Advice Needed!- Repowering a 26X with a new 50-70HP outboard

[TrueNorth]

Friends, We live in S.Central AK, cruising on Kachemak Bay - our 12 yr. old Suzuki DF50 has blown up. Can you please direct me to the existing threads (or new advice!) with the latest and best advice on repowering a 26X with a new 50-70HP four-stroke. I lead toward a 60 or 70 HP (with additional transom plates). We mostly travel lightly loaded, with more motoring than sailing.

Thinking about a Suzuki DF60A. Should I be thinking about some other high thrust model? Are there new options on the market that we should consider?

Huge bummer to be motorless in the Alaskan summer. Appreciate your help and advice very much!

Joe -

[dlandersson]

What brands have dealers who service in your area?

Friends, We live in S.Central AK, cruising on Kachemak Bay - our 12 yr. old Suzuki DF50 has blown up. Can you please direct me to the existing threads (or new advice!) with the latest and best advice on repowering a 26X with a new 50-70HP four-stroke. I lead toward a 60 or 70 HP (with additional transom plates). We mostly travel lightly loaded, with more motoring than sailing.

Thinking about a Suzuki DF60A. Should I be thinking about some other high thrust model? Are there new options on the market that we should consider?

Huge bummer to be motorless in the Alaskan summer. Appreciate your help and advice very much!

Joe -

[WASP18]

I just bought an new Evinrude E-TEC and it is now being installed. This motor is winterized by its on-board computer. You do nothing but follow certain start-stop instructions and the computer does the rest. It doesn't need maintenance for the first three years. It's just as quiet as a four stroke (if not quieter than some), received an EPA award for clean burning, and it gets decent gas mileage. It costs an average of $1,000 more than a comparable motor.

[WASP18]

I forgot to mention that I bought a 50 HP.

[Phil M]

Service is a deal breaker. If you buy something that have to travel a long ways to get serviced, you will regret it, like I presently have regrets with my Honda BF 50A after the local Honda dealer stopped servicing outboards.

[WASP18]

Service is a deal breaker. If you buy something that have to travel a long ways to get serviced, you will regret it, like I presently have regrets with my Honda BF 50A after the local Honda dealer stopped servicing outboards.

A very good point. I plan to have my motor serviced, if I have problems, from another dealer who is located closer to where my boat is moored. I visited that dealer, who sells only new motors on new boats (no repowering), to inquire about warranty service, etc., and he said no problem. In fact, the "servicing dealer" has a waterfront location if I should happen to be towed by BoatUS, MY selling dealer is not on the waterfront.

[kelseydo]

TrueNorth,
I recently re powered from 50HP Nissan to Etec 90. See the post http://www.macgregorsailors.com/forum/v ... =9&t=21349 . Sure would love to come visit some day.
Dan

[March]

The ETEC is great--as long as it runs. Mine has been running without a glitch for 5 years; always started at the first touch of the key, quiet, reliable, and economical. 20 months ago, after a major checkup (waterpump, sparkplugs replaced, etc) I put it in storage for the winter. Last year I did no sailing whasoever. This spring, I put it on the water and it struggled to start, even though it had a new battery. Our boat has a house battery as well--I combined the two and the ETEC finally started, still struggling. Two days later the NO OIL light came on, even though it had plenty of oil. I thought it might have air bubbles on the oil lines so I winterized it a couple of times--the red light went away, only to come back two days later. Ever since that time, it starts at the first touch of the key once in five times, maybe--otherwise, I have to use to combiner, and it still struggles. The NO OIL light comes on sometimes but seems to go away if I let it warm up for five minutes. Boat is out of thewater now and I am standing in line for the local ETEC certified mechanic who is backlogged for three weeks. Nobody else would touch the motor, even though the starter problem may be solved (I guess) by a regular marine mechanic. I myself have done all the merry little chores: replaced the battery once again, with an 850 CCA, cleaned the terminals, connectedit directly to the startup battery bypassing everything else, started it every day in the driveway to see how the oil light behaves, kept an eye on the lower unit that now drips oil (the result of repeteadly winterizing it to clear the oil lines, I hope...) and so forth.

Significantly, the engine is 6 years old and already out of warranty.I anticipate a hefty bill--if the mechanic ever gets to look at it this summer

Point is, the ETEC specialized mechanics are scarce and the highly computerized ETEC is intimidating so no one else would actually dare get into it, even though some inherent mechanical problems may be tackled by a good marine mechanic. But no one in the area seems to know for sure how the ETEC is supposed to work, so they prefer not to touch it. For instance, the ETEC mechanic himself was unable to tell me whether the oil cap is supposed to breathe or not (on my engine it didn't seem to, made a suction sound when I removed it). Some say it should and I should leave it half screwed, some say it breathes at the oil line manifolds, etc etc. Same thing with the starter: the ETEC starter has a proprietary "two step" engaging mechanism that makes it easier to start -- when it works -- but other mechanics quickly refer me to the ETEC long standing line rather than trying to fix it themselves

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my ETEC but sometimes I can't help regretting my old Johnson that was much less complex and also less troublesome

[acmaui]

Love my Suzuki 70! Five years and no problems. Always starts. Liked it so much just picked up a new 2.5 Suzuki for my tender.

[fouz]

Love my Suzuki 70! Five years and no problems. Always starts. Liked it so much just picked up a new 2.5 Suzuki for my tender.

What kind of performance are you getting out of it. Top speed?

[kadet]

Point is, the ETEC specialized mechanics are scarce and the highly computerized ETEC is intimidating so no one else would actually dare get into it, even though some inherent mechanical problems may be tackled by a good marine mechanic. But no one in the area seems to know for sure how the ETEC is supposed to work, so they prefer not to touch it.

Not so much intimidating but require special diagnostic tools and training they don't possess. Also if they don't know what they are doing they can easily make things worse and cost you more $$$ in the long run.

Ever since that time, it starts at the first touch of the key once in five times, maybe--otherwise, I have to use to combiner, and it still struggles.

Why keep running the thing when the self diagnostics is telling you something is wrong, Red Light = Bad = Stop hard to start mean something bad = Stop you may have a 20 cent part broken but you could end up breaking something expensive if you keep forcing it to run. E-TECs have a limp mode that enables them to run when something is wrong to get you out of danger on the water. Take it to a proper E-TEC mechanic with the right diagnostic software and tools to fix it, unfortunately it's sounds like you might have a wait in your area.

Who did the check-up? A qualified E-TEC mechanic? could something have been done wrong if the motor was not run between the check up and wintering?

[seahouse]

Hi March-

If you inspect and study the cap on the oil reservoir it could solve the breathing mystery. Of course, as oil is consumed from the tank, something (air) must replace it or the reservoir would collapse, particularly if there is only one hose running from the tank.

There is a duck-bill type rubber valve that allows air to enter (but closes “downstream” to prevent oil from leaving, if it's not obstructed), so if this is working (not clogged) it should not be necessary to leave the cap partly unscrewed. At least mine is that way, but there might be alternate provisions for it in other models.

It is also not inconceivable that the valve and or cap at some point might have been replaced with the incorrect one.

- Brian.

[March]

The check-up was done for the ETEC mechanic, of course, with the proper software, parts and tools. It was done at the end of the season, so I didn't care if they kept the boat in for any period of time. I didn't check the engine again because, well, the revision was done by the certified ETEC mechanic. 18 months later it was no longer running as it should.

The motor is not in the S.A.F.E. mode, since it revvs us past 1500 RPM--once the NO OIL light goes off. There is no risk of breaking anything if one simply starts the motor for 15 minutes inthe driveway (with a proper water line, of course), noting that the light goers off by itself, once the engine warms up. The starter problem is a different issue, i think. I wonder if the ETEC technician will bother to check the solenoid or the brushes, or simply decide that this is a 'bad starter' and replace the whole thing. Same with the oil pump, even though the oil pump seems to be working fine. Things would have been different with a regular engine.

Like I said, the ETEC is a great engine, as long as it runs. When it doesn't, it's a PITA; one has to rely on a certified mechanic who does his magic pretty much like a medicine man. There's hardly any room for a second opinion.

Which, again, is fine... if it works.

[March]

Thanks for the suggestions, Brian. It is still a mystery
Seahouse wrote:

If you inspect and study the cap on the oil reservoir it could solve the breathing mystery. Of course, as oil is consumed from the tank, something (air) must replace it or the reservoir would collapse, particularly if there is only one hose running from the tank.

There is a duck-bill type rubber valve that allows air to enter (but closes “downstream” to prevent oil from leaving, if it's not obstructed), so if this is working (not clogged) it should not be necessary to leave the cap partly unscrewed. At least mine is that way, but there might be alternate provisions for it in other models.

That's right. But the ETEC oil tank is shaped oddly for some mysterious reason: the main cap used to pour the oil in plus a sealed cap in the aft section of the tank (sealed with a metal collar) where the three transparent oil plastic lines go--a sort of oil manifold. Well, that one does have a valve with three little holes that MIGHT get clogged if the oil level is way too high and presses the rubber diaphragm against them; looks like that's where the breathing occurs. I asked the ETEC technician, but he did not seem to know what I was talking about--or maybe he was a hands-on kind of guy

It is also not inconceivable that the valve and or cap at some point might have been replaced with the incorrect one.

I don't know about that. The cap is safely anchored at the interior of the tank--I wanted to remove it and clean it with alcohol and discover the breathing holes (if any) and it is really hard to remove.

[seahouse]

I guess my memory has simplified the reality – I “forgot” that the cap was linked – I'll have to take a closer look at it next chance I get and see what's there.