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View Full Version : Ficht sparkplug problems



terrym
02-16-2005, 03:23 PM
I have noticed high wear with the Champion XC12PEPB sparkplugs. I am the mechanic for a "rental type" fleet of saltwater boats. We have approx. seven 2000-2004 150 hp 60 degree fichts. One picture shows the missing platinum hockey puck on the ground electrode. The other two pictures show normal wear at 100 hours. I want to pass on my experience with these plugs and motors. Judging by the "normal" wear it is important to change the plugs at 100 hours as recommended by BRP. As far as the missing platinum puck it is scary to visualize it floating around the cylinder. I don't know what percentage of missing platinum pucks I've found. I've only recently started to save them. This is my first post, I hope you find this informative.

terrym
02-16-2005, 03:25 PM
One more picture, missing platinum puck on ground electrode.

racer
02-16-2005, 10:41 PM
100 hours is about right on those engines, you should notice some running difference at 80

Backfire
02-25-2005, 11:13 PM
RACER, HAVE YOU GOT ANYBODY GO 300 HOURS ONE A SET OF PLUGS ON THEIR E-TEC?. With the new ignition system, supposed to be the normal service interval.
Backfire ;)

racer
02-26-2005, 01:11 AM
Have a couple a little over 200 and the owners say are running great.

Jay R.
02-26-2005, 02:46 AM
I have a friend with a pair of fiht 150's and has battled this problem. he found everything from recomendations of different plugs to clocking the plugs so that the electrode blocks the spark from the fuel spray. all of this seemed to be bull@#$%
so i finnally got to look at it and told him he was over proped. didn't belive but dropped a pitch or two anyway and the problem has since gone away and is now getting normal wear. this one thats giving you problems might be overwheeled. even if the numbers on the prop match. switch it with one thats working fine and give it a few hours and see what happins. beside i've always belived in underwheeling rentals. people beat up on them to much!

SCAngler
02-26-2005, 10:26 AM
god advise jay r. those engines while very good do need to be proped right but they do need to index the plugs also.100 hrs is about max on the ficht engines..most change them out at around 75 to 80 hrs. i have a freind with twn e-tec 200's that has 312 hrs on both & he changed his plugs out right at three hundred hrs. the engines were still running fine but he said he did not want to press his luck.

stokernick
02-26-2005, 10:41 AM
is it only with Champions??Inquiring minds need to know!

150aintenuff
04-04-2005, 11:42 PM
regardless of brand of engine no moor I work on will ever see a new set of champion plugs.... to many problems with them.... burnt center electrodes... burnt melted grounds ect... I like NGK and have never had a problem with them EVER!!! in mercurys, johnsons, fords, VW's chevys, Volvos... they all just keep running...... and wear properly....

seacow
04-07-2005, 09:32 PM
I run a pair of 225 Ficht engines, 03 models, I generally get about 150 hours out of a set before they are starting to act trashy. I am a cert. BMC mechanic and what I do to make them last longer is start them with 28 thousands gap, then regap them at about 75-80 hours, works every time for me. We put over 3000 hours on this set of engines in the last 2 years and they have been extremely consistent with plug life. They do have an alternate coil system that is only available through tech support which should make plug life the same as the e-tec, kit is several hundred dollars and not worth it to me. Good luck.

150aintenuff
04-08-2005, 01:46 AM
what do the gaps wear to over that 70 hour period???? 30-35thousandths or more....

seacow
04-08-2005, 09:03 PM
The gap I am seeing at 75 hours is usually about 60-65, all we do is just regap down to 28 and let it go. By the time we notice much problem with cranking and idling we are usually almost completely burnt out. On the note of another sparkplug to use, I have not seen or heard of any other plug that will replace the champion on these engines. We did have a customer put some ngk plugs in his, they did not cross over to that or anything, but to him they looked the same; guess what they wouldn't run!! So for now only champion plugs.

seacow
04-08-2005, 09:06 PM
almost forgot, I have these engines propped where they turn 61-6200 rpm's WOT, which I also feel helps the plug life, others we fish with on the same setup are not able to get they same life as us because they are running one size larger props and turning 4-500 rpms less at WOT