ETEC Cold Water Performance

[kelleykritters]

tpbrady...just wanted to jump in here and let you know I have had the same problem with my E-Tec 90. I bought it when they first came out, this summer will be my third season with it. After the end of the first season I went to Whittier for a final fishing day before I winterized the boat. It was pretty cold. The engine ran very rough and would not accelerate much beyond idle. It finally quit running and would not even start. Luckily I was at the harbor.

I took it back to the dealer and they updated the software and changed out a temperature sensor and replaced the fouled plugs (due to running the engine rich with oil because of the old software). I did not have any problems with it this summer although I only ran it while on leave from Korea in June and July. I will be back home this winter and spring bear hunting will be the first test of cold weather ops. The final test will be next fall after a summer of use and then a final run in the cold fall weather. Needles to say I will be very careful for I lost a little confidence in my new 10K engine. But I trust I will get it back. I still like the engine and after this summers use I will probably go back to loving it.

Sorry I don't have a C-Dory I run a Alumaweld with a Jet pump...mostly up the Big Sue. I just wanted to share my story.

Thanks Jim

[tpbrady]

Thanks for the feedback.

I may have made my last run for the year today. The weather out of Whittier stunk, but we went out anyway. Got into 4-5 footers trying to get to Surprise Cove. The engine has run pretty well all summer with no faults to report. At extended trolling, it still fouls plugs a little.

I'm not totally convinced the oiling system is working correctly. The factory tech says it is burning exactly the amount of oil it should burn a the rpm I typically run, 3900-4200. I can get about 30 hours before the low oil alarm comes on running XD100 extreme oil.

Hope you enjoy your tour in Korea and may see you next spring on the water.

[tpbrady]

Well, it now in the hands of BRP customer service and the technical department. After running the last engine report, the engine actually ran at a lower average temperature in 2006 (101F weighted average) than it did in 2005 (110F weighted average). What ever repair the BRP field rep made in May 2006 didn't last long. In addition, oil consumption has increased about 20% over the 2005 rate. Last week leaving Whittier, I left a blue cloud just outside the small boat harbor. After some impromptu testing a couple of weeks ago, I found it consumes 50% more oil at 2200 RPM than it does at 4200 RPM. I don't think that all because it is running too cold.

I am not sure when to draw the line in the sand, but it is going to be soon. I now have 250 plus hours on an engine that has never run correctly, albeit it has run reliably since the beginning. The electronics have compensated for every fault in the engine except preventing the plugs from fouling. The diagnostics are geared to identify overheating and lack of lubrication, not the opposite conditions. So just because you don't have any alarms doesn't mean everything works.

Tom