Evinrude 99 ficht problems, Help!

[Bill Ferry]

My 99 with 100 hrs was running very well until winterized and then started this spring. Started skipping immediately. Dealer work on it 8 hrs. New Plugs, de Carbonize, check computer, etc. Runs now but has black smoke. He thinks its got an bad cyl but compression is OK. Bomb ignores my 3 yr warantee and questions. Now dealer wants to pull heads to check for scored cyl. Any suggestions? <br />Whats the truth on this engine? Were the 99's ever updated by OMC? I never heard a thing about all the up dates. Do I really have a $12K piece of junk? What a mess. Where is our consumer protection when we need them. Any help appreciated.

 

[evin300]

Re: Evinrude 99 ficht problems, Help!

Please post the name and the phone# of your dealership, also could you post the number that you used to contact Bomardier, I will check into this further for you, also the HP of the motor and serial# if possible.

 

[Bill Ferry]

Re: Evinrude 99 ficht problems, Help!

Its an Evinrude 150 HP,#4679770. Purchased from Don's Marine in Tiverton RI Tel. 401 624 3464<br />The person at Evin/ Bomb. is a Mr. Sean Cannery (not sure of spelling) They asked me not to give out his phone number (847 is the area code) Thanks!

 

[evin300]

Re: Evinrude 99 ficht problems, Help!

Hi Bill, Spend some time reading on this site, many dealers and customers post here, by reading this board, you will get a feel for what has happened. http://www.boatbiz.com/board.asp <br /><br />I am concerned about your dealership, and I did a check on the Evinrude.com website to make sure that they are approved for service work, they are. By doing a search using your area code I found at least 10 more in your general area. It will be important to find a dealership with competent techs. I feel that many of your questions would have already been answered by a competent shop.<br /><br />Here is another link to a website that is moderated by "rowdy", from what I have read, he very recently worked for OMC and is quite knowledgeable on the Ficht motors. http://www.boatsetup.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=6&DaysPrune=365&SUBMIT=Go <br /><br />I wish you luck, and remember that this buyout from Bombardier is very recent, and alternatives for your situation may be forthcoming. I would send a e-mail to the company voicing your concern and urge others to do the same.

 

[evin300]

Re: Evinrude 99 ficht problems, Help!

Here is another great website: http://www.geocities.com/omcnews/

 

[Bill Ferry]

Re: Evinrude 99 ficht problems, Help!

Hi ? Thanks for information. I have looked at the Boatbiz and RBBI web sites the dealer also suggested. I find its news but not much in the way of policy for my situation. Ignore 99 and previous engines. How they can ignore my 3 yr wanantee is beyond. I thought it was a contract so they now chose which contracts they honor and which they don't.<br />I will check out the other sites. <br />I can actually understand Bomb. position here. OMC sold motors which fail for reasons which can not be guaranteed to be cured by parts replacement. This is probably why the new parts guarantee is so poor. They don't have a solution for the 97, 98 and 99 problems. Certainly Bomb must believe the problems are solvable otherwise they would never have bought OMC. Hence my feeling is that a solution is only likely in 2002. My confidence is low for any OMC designed engines and I can not see putting any more money into this motor unless Bomb. supports me in some way. <br />In any other country in the world this would never happen as they would have to make good on defective products. I always wanted to own a boat manufacturer!<br />Thanks, Bill

 

[evin300]

Re: Evinrude 99 ficht problems, Help!

My understanding is the "Ram Injection" introduced in 2000, is the cure to the problem with the V-6 1998,1999. The V-4s of the early years are quite good motors. Its probably no coincidence that Bomb is covering the warranty from 2000 forward. Patience may pay off here, give the company a chance to get on its feet, and see what happens. I cant help but wonder that even if they wanted to help out 1998,1999 owners are they in a position to do that yet? To bad that your dealer didnt keep you informed, I do believe that the 2000 powerheads for your motor were available while OMC was still in business. Mike

 

[Bill Ferry]

Re: Evinrude 99 ficht problems, Help!

Hi Mike:<br /> Yes I believe the dealer did not tell me anything because I was so happy. My buddy and I were telling everyone how great the engine was and we did not understand the rumors. Ignorance is bliss! <br />I was also lead to believe (when I bought the engine) that the 99 was cured of the problems and the dealer said that they were offering the 3 yr warantee to show they all had confidence. I never dreamed that the 99 was as bad or worse than the 97 and 98's. <br />My delema is, what do I do for the shrinking 01 season. I am certinly not going to invest $4k to fix this motor for another 100 hrs running. I may just have to waste the season and wait until 2002.<br />Whats wrong with the design of this engine? Excess carbon is always the blame. It must have poor running speeds or just plan poor fuel mixing with the air. I am an engineer so who works in the automotive industry so I understand combustion and am interested in the details of what is going on. I have visited over 60 major engine com****** all over the world so I have a lot of contacts i the engine industry. Some are chief engineers with com****** many times the size of OMC and Bomb.<br />I have to make a decision on the boat in the next few days so the more info I get the better.<br />I gather you are or were connected to OMC so you probably have some insite. I know that Bomb had to take the position they did until they get there feet on the ground. I can be patient if they say be patient but we all get restless with silence. <br />I checked the Bomb web site but do not see an E mail address for a contact. Can you supply one?<br />Thanks again.<br />Bill