What do you mean, most outboards blow up?" And he said, "No just these OMC FICHTS from that era blow up."

After the discussion I towed the boat home and parked. I did some internet searches and found lots of negative stuff with this motor. Apparently they're either wonderful or, they blow up.

Well no amount of rebuilding would make me feel confident in that motor. Besides I'm an incessant worry wart and there's no way I'm going to take my family out and risk their lives on the ocean with a motor that's probably going to blow up.

Now when I hear FICHT I react like Moe in the Three Stooges did when he hears Niagara Falls. "Slowly I turn step by step inch by inch..." You get the picture.

I opted for a Yamaha F115 four stroke that does everything it's supposed to, and quietly to boot.

I sold the FICHT on Craig’s list to a mechanic up in Santa Barbara for $750. He called me a few weeks later and asked if I had ever overheated it. Like I mentioned the temperature did fluctuate. I gave him the prior mechanic's number who worked on it so he could get the history straight. I should have kept in touch with him so I could hear how that motor's story ends.

Paul Harold
Hollywood Hills, California

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Thank you all for your help; I certainly appreciate your feedback.

I think I'll pass.

List trade-in on this engine is somewhere around $4100. I'll tell my cousin to keep trying other dealers till he gets a better trade-in price for it.