Optimax, Etec, HPDI, Ficht - Pros and Cons

[Skirace87]

Drove a boat with a 300xs for the first time yesterday, could not believe how noisy it was compared to my 250HO, must be a light weight cowl with little insulation?

[DoktorC]

I believe the original opti compressors where based heavily on the 2.5 or 3hp rotating assembly/block...which...ironically was built by tohatsu lol.

Yamaha introduced the HPDI in 2000. I ran one of the very first 2.6L 200's up here for 6 seasons. It was flawless, drove it to work everyday from april to november (ice out to ice in). I think it had roughly 500hrs on it when I turned it back in (not alot for you southern guys I know)...I think it had spent something like 40% of it's life over 5000rpm lol.

The only thing that seems to bother them is bad/dirty fuel...they have LOTS of filters to clog!! I never had any issues with mine but I have spent this summer cleaning out my buds 300hpdi...didn't his filter installed before he got a tank of bad fuel!!

[scb]

The Opti's are quite a bit more fuel and oil effcient. HPDI and E-Tec are about the same.

Optis are louder than HPDI & E-Tec.

FACTS.

[theoldwizard]

Yamaha is following the age old "build what the customer is buying" and seems to be putting more emphasis on their 4 stroke business. A lot of folks would say the same is true for Mercury with their Verado product line.

Only BRP has stayed with a 2 stroke, DI "only" product line, but there have been runors in the past about Johnson coming back with a full line of 4 strokes.

After all, BRP owns Rotax, a leading worldwide manufacturer of small 4 stroke engines, for snowmobiles (Ski Doo), watercraft (Sea Doo), motorcycles (BMW and Buell) as well as small aircraft engines racing Karts. Rotax has the design capability, it only depends on the customer demand for 4 strokes.

[theoldwizard]

Back to the original question (differences between HPDI, Optimax and Etec), I would add that HPDI and Optimax have a mechanical "single point of failure" (Optimax - air pump; HPDI - high pressure fuel pump).

The Etec uses a "time proven" electric pump (similar to what has been used in the automotive world for 30 years as well as used in the marine 4 stroke world since they went EFI). Even if a couple of injectors fail, you will likely be able to "limp home".

These aren't big issues for racers, but they are for offshore fishermen !

[aeneas]

I have an acquaintance who runs a 26' walkaround fishing boat with twin ETEC 250 and he has all kinds of problems from faulty injectors, coils, corrosion to failed counter rotating lower.

[MENNO]

Midsections are too weak on etec 250 and 300
i have seen lowerunits go bad very often and broken brackets on offshore use
+ = the low engine noise

yamaha 2.6 ltr hpdi engines are good reliable engines
if feed with fresh fuel and an in boat 10 micron filter is absolutly needed
bigger hpdi engines consume much oil and blow up very often in the past


optimax engines can be very reliable from 2002 and newer
xs optimax engines have compressor bearings go bad around 300 hrs
newer ones from 2007-2009 some have coils go bad (bad serie of coils)
optimax makes more noise uses less fuel
+= smartcraft meters

[haim]

hi everyone, i am buying a fountain open fisherman 27 with 300xs motors that are 2007, 142 hrs and serviced on a regular basis, i need your input. the boat runs 75 mph light load, and at 5850 rpm. what do you guys say about the motors they are very clean and run great.also what about simonson motorsports flywheel and computer upgrade. light flywheel and balanced and moves the rev limiter to 6800 rpm.speed gain is said to be about 2-3 mph

[aeneas]

haim, 75mph is good speed and a few more miles more would not be my priority - if so I would by another Fountain... If the engines run well (and they probably do) I would not touch them other than for service/maintenance. You could perhaps look into testing props...

just my 2 cents

[LIQUID NIRVANA]

[QUOTE=MENNO;1817059]Midsections are too weak on etec 250 and 300
i have seen lowerunits go bad very often and broken brackets on offshore use
+ = the low engine noiseQUOTE]


Menno,

Were the lower units & bracket breakages on E-Tecs motors OR were they on the earlier OMC engines. I have to seriously say that we are NOT seeing this issue at all on E-Tec.

[aeneas]

[QUOTE=LIQUID NIRVANA;1826886]

Midsections are too weak on etec 250 and 300
i have seen lowerunits go bad very often and broken brackets on offshore use
+ = the low engine noiseQUOTE]


Menno,

Were the lower units & bracket breakages on E-Tecs motors OR were they on the earlier OMC engines. I have to seriously say that we are NOT seeing this issue at all on E-Tec.

The counter rotating lowers on the big ETEC's are not well designed and breaks quite easily. I know of at least two boats that has to have lowers changed several times due to this.

ETEC
+ service/winterazation, oil consumption
- counter rotating lowers, injectors, corrosion

[eggsuckindog_]

All the posts have been very good - Opti's seem to be very good except for that damn compressor - the Yam's do have problems with the E10 nobody else does and its just annoying. The Etec's had some early issues with LU's and an occasional injector but certainly not much lately - the corrsion issue was really a paint issue, primer didn't stick well and the paint would bubble but all were replaced without question - which was impressive.

[sosmerc]

Interesting thread and enjoyable reading.
I am a Mercury specialist and can relate to the Optimax. I have owned a number of them including a 1997 200 DFI which was Merc's first DFI attempt. Like all things mechanical, diligent attention to preventative maintenance can help reduce problems. I have a number of customers with Optimax engines and I haven't experienced a dead engine yet. I haven't even seen a failed compressor yet, but I'm sure it happens. Our boating is very seasonal so we don't get alot of hours on our engines.
When I winterize these engines I run them on a 50:1 mix for 15 minutes or so. I do this so that the fuel pumps and injectors, etc. get to "rest" with plenty of lubrication. I also reset the break-in mode so that next season the engines get extra lube for the first couple of hours. It must work because I am not seeing alot of problems nor do my customers seem to
notice or complain about some extra oil usage or smoke.
I only sell Merc Premium Plus and Amsoil HP Injector oil and most of my customers are using the HP Injector oil. I also sell them on using Startron fuel additive all the time as well as recommend mid-grade fuel. All the filters get changed every season and I dyno test the engines to make sure everything is ok before they go back into service.
The worst thing about all these new engines is the extreme cost of the parts when they do need them.

[stan merck]

Give me an old regular non direct injected 2 stroke running on premix (no oil injection) and you have a more reliable eng than any of these new direct injected nightmares, I dont care who makes it. Sure, it will burn more gas and smoke but it will get my butt back to the dock. I say if you want to improve the 2 stroke outboard, throw away all the direct inj junk and put the the efi back where it belongs on the front of the eng and put some technology into the porting with some type of super variable ex and intake port heights. Fuel cant fly out the ex port at low speed if the port height and ex system is optimized for that rpm range. Give us some real advancements in the engine not adaptations of existing fuel systems to ancient eng designs. Nothing but an EPA bandaid.