New Ficht Ram owner with recall questions

[BayouBengal]

Hello, I'm hoping someone can help me determine if my 2000 Ficht Ram 225 needs recall work performed on it. Model number E225FPLSSC, Serial Number G 04810246. I purchased the boat/motor with 230 hours on it and it checked out at the dealer. Before purchase, I called BRP and gave them the model and serial number and they said there were no open bulletins or recalls that needed to be performed. I went ahead with the purchase and the motor has been great for the past six months. It starting taking two cranks to start so I changed the plugs and that's when I got concerned. I noticed a plastic nipple on the fuel line (looks like the cap of a tire stem) and that had me concerned. Did some googling and I think that's part of the recall? Also, the bolts holding the injectors to the head are 3/8" not 1/2".

I called BRP again this morning and they said no recalls show for this engine. I pushed a little harder this time and they have opened a case and I sent in the below pictures to them. So, what kind of work/bill am I looking at here? I'm waiting to contact the dealer until I hear back from BRP.

[ChampioNman]

If and I mean If you get BRP to perform any kind of warranty work on an 18 year old motor that carried a 1 year warranty from a company that is out of business I will be totally amazed and will pad lock my tool box forever. Hate to say it but BRP won't do any type of warranty work on an OMC motor. You're on your own bud.

[tdt91]

I had a 2000 200HP and remember the valve stem cap. Never an issue. The only bulletin I remember was to replace the injector bolts. I did that on my own without issue.

[Huey]

The schrader valve is or testing fuel pressure. No recall as such but order P/N 5004596 to get the latter style injector bolt kit. Pretty easy for the dealer to check this bulletin 2001-01(S) from back in 2001 about this on Bossweb.

[BayouBengal]

Thanks guys. That's what I'm looking for. Champion, not sure where you are seeing me ask for warranty work. I was just trying to get confirmation on a recall or not. I knew I was on my own when I made the purchase.

[Bassmeister]

I bought a new fuel rail for an 03 dfi that eliminated the shrader valve...no more leaks. It is a tedious job making sure all o rings are leak proof, but a great sense of accomplishment afterwards.

[Mike D.]

Your opening statement asks if there is recall work on it ! Championman responded to your post!

[Mike D.]

Your opening statement asks if there is recall to be performed on it ! Championman responded to your post! Not saying,Just saying !

[BayouBengal]

So maybe recall wasn't the correct term to use. But when I Googled these issues many old bbc.net threads came up saying there was a recall on these motors. What I'm trying to find out is if these parts need to be replaced or not. If they need to be replaced then I'll pay for the replacement.

[Huey]

Recommended to replace and as i said just buy the P/N I gave you.

[SEAHORSE]

That engine does not have the recall injector brackets or injector bolt modifications done to it.

There may be a time limit on recalls that have to be done as your motor is a 2000 model built probably in late 1999. The recall number was 010055T but the database shows the recall as being closed. It would be a good idea to ask your dealer to see if they can use the Evinrude Parts Finder program to see if any other dealers may have one in stock. If not, find a knowledgeable tech who can get used parts from a junk engine and put on yours and update the software.


Bombardier mentioned back in the early 2000's that over 95% of all affected engines were modified with the new parts. What is the history of your motor as I have not seen an unmodified V6 or 1999 or 2000 engine is over 10 years or so.


Coast Guard Advisory to Recreational Boaters on Fuel Leak Hazard
Involving Evinrude FICHT 200 and 225 horsepower Outboard Motors
The Coast Guard advises owners and operators of boats powered by 1999 or 2000 Evinrude FICHT 200 and 225 horsepower outboard motors about a fuel leak problem that causes a potential fire and explosion hazard. There is evidence that fuel leaks affecting these outboard models have resulted in fires and explosions that, in some cases, caused personal injuries. The Coast Guard advises owners and operators to cease using 1999 or 2000 Evinrude FICHT 200 and 225 horsepower outboard motors until such time as the defect is corrected. The Coast Guard recently learned that in November 2000 the Outboard Marine Corporation sent a “service upgrade bulletin” to its Evinrude outboard motor dealers concerning the company’s 1999 and 2000 model year 200 and 225 horsepower models. The upgrade was intended to “reduce the likelihood of fuel leaks, which can be a potentially hazardous condition.” After further investigation, the Coast Guard learned that between July 1999 and December 2000 OMC had received reports of an unacceptably high number of fires and explosions involving the company’s 1999 and 2000 model year Evinrude FICHT 200 and 225 horsepower models.
The Coast Guard has the legal authority to require manufacturers of boats and engines to notify owners and to recall and repair or replace products that contain defects which create a substantial risk of personal injury to the public, or which fail to comply with an applicable U.S. Coast Guard safety standard. The Coast Guard has determined that the problems involving the 1999 and 2000 model year Evinrude FICHT 200 and 225 horsepower motors constitute a defect that creates a substantial risk of injury to the public. Under normal circumstances, the Coast Guard would notify OMC that a safety recall was necessary and would pursue the correction of this defect via OMC. However, OMC filed for bankruptcy in federal court in December 2000 and has since sold its Evinrude and Johnson outboard engine lines to Bombardier Motor Corporation of America. Bombardier has agreed to accept responsibility for this recall and will be notifying affected Evinrude owners in the near future. Bombardier reports that they intend to distribute upgrade kits to dealers that will correct this problem and that several thousand of the affected outboards have previously been corrected by OMC through the installation of these upgrade kits.




Bombardier recalls FICHT engines

Bombardier Inc. is recalling 1999 and 2000 Evinrude outboard engines that
have FICHT technology in the 200- and 225-horsepower categories.



The engines - made by Outboard Marine Corp. (OMC) - may suffer fuel leaksat could potentially result in fire or explosion, the company said in a
letter to all its dealers.

Bombardier in February purchased the engine trademarks, facilities and
assets from OMC when the latter company filed for bankruptcy.

Bombardier is going to absorb all the costs of the recall, Genvieve Dion, a
spokeswoman for Bombardier Recreational Products, said today.

Dion said the recall was announced to dealers late Friday. She said the
response thus far has been very positive and that "people are very happy"
with the company's decision.

She said the safety of dealers and consumers is paramount and that the
recall should go smoothly.

Consumers to be notified

In addition to dealers, the company is notifying registered consumers about
how to obtain upgrade kits and compensation rates for making the necessary
upgrade.

Dion added that the US Coast Guard was expected to release an advisory
statement, perhaps as soon as today, cautioning consumers about the
potential problem with the engines Bombardier is recalling.

Letter to dealers

The full text of Bombardier's letter to dealers follows:

As we prepare to restart outboard production, an issue of significant
importance has come to our attention. This issue has to do with the recall
of all 1999 and 2000 Evinrude Outboards with FICHT technology in the 200-
and 225-horsepower categories that have not been upgraded and were built by
OMC. These units may suffer fuel leaks that could potentially result in fire
or explosion.

Supporting the recall of these units is another example of our strong
commitment to the dealer network and the customers it serves. Bombardier
will absorb the costs associated with this recall. Bombardier has always
been and continues to be proactive in promoting the safety of its customers
and the boating community in general. We want to maintain the confidence of
our dealers in the products they sell and the confidence of their customers.
This is a top priority.

We are currently developing the details regarding the recall process, how to
obtain the upgrade kits and compensation rates for making the necessary
upgrade. We will be sending this information to you in the very near future.
In addition, we will send a letter to all registered owners urging them to
discontinue using their product(s) and outlining what they need to do to
upgrade their unit(s).

Similar letters will be directed to the boating media, in an effort to reach
as many people as possible, to alert them to this important safety issue.

We will also continue to post information on DealerPort and the Evinrude Web
site, as it becomes available. We urge you to utilize these tools form
information updates, as this will free up the phone lines and enable us to
serve you faster and in a more efficient manner.

We intend to work diligently with you and your customers to correct this
safety related problem and get them back on the water as quickly as
possible.

Sincerely
Roch Lambert
Vice President and General Manager
Bombardier Motor Corporation of America

[ChampioNman]

How long has Roch been gone??

[SEAHORSE]

How long has Roch been gone??

since 2009

[BayouBengal]

Thanks Seahorse. Currently, BRP is trying to source the parts and ship them to my local dealer. As far as the history of my motor, I'm the third owner. The second owner had it for the majority of its life and took meticulous care of it. I'm really surprised this work hadn't been previously done. I'm hoping the parts can still be found.

[charg295]

I have a 1999 200 that I bought last year from the original owner and it has the same cap and injector bolts as your motor. What was the reason for changing injector bolts?

[BayouBengal]

See Seahorse's post above. It explains everything.

[SEAHORSE]

As far as the history of my motor, I'm the third owner. The second owner had it for the majority of its life and took meticulous care of it. I'm really surprised this work hadn't been previously done.

I doubt the previous owners took meticulous care of it. They may have pampered it but did not have a dealer perform the annual services as every dealer knew about the recall plus the motor would have had at least 18 services if they followed the owners manual. Checking for exlsting service bulletins and updates are part of the required services. Chances are they also had problems over the years and had it at a dealer unless they used a non-dealer trained mechanic or a brother-in-law who fancied himself as a boat mechanic.

My guess is the engine has low hours and has sat for a long time which could corrode the precision inner parts like main and rod bearings or crankshaft surfaces. Rusted cylinders and corroded injector components also could eventually cause future engine failures. Stale fuel deposits in the injectors also cause lean running and engine damage. A trained tech can find the needed injector clamps and bolts to keep your engine operational and to check everything over as I assume you did not have the motor inspected before purchasing.

What software version is in the EMM, what are the hours on the motor, and what error codes are stored in memory? Those woudl tell the engine service history and if anything was ever updated as it should have.

[BayouBengal]

Not sure on the software version. I know the EMM was replaced once before. Evinrude (BRP) has sourced the parts and I'm working with the dealer to get everything installed. I will ask them to check everything you mentioned. The motor had around 260 hours on it when purchased.

[veryspeedy]

As a original 2000 ram 200 owner , I really always wonder about this recall .
why? I had a good running untouched by human error omc factory motor then the recall came out!!
I see that the cast iron brackets and bolts are more beef but the dealer that touched mine never did a good job on the repair .
When i got the motor back after 4 months and every story under the sun on why it took so long !
I had a motor that i had to figure out why It smelled like gas after the recall ? Wait i know why! The Dealers careless mechanic crushed one of the injector wire harness under the new cast iron brackets and caused the wire to be dead grounded and injector for that cylinder to stay ON and fill the engine with fuel!!!
I repaired my self because the dealer took so long to get the recall done in the first place then did not do it Right !
There was no way in hell i was going to let them ever touch it again !!
So my experience was not good when i had a fine running engine before..
Why did I do that?? Oh yea because...
I got a paper in mail saying my engine would blow up. YEA RIGHT!
Was the motor damaged ? By the fuel injector running like that ?
Till this day not sure. I still have the motor and it is running OK after I have learned to do all repairs and maint myself .
Also DFI rebuilt my EMM and it failed in 1 year under 20 hrs of use and did not over heat!
Sent to Haris Emm repair and he was cheeper and faster at fixing . Sorry to vent but what I 'm Telling u is real info .
IF it were me i would see how motor runs and loctite the injector bolts and call it a day!
Becarefull you may have more problems than its worth !

[BayouBengal]

I'm bumping this thread with an update. It took me a while to get the boat to the shop because life happened but I just got a call from my dealer and the repair has been completed. It was completely covered by BRP which goes way above and beyond anything I expected from them. So if you are as dumb as I am and plan on buying an old Ficht without the recall done, call BRP customer support and see if they will help you out.