New 40 HP TLDI questions

"I have been shopping for a 40

"I have been shopping for a 40 HP engine for my 16' Lund boat and have experienced the sticker shock we all see before making a big purchase. Generally, prices for Merc's, Etecs, Yamahas, Suzuki, Honda, and the others all falls right on top each other (although dealer to dealer variability can be huge).

But the Nissan/Tohatsu TLDI 2 strokes are significantly cheaper. And, the quoted prices include the prop and control (or tiller). geez, even the tach and TNt gage are included on the remotes.

I haven't yet decided on a tiller or remote motor. Currently I have console steering but would really love to remove it in favir of a tiller. In my boat it is a simple change, but I know my wife prefers the steering wheel...

I have no personal experience with these TLDI outboards, but after looking them over they certainly seem to match up to the "big guys" on all superficial accounts like fit, finish, etc. Recently I learned the current Mercurys 30 HP and lower are all in fact made by Nissan and the specs are identical (except the 9.8 vs 9.9).

I wanted to stick with American engines, but evidnetly that is pretty tough to do these days.

Dealer availability around me and in most places I fish is very good for Nissan/Tohatsu, but of course there are a lot more Merc/Yamaha/Honda stores in many places. Assuming Nissan doesn't pull out of the US market, I don't see this as a big deal for me.

Generally, in this day and age, most sophisticated products are very reliable and usually on par with competitors so I have no reason (yet) to shy away from Nissan/Tohatsu and would fully expect these engines to be at least as good as my old Mercs, Mariners, and johnsons i am familiar with.

According to ANY manufacturer's brochure, their own outboards set the bar for efficiency, noise, reliability, corrosion resistance, etc. But it is difficult to find objective opinions by people who don't have a horse in the race. Lots of guys seem to be very brand-loyal too...which is something I can relate to on many items (my Lund boat, my truck, my tractors...) but it makes it tough to get opinions on OB's.

So, I do have a few general questions about these TLDI engines. Any opinions are welcome.

A. Compared to a competing 4S (or Etec), how do these TLDI's fair in real smoothness at idle (I am a troller) and in noise and smoke? I'd love to test drive all of them, but there are precious few dealers who can accomodate and until I am ready to pull the trigger with a deposit I don't want to monopolize their time. I have never had an engine that couldn't troll for hours on end and i would hope that to be the case with these new ones too.
B. How do these TLDI's fare on fuel economy? i hear lots of great things about 4S economy and the Etec system too but my only 4S experience is with my 8hp Yamaha...but at only 8 Hp it doesn't use much gas anyway. Fuel economy isn't a huge deal to me, but I'd love to find something that returns good results so I can stick to a portable 6 gallon tank per outing like I do with my current 25 Johnson 2-cyl 2S.
C. These TLDI's seem to be pretty new technology and little discussion on these boards have been made, but are there any real caveats to watch for? Any dealer-required maintenance issues to worry about (I am usually a DIYer)?
D. I have never seen a used 40 HP Nissan or Tohatsu so it is hard to tell, but do they enjoy ANY kind of decent resale value? I am not looking to trade for many years ( I hope), but I'd rather not be stuck with a perfectly running, reliable, but worthless engine in 10 years. And yes, I do realize cheaper when new WILL certainly equate to cheaper when used. My uncle had an old Chrysler 10 HP that ran great for 30 years with daily use (he lives on a lake) but he couldn't give it away (at that point though, that motor owed him zilch).

My local dealers have all been very helpful and courteous, so it would be hard to pick an engine based on any specific dealership. Since the trend in boats around here seems to have gone ever larger, it seems that it is tough to find someone with any real experience with anything less than 150 HP. I used to think my 25 was big until I had a 90. Now it seems even a 40 looks like a kicker to a lot of guys but I prefer a smaller boat which is easier to tow and store.

Any suggestions would be welcome!

Thanks,
Steve"

"A, B and D

There is no dif

"A, B and D

There is no difference that you, as a consumer, will see in fuel economy, smoothness, smoke, noise, etc between the Etec and the TLDI's. The TLDI technology has been around since 2001 and has performed without any of the problems that other DFI manufacturers have expierenced.

C

There is no difference on any brand as to resale value other than what some individual is willing to pay. IE, no brand has a "higher resale value" than any other brand. Some small geograhic areas do seem to value one brand or the other more, however, it's based on what local dealers have done to pump up the brand name in that area. In areas where there are dealers for all brands there are no differences in value.

Tohatsu does have two advantages over Etec in the 40 hp size. The first is that the TLDI 40 is a three cylinder engine and has more hole shot. The second is that the TLDI will run off of almost any synth or semi synth oil. The Etec can only use whatever oil the dealer sets for it with their software. The Etec has one advantage over the TLDI. It's cleaner running."

"Thanks a bunch!

i am not T

"Thanks a bunch!

i am not THAt concerned about resale since I really don't foresee getting rid of this boat for many years, but I thought it might be worth asking.

Really, it looks like the TLDI is the only real competition for the Etecs at this point (smaller motors). My family has had many Evinrudes over the years and they have all been good engines, but the Etec 40 seems to be a little heavy for a 2 cyl 2S. Being that the same engine also puts out 50 or 60 HP in other states of tune, I guess that explains the extra heft of the Etec 40.

Thanks again, and I hope for even more feedback.
Steve"

"Steve, been looking at the di

"Steve, been looking at the direct injected motors myself quite a bit (almost ready to open the wallet)

I came to the conclusion that I will go with the Tohatsu when the time comes. It's direct injection system is somewhat different than the ETEC (which is very high pressure).

I have studied all the numbers/specs quite a bit and even got to observe firsthand some performance tests with a 60 ETEC, and as Elvin says, the average guy probably wouldn't see much of a difference in the engines.

As long as you have good dealer support in your area, I would definately go with the Tohatsu simply for the cost alone...."

"Thanks Graham!

The more I

"Thanks Graham!

The more I look at what is available out there, the more I like the Nissan/Tohatsu engines. It is curious that their pricing is so competative given how expensive outboards have gotten since the big technology shift.

Unless a used engine comes up that will fit the bill, I think I will be giving one of these TLDI's a try.

Thanks again,
Steve"

"Steve, I think they are still

"Steve, I think they are still trying to build a name for themselves in the North American market.

Tohatsu is already building all the little Mercs (in a joint venture with them).

And do agree with you, unless I can pick up an excellent used engine "cheap", a new one will be a Tohatsu.

Good luck "