Advice.... repowering....

[drifter106]

Have gone back as far as I can for information and have a couple of questions. Have owned evinrudes (4) since day one, started back in 77 and currently am running a 1988 90. Plan on getting a ETEC 90 next month and trading my 90. Still runs good but really need to focus on what the new technology can do. Question, the dealer I am purchasing it from (ETEC certified) says that my old prop will work...aluminum...true? What type of SS prop would work on the new ETEC 90 hp. Do I really need a SS...not really sure which way to go. I am not looking for speed but want to get it out of the hole quickly and up on plane. My current boat and motor will top out around 40 and thats plenty for us. My style of operation is somewhat different from what I read here on the board. Will usually run around 3500 rpm's and want the extra horses for skiing. Have read some and hear a few things about the ETEC's having problems with this new oil. Am I better off staying with 50 instead of the 100. Currently using 30 with the VRO and haven't had any problems at all. Rode in a 2001 RICHT the other day and it sure sounds different and doesn't have the smoke mine has. Think it gets a lot better gas mileage than my carburetor motor too. I remember when i broke in my 90...kinda of a pain but it has held to gether real well. Another thing, does a lot of idling affect the performance of these new engines? Any advice you want to offer in regards to working with a new engine would be appreciated. What I should do and not do...just plan on using it like I have been using my other 90...it has served me well.

thanks for any advise...


regards,

John

[gcmarshall]

I am a novice - my first outboard engines are the 2 60hp 2006 E-tecs purchased a year and a half ago. I don't know the answer to all of your questions, but will provide my input & others are free to correct me.

props....not sure....

Oil ~ XD100 fully synthetic is much better than XD50 synthetic grade which is better than XD30. XD50 should be the minimum oil used in these engines. On these engines the dealer can use the diagnostic software to choose the oil setting on the motor. i.e. whether to choose a leaner or richer oil setting. Generally the idea is/was that if you chose to use XD100 oil, you could run a leaner setting, and it would still be better for the engine than using XD50 oil and running a richer setting. (if you were running XD50 you have to use the richer setting or you would void the warranty). It was found in certain applications & engines that using the lean oil setting (even with the XD100 oil) they were some powerhead failures, as a result, it was recommended for these applications that only the richer oil setting was used. From the 2008 model year, it appears that on certain engines only the richer oil setting is available. Some people like me choose to use the very best oil (XD100) but keep it on the richer oil setting to be on the safe side. While this oil may seem expensive, if you can get in from a dealer in bulk, it really is not too bad. So to answer your question - you would be better to use the XD100 as opposed to the XD50, but you might be better to keep it at the XD50/reduced oil setting if you have a choice.

idling ~ My boat does commercial fishing which involves a lot of idling. A lot! I have over 2000 engine hours, 90% of which are under 3000 rpms and 50% are under 1000 rpms. I was fouling plugs every 1 months in the beginning (100 hours or so) but I found that the engine was running too cool at idle. I had to change the pressure relief valve and thermostat, and I switch to XD100 oil - at any rate I have not had any problems with plugs since. I would say that the Johnson 4 strokes in my area only change their plugs if the engine gets submerged! But at the same time, I believe the E-tecs are a bit better on gas at idle than the 4-strokes....

Hope this helps....

[drifter106]

thanks for the reply...maybe someone will chime in on whats best for a prop on these size engines.

[jamesshannon]

I have a 90 Etec and I use the tc3 setting and the xd50 oil, when the case I have is gone I will use the xd100 oil. There is no break-in and this motor hardly uses any gas. I run a 14X17 aluminum prop and just bought a 13.5X18 SS Raker prop on the recomendation of the prop guys on the props board. I will run it in the spring. This motor is very quiet and clean to operate.