Possibly Re-powering

hardee":1qa6d1mm said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but don't the E-tecs burn (as in use) all of their oil.

I'm not a mechanic, nor do I own one but if it is 2 cycle, then the oil is mixed with the fuel, (albeit in the E-Tec case, the engine does the mixing), even though you don't have to mix it in the tank. So how much of that oil gets used for say 40 gallons of gas? And that oil is how much$ so we can compare peaches to apricots :wink :wink
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I was bored, so did a quick search in a few places.

Seems like a common range of E-Tec oil usage is between 60:1 and 90:1. Usage seems to be highly dependent on how the engine is used, hence the wide range. Trolling = low oil usage, high RPM's = higher.

So, for the sake of argument - call it 75:1.

At roughly $45/gallon for XD-100 E-Tec oil, that adds roughly 60 cents per gallon of gas.

However...the above expense is offset by the lack of engine oil changes on the 2-stroke E-Tec. That's a whole 'nother can of worms with plenty of it's own variables (oil type, quantity, change intervals, dealer/owner doing the work etc.), so who knows which one has a lower oil expense.

My guess is, when you add it all up - oil expense shouldn't be a determining factor in whether to go with en E-Tec or not.
 
Da Nag":u2w6bl6k said:
I was bored, so did a quick search in a few places.

Seems like a common range of E-Tec oil usage is between 60:1 and 90:1. Usage seems to be highly dependent on how the engine is used, hence the wide range. Trolling = low oil usage, high RPM's = higher.

So, for the sake of argument - call it 75:1.

At roughly $45/gallon for XD-100 E-Tec oil, that adds roughly 60 cents per gallon of gas.

However...the above expense is offset by the lack of engine oil changes on the 2-stroke E-Tec. That's a whole 'nother can of worms with plenty of it's own variables (oil type, quantity, change intervals, dealer/owner doing the work etc.), so who knows which one has a lower oil expense.

My guess is, when you add it all up - oil expense shouldn't be a determining factor in whether to go with en E-Tec or not.
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I agree. For example - If I put 100 hours on a honda 4 stroke at an average speed of 15 MPH and an average fuel consumption of 3MPG, I burn 500 gallons of fuel + $300 extra in oil with a two stroke. My 100 hour service on a single engine at EQ is around $300-400. So every 300 hours I spend 3*$300-400 on engine oil changes on the four stroke = $900-$1200. On the two stroke, I have 300 hour service intervals so I spend $300-400 on the service and $900 in oil = $1,200-$1300.

I think the main point of the argument is that what one saves in service intervals is consumed in oil expenses and it's a wash (as opposed to a huge savings that some people assume they get with the longer service intervals).
 
Bill,

Thanks for the answers. The first power boat I drove was a Cape Cruiser out of Twin Bridges, and it had an E-Tec 115. It was proposed to be no more, or even less, costly to run than a 4 stroke. But I have since talked to a couple of owners who have had them and somewhat choked at the price of buying that oil buy the gallon. If it evens out then fine, but apparently for them, it did not. I can see some advantages to the E-Tec, but I am still pretty happy with my Yamis.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_053.thumb.jpg
 
At about 500 hours my Yamaha 115s seemed a bit tired so I thought about repowering with e-tecs. When I saw the estimate I decided to think about dropping a few bucks into some upkeep (I bought the boat used and was not able to determine prior service intervals). One engine had a failing oil pump so I replaced that, then added new injectors, and a few other things. Not cheap especially since the tomcat has twins... But what a difference! They are sweet running now and I hope to get many more years out of them. And I have a few extra bucks from deciding not to repower to spend on other goodies. At least that's what I tell myself.
 
Joe,

Sorry for the delay, work took me out of the area for a bit. Thanks much for all the information and I'm definitely taking your word on not paying for the re-powering. She does run nice and there isn't any issues so paying that kind of money to re-power doesn't make much sense.

Thanks again Joe,

Kevin
 
E-Tecs do not mix the fuel and oil.

The fuel is directly injected into the combustion chamber. This is the same technology most automotive engines are moving to for better performance and economy.

The oil is injected dirrectly at moving components. It drains to a pan and is recirculated for additional lubrication before evnetually being drawn into the air intake system and burned in the combustion chamber.

Yes, the synthetic oil is $45 a gallon. But I see many suggesting use of synthetic oil in four strokes. What does that cost a gallon? And the E-Tec burns oil heavily initially for break in, and the reduces the use. So for those that have heavy oil use, it may be that they are still in b reak in mode, or the system may be set to the high oil use mode.

Our experience with E-Tec has been nothing but positive. The engines have peformed extremely well, smoke free and quiet. We have a Pro Staff customer that had twin 175's who put around 150 hours on them in a year. He used 16 gallons of oil in that year, which would be 8 per engine. That's under $400 a year for heavy use.

Of course, your mileage may vary, not valid in all states or where prohibited by law.... :wink:

All that being said- I wouldn't repower that 90 just to get fuel injection.
 
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