bcbouy said:
so,an etec weighs more than a yamaha? really.187 vs.215 w/o power tilt .check your facts.
Are you sure you didn't look at the 40hp? Yamaha's 40 is a heavy pig at 215 lbs, but I did not speak of 40hp, I was talking about 25hp and there is a HUGE difference. 40's are real popular here too, mostly 40/30 jets. VERY common along the rivers in this area, outnumber the Mercury suzuki tohatsu evinrude and johnsons combined.
Yamaha F25SWHC is 130.5 lb (my motor with fuel in the VST. The short shaft manual start version is 126 lbs even, dry (out of the crate). I don't see many of those here. $3789 at work, just mounted one a little bit ago and pulled the tag off. Need picture?
ETEC comparable (tiller electric manual tilt short) 166 lb even. $5050 online.
I like the etec but I am not impressed with their lack of longevity. If they could make it more reliable and less costly, and most importantly lighter, I'd consider owning one.
Those are on my shipping scale at work. ETEC 25hp is a lot heavier. It's heavier than the suzuki, heavier than the Tohatsu/Mercury/Nissan and those things are pretty big/heavy. Now why on earth....does an ETEC have 577cc, the yamaha (which is 4 stroke) is only 432cc, and the mercury/tohatsu is 500cc, and they all make 25hp?
Common issues that have been seen in this area with the etec 25hp have been high pressure fuel pumps, impellers, and the most inconvenient is when sand/dirt/stuff gets stuck inside the cooling tubes that reside in the EMM, which makes the EMM get warm, which throws it into limp mode. The worst part about this is that the operator never notices a lack of telltale (pee hole) water. The EMM is about $600, warranty usually picks up the tab on failed ones but not so much on the liquid cooled/plugged cooling hose ordeal. Pretty common. EMM is the engine management module, aka computer. On the impellers, I am understanding that BRP has improved them for the newest generation. I haven't heard on the EMM cooling. No solution that I know of (or have heard of). HP pumps are said to last longer if you mix a little bit of oil into the fuel. Defeats the purpose of having oil injection doesn't it? Also...on the oil injection...you MUST run ETEC's specific oil in the ETEC motor, unless you have it reprogrammed then you can run whatever you want. That almost sounds like the Volkswagen diesel ordeal if you ask me.
People talk about the "simplicity" of a 2 stroke and supposedly that is the ETEC's main selling point, but what they don't tell you is how much more complex the engine's fuel and operating systems are in comparison to a proven, tried and true EFI 4 stroke. Yamaha's system is really simple. I was a skeptic too, but I bought one anyway and everyone I've talked to has had exactly zero problem with them. That is impressive in my book. ETEC guys? A few are happy. The rest have already sold them or are trying to. I have a neighbor and a family member-both in the same situation.
One other consideration is the shipping costs if one was to purchase online. Most everyone charges a flat rate to anywhere which is LTL (less than truck load), it comes on an 18 wheeler. A lot of the time they (shippers) negotiate a price with the cheapest place they can find and those cheap places aren't always any good. I deal with them daily. XPO is just ok, R&L, nothing comes in one piece, Southeastern Freight, everything comes completely torn up most of the outboard crates come with no cardboard on them (just Styrofoam and they tape it up). Southeastern is probably the worst. AAA cooper is one of the better ones but they also cost more. UPS freight is ok sometimes, other times not, other times stellar. Same with FEDEX freight. But most companies use the least expensive which is almost guaranteed to get you a torn up box. Whether the motor is hurt underneath the box is a case-by-case basis. Regardless, if it is skinned up (cowlings broken or scratched up is common, also scratches on the leg and sometimes the foot), then you get to fight with the people you bought it from, with the freight company (which can be a nightmare), they will want pictures and they know what they are looking for, so just any picture ain't gonna work in a claim. Sometimes the shipper (company you purchased from) might want you to return a part that is damaged. If you aren't a mechanic or have mechanical skill, you have to pay a shop to remove the skinned up part, pay to send it back, hope it gets there and hope it gets there in the same condition you sent it. The whole ordeal is a nightmare! And to add insult to injury all shipments that are heavier than I think 40 lbs have a $20-something dollar fee tacked onto them, and truck freight charges went up too (particularly LTL stuff). I ordered a hood for a car a couple week ago and it was over $250 just for shipping (again, LTL) but it came in perfect condition via fedex freight. I could have gotten it cheaper from Roadway, XPO or even souteastern but I chose to use fedex instead, easier to deal with, better equipment, and these guys around here take better care of their freight than the UPS freight (local) guys do. And on a freight damage claim, most of the time Yamaha doesn't actually "cover" that as a warranty deal because it's not their responsibility; they do a pretty good job of inspecting every crate that leaves their warehouse, once it's on the truck, damage responsibility falls solely on the trucking company, and they do everything that they can possibly do to get out of paying for damage. Trust me, I deal with on an almost daily basis.
