115 Ficht

[dave 416]

Hey guys looking for a winter project and a 2000 Ficht 115hp turned up it has 145psi on 3cyl and the last has 0psi so it needs to be rebuilt Ive rebult a few but never one with fuel injection or fuel pumps (all I know is carbs) and everything else that goes with such a new motor so if I buy a manual as I always do would it be possible for me to rebuild it.he is looking for 900$ for it without controls thxs

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 115 Ficht

I'm sure someone will chime in as to whether that's from the problematic era of Fichts (I think so) but $900 seems real steep to me for a 10 year old blown motor. You could just about get a nice running carb motor for that price.

 

[dave 416]

Re: 115 Ficht

if its just a matter of fixing 1cyl 125 $ for piston and 50$ for boring and honing plus a gasket set it doesnt seem so bad I dont mind putting my time in and I really want to learn about newer motors what would it be worth in running condition would it be good to buy and part out he says he just put a new oil injector pump in cost him 800$

 

[wilde1j]

Re: 115 Ficht

$900 is way too much. Even if the motor was running perfectly, it would not be worth that, even with a bunch of new parts ... it's a Ficht. Find another motor. You would be in for at least $2000 to $3000 by the time you got done and have a motor you couldn't sell for $1000. Bad, bad deal. And it's not going to be just a piston and boring either. There's a complete gasket set, rings all around, probably some bearings as well, etc. Why did it blow, anyway?

 

[dave 416]

Re: 115 Ficht

I live in Toronto Ontario motors might be more expensive here I just sold a 89 70hp yamaha for 1600$ the ficht must be worth more. Your right about the parts its going to add up quick if theres more involved Ive heard that the 90 and the 115hp were not the problem it was the bigger hp I dont know why this motor failed.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 115 Ficht

You do know that Ficht motors have a bad reputation right? They will not sell for as much. I personally wouldn't buy one at all.

 

[dave 416]

Re: 115 Ficht

yes Ive heard about their reputation I guess theres no point in dumping a pile of money into a motor that nobody wants thankyou all for your help

 

[boobie]

Re: 115 Ficht

Don't buy it. $900 is way to much for that mtr seeing it's blown and there are no controls. When it says Ficht the reputation wasn't the best.

 

[ChrisAG]

Re: 115 Ficht

Ficht engines are not necessarily going for cheap, because the bad ones have mostly been weeded out of the market by now. What's left are generally trouble-free V4s (all years) and year 2000+ V6s.

When looking for a used boat and motor I did all the research before buying my 1998 Ficht 115. It came down to a simple fact: why would I disqualify purchasing an engine that had given the previous owner eleven trouble-free years on the water, simply because of the name? Let due diligence and common sense, not outdated information guide your purchase decision.

Of course there are some "project" engines such as the one you are looking at, but these can be found from all makes of similar vintage (including carbureted ones). Since the V4 Ficht are as good as any other engine I would not let that stop you from buying it and fixing it up. Since it has a new oil pump I would think that may have fixed the issue that led to the blown cylinder, but you would need to make further inquiries to confirm.

I saw the same ad, and I think he was originally asking $1500.

 

[Haffiman]

Re: 115 Ficht

My guess is that all those referring to 'bad reputation' are the ones that have no or very little own experience with those engines.
I was a dealer back in Norway when the Ficht engines came on the marked and have 'some' experience from both the good and bad.
Yes, there were some 'production' problems.
Some of the electronic parts were too short lived and costly to replace.
The characteristics of an DI engine compared to a carbed resulted in some prop selections that made them fail.
Most of the engine/design/production problems were sorted out around 99/2000, left was unfortunately a dealer base not capable of properly handle them.
It was easier to just say 'bad engine' than admit you had no clue about how to service/install/repair.
At the same time some other brands came with 4-strokes injection, that on certain installations burned valves like a pop-corn machine, but it all was quieted down.
Today they call then E-tech and are highly praised, but basically same technique.
As a learning object with a possibility to get a working engine at a reasonable price, why not?
Just be sure you get an OEM manual, access to released service bulletins and the diagnostic program, keep on and have fun!!

 

[JustJason]

Re: 115 Ficht

Fichts are not bad engines... nothing wrong with the poweheads, pistons, crank etc...

Ficht is a terrible terrible fuel injection system. Ficht is the absolute worst fuel injection system ever put onto a boat engine (outboard or inboard)

Ficht injectors are expensive to replace, hard to troubleshoot, are notorious for getting clogged and running lean (which is what probably ate your piston up). Notorious for not activating all the way (pulling the pintle back) and running lean again.

Ficht is 1 of the main reasons OMC went out of business... I don't know the exact number but they had to warranty so much of the product it drove them bankrupt.

 

[Haffiman]

Re: 115 Ficht

Ficht is NOT a terrible fuel injection system
The system works!
The 'mistake' was to release to the public a Beta version consisting of substandard parts.
That may be blamed on the 'GM standard' management who had already sent OMC to the brink on bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy was perhaps the best thing that could happen, they got rid of all 'dead wood', both human and hardware.
BRP did a great job in turning the remains around and finally release the E-techs, based on the Ficht SYSTEM, whatever they say!
In many ways it reminded me of when GM tried to make a diesel of the 350.
Not too successful either.
However finally GM bellied up to, mainly due to substandard products, compared to competitors, that no-one wanted to buy.
Now it remains to see if they manage to make a decent small volume/ high output diesel so the cars may be sold outside the US or in China!
Many of the people 'on the ground' knew what would happen, the release was forced by the the management in a panic move.
The rest is history.

However I will not discourage anyone that might want to revive a Ficht. I look upon it as any restoration project, and the few of us that have some experience with them should chip-in. Making money on it is probably not the main goal.
Is it any more sense in pouring dollars in a 50+ yrs old outboard just to go fishing a couple of time a year?
Why restore a Mustang when you may get a Toyota for 1/2 the price. less running and maintain cost and better handling and safety, better comfort and security?

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 115 Ficht

I don't want to bad-mouth the Ficht either but (mentioned above) the oil pump....Not the failure-for 1 cylinder. as for the fuel system, the Powerheads from the factory that are still available, were changed in late 2008. They removed the schrader valve from the fuel pressure return line and fixed most of the "lean" conditions. Our 2003 Ficht (200H.O.) Blew this summer at 162 total hours. We fought BRP hard on this because the schrader valve blew out and #2 was the first to explode. After 3 months of countless phone calls and 100's of pictures, BRP offered 3500 off of a new 2011 200 H.O. E-Tec.
My point is all of them have problems...Merc Yammy Evinrude...but most of the serious problems are under control.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: 115 Ficht

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=80680

something about the warrenty there lol....

 

[walleyehed]

Re: 115 Ficht

Not sure what your point with that post is but 7 yrs never happened.
It's 3+2 now...the best it's ever been. the 2003 we blew up had a 2+1 WARRANTY when purchased...Thats life. We fought this because we knew the events that led to the failure which was verified by decoding...the reason they allowed us a good chunk off.