• Coming This Month: The Full Story of the Evinrude E-Tec

    Evinrude E-Tec: From The Very Beginning to Now

    This has been an article that I had planned to be published months ago, however as I was working on it, I realized there is just so much more to tell here than I had originally expected. I have probably not researched any product as much as this one, and I learned a great deal about the Evinrude E-Tec platform along the way. What was most stirring was how much I didn't know about the E-Tec, and much information about it being discussed is just not accurate, or incomplete.

    This will be a very large article, and it is the result of my experience and research with the products, as well as detailed discussions with key people responsible for the E-Tec's vision and development. As I progressed with this project, I became more engrossed in it, because it is not only a truly fascinating story, but also a fascinating product.

    I really hope you will all enjoy it. I plan to have it published this month.

    Greg


    This article was originally published in forum thread: Coming This Month: The Full Story of the Evinrude E-Tec started by Scream And Fly View original post
    Comments 22 Comments
    1. perfmarine1's Avatar
      perfmarine1 -
      Great, I can't wait. A true engineering marvel from what I have seen. If they could just make them 400 lbs I would buy one today!
    1. Gweedo's Avatar
      Gweedo -
      Looking forward to this...
    1. lars strom's Avatar
      lars strom -
      Nice I can help with some input.
    1. Markus's Avatar
      Markus -
      Wow!

      I would love to see an interview the East German engineers who worked on the Ficht 2-stroke direct injection system that was going into the next generation Trabant, or get a little background on OMC's decision not to use the Orbital system...
    1. half fast's Avatar
      half fast -
      great marketing , don't touch it for five years ????? okay ..... seems to be a reworked fitch to me . This will be good . hf...
    1. powerabout's Avatar
      powerabout -
      Quote Originally Posted by Markus View Post
      Wow!

      I would love to see an interview the East German engineers who worked on the Ficht 2-stroke direct injection system that was going into the next generation Trabant, or get a little background on OMC's decision not to use the Orbital system...
      I think they worked out the high pressure atomisation was better than low pressure with air injection
    1. TheDude's Avatar
      TheDude -
      Quote Originally Posted by half fast View Post
      great marketing , don't touch it for five years ????? okay ..... seems to be a reworked fitch to me . This will be good . hf...
      You apparently do not know anything about the etec or the new g2. Like most people on this site, why even leave your lousy comment?
    1. vnemous's Avatar
      vnemous -
      I have had enough of etec's for one day

      Attachment 387255
    1. Knut74's Avatar
      Knut74 -
      When is this article supposed to be published? Waiting......
    1. Steve Pope's Avatar
      Steve Pope -
      Yes when??? realy looking forward to this
    1. Euroski's Avatar
      Euroski -
      Quote Originally Posted by Steve Pope View Post
      Yes when??? realy looking forward to this
      It's on the same timeline as seeing the Hydrostream getting wet!(LOL)!
    1. Scream And Fly's Avatar
      Scream And Fly -
      Hi all,

      i apologize for for the delay. After making some changes to the article, I decided it’s best to split it into two parts. The article weighs in at nearly 20 pages, and that’s just too much for a single article. I want to make sure it’s enjoyabke to read, but also 100% factually correct.

      I also added more relevant content to it. I will have the first part up within the week.

      i really appreciate your patience. This article was something new to me, as I’ve never before researched a product so thoroughly, and it’s based entirely on primary sources.

      Greg
    1. Steve Pope's Avatar
      Steve Pope -
      Cool. Thanks Greg.
    1. Scream And Fly's Avatar
      Scream And Fly -
      I realize this is very late, but I’ve put placed a lot of pressure on myself to make this one as comprehensive as I could, with information from primary sources.

      I appreciate your your patience very much. I should be publishing the first part within a week.
    1. powerabout's Avatar
      powerabout -
      We know... you are just waiting for the 400hp 4.5ltr Etec v8 announcement.
    1. WannabeRacer's Avatar
      WannabeRacer -
      We are still waiting!!!
    1. seahorse's Avatar
      seahorse -
      Quote Originally Posted by Markus View Post
      Wow!

      I would love to see an interview the East German engineers who worked on the Ficht 2-stroke direct injection system that was going into the next generation Trabant, or get a little background on OMC's decision not to use the Orbital system...
      The original design had gasoline pumped in a circle and a valve slammed shut which caused an instantaneous peak pressure which opened a spring loaded nozzle check valve to introduce a fuel spray into the combustion chamber. FICHT in Germany experimented with both mechanical and electrical action to pressurize and atomize the fuel. When OMC bought the company, their engineers perfected and patented the injector assembly and made it computer controlled for better accuracy.

      The Orbital system was complicated and expensive to produce compared to other designs - 6 direct injectors, 6 fuel injectors, an air compressor, tracking valve to keep a constant differential pressure, 2 or 3 electric fuel pumps, all the plumbing fittings and hoses , etc.

      In addition any company licensing it had to pay Orbital royalties for each motor. That added to the engine expense and was the biggest reason for purchasing FICHT and not signing on to the Orbital system. Another reason, lesser in importance, was why have the same system as their competitor, even though I understand that OMC obtained the Orbital license before Mercury did. What would have differentiated the two engines from the competing manufacturers?

      Also part of the licensing agreement is that all parties share in the development of the engine. That means OMC and Merc would be sharing ideas, engineering, and improvements, just as OMC had to do when they licensed the Wankel rotary engine from Curtiss Wright. Mazda, Suzuki, Sachs, and OMC had to share all data between the companies, but in their case, none were competition.
    1. FMP's Avatar
      FMP -
      Thank you for sharing that.
    1. Markus's Avatar
      Markus -
      Quote Originally Posted by seahorse View Post
      The original design had gasoline pumped in a circle and a valve slammed shut which caused an instantaneous peak pressure which opened a spring loaded nozzle check valve to introduce a fuel spray into the combustion chamber. FICHT in Germany experimented with both mechanical and electrical action to pressurize and atomize the fuel. When OMC bought the company, their engineers perfected and patented the injector assembly and made it computer controlled for better accuracy.

      The Orbital system was complicated and expensive to produce compared to other designs - 6 direct injectors, 6 fuel injectors, an air compressor, tracking valve to keep a constant differential pressure, 2 or 3 electric fuel pumps, all the plumbing fittings and hoses , etc.

      In addition any company licensing it had to pay Orbital royalties for each motor. That added to the engine expense and was the biggest reason for purchasing FICHT and not signing on to the Orbital system. Another reason, lesser in importance, was why have the same system as their competitor, even though I understand that OMC obtained the Orbital license before Mercury did. What would have differentiated the two engines from the competing manufacturers?

      Also part of the licensing agreement is that all parties share in the development of the engine. That means OMC and Merc would be sharing ideas, engineering, and improvements, just as OMC had to do when they licensed the Wankel rotary engine from Curtiss Wright. Mazda, Suzuki, Sachs, and OMC had to share all data between the companies, but in their case, none were competition.
      Thank you for the additional background.

      In the end, it was the lack of cash flow resulting from pulling FICHT from the market until the problems had been sorted out that led to OMC's bankruptcy.

      In hindsight, staying with Orbital would probably have been the right thing to do, as OMC was ahead of Mercury with the adoption of that technology.
    1. seahorse's Avatar
      seahorse -
      Poor management plagued OMC ever since Charlie Strang left. The corporation suffered even before FICHT came out. It took George Soros' corporate raider group to plunder the retirement fund and then bankrupt the company the day before being indicted by the French government for irregularities in dealings with the French banking system. Watch the movie WALL STREET with Michael Douglas and what he was doing to the airline company he bought.
Frank Mole Transport