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Where is the exhaust on a Tohatsu 35

"Mike D,
I have a 3.5 that I

"Mike D,
I have a 3.5 that I bought new a couple years ago. Let me caution you about the 3.5. They have a design flaw with the gas tank and they had some other issues with ignition, but I do think that they have corrected the later. On some boats depending on how they set they will not run properly. This is due to the fact that not all transoms have the same amount of tilt built into them and no matter how you tilt the motor to compensate for it the gas tank still angles wrong and will only run about half the gas through it before the motor stalls. The factory has what they call a fix but it is a patch at best. They take the engine if they get a complaint and re-jet the cab with larger jets. This too causes some problems, such as more gas used, and the stalling never completely goes away with some motors. Most dealers have never heard about this problem since Nissan sort of neglects to mention this flaw to them unless they get a complaint so the dealer does all sorts of other things to correct your complaints before they do the jetting thing. It is a real frustration all around. I had my motor in the shop more then 10 times and it still is not correct. Also I found as has others that the service dept at Nissan tends to want to blame the owner for the problems before they try a fix. I have all the emails back and forth if you want to read them or you could probably do a search here on this board using my name and read about the problems I had. It is your nickel and frustration, but I suggest that you stay away from the 3.5 Nissan or Tohatsu. By the way the exhaust is in the foot under water but they are still noisy because they are a single cylinder engine. Good luck"
 
Thanks John.

Does anyone

Thanks John.

Does anyone know if the design problem is fixed by now? I've looked at one and the tank is a lot lower in the back when the gas line is. Maybe this is the fix?

We ordered a small Porta-Bote and want something light weight.
 
"No design problem to fix...In

"No design problem to fix...In very few cases, literally a handful out of thousands, some people have to adjust the angle of the engine on the back of the boat in order to get the fuel to suction to the carburetor. A minor inconvenience at the most and always due to the engine being improperly trimmed by the consumer for their weight load. Tohatsu's original fix for this situation was to stick in larger carb jets...That was before they figured out that the problem was caused solely by the consumer's maladjustment of the trim angle. Tohatsu does need to rewrite the owners manual and point out that fuel cannot reach the carburetor if the engine is at too much of an angle. That might keep people from making a fool out of themselves over and over and over again. Maybe not though as some people just can't come to grips with the idea that they cause their own problems."
 
Yes it is a design problem. No

Yes it is a design problem. No other engine has this problem no matter where you run the tilt. This one of the problems that Nissan has. They try and cover up their error and blame the costumer.
 
"I was recently in a store whe

"I was recently in a store where they had a Mercury 3.5 on display. It looks the same to me as the Tahatsu 3.5 but what do I know?

To me, it looks like there should be a little problem with the forward/aft tilt when the bow down is severe. But there may also be some with a slight port list but not 1/2 tank.

<font color=""ff0000""><font size=""-1"">This post was edited a few minitues after I posted it</font></font>"
 
"It is the same as a Mercury a

"It is the same as a Mercury and there is no problem with the with the trim positions as such. Is the engine idiot proof...No, it's not. In some applications the tank draw would be at a severe enough angle where the engine might not be able to draw enough fuel...That would require changing the adjustable trim positioner. Is that an unusual thing to have to do with an outboard. No. Is it unusual to have to do it due to the fuel draw. Yes. Is it a design flaw...No, maybe, yes. It would depend on how you look at it. Since the problem would only evidence if the engine was improperly trimmed to begin with I don't think of it as a design flaw. Obviously one person in the U.S. does think of it as a design flaw, of course, that same person doesn't accept responsibility for running their engine out of water either. So there you are. Tohatsu is not perfect, people are not perfect and everyone has a voice on the Internet."
 
The idiot is the one trying to

The idiot is the one trying to justify a design flaw. The engine has a design flaw at the tank. No other engine has this problem. No matter how you tilt it is still stalls. That is a design problem. So anyone even thinking of buying one of these can see how Nissan reps pass the buck and blame the customer. I say run from this engine!
 
"John,

You are without a do

"John,

You are without a doubt the rudest person on the planet. I tried to help you numerous times and you turned down that help. Now your calling me names. That's sad and you should be ashamed of yourself. You might want to remove that cross icon of yours as you are an embarrassment to your faith."
 
"Tohatsu Guru,
If you think f

"Tohatsu Guru,
If you think for a moment that replying to your tirade with an equal response is rude then so be it. The only thing I rejected is the fact that any Nissan employee would ever touch that engine again since all they ever did was make excuses about their lack of personal integrity towards standing up to the fact that they knowingly put on the market a defective motor. After over 10 trips to the dealer and the engine still is not correct it stands to reason that anyone in their right mind would never again trust Nissan. As too faith I serious doubt that you have any understanding of real faith since you seem too be unable to stand for truth by admitting that Nissan has and continues to manufacture an engine that has defects. If they want to continue to do this then they need to post signs for the costumer warning them of the possible problems this engine can have before he/she ever purchases it rather then trying to cover it all up and then make excuses and blame the costumer as you have done. However that being said if you really want to know about the faith go here;
www.gerald285.com"
 
If the boat is built for a out

If the boat is built for a outboard motor...not a row boat!!! the angle of the transom will be correct and the 3.5Hp will run great. John not trying to be rude but its not realy a design fault but rather the wrong choice of motor for that particular hull
 
"Jamie,

I reread your messa

"Jamie,

I reread your message. The first time I read it I was getting concern because of the gas discussion and not sure what you met by row boat.

After reading you message I interpreted it as a row boat may not be build for an outboard motor. The prota-bote I ordered is design for an outboard motor under a max weight and HP. So in your opinion, the 3.5 should be ok for this boat. Please correct me if I'm wrong, thanks."
 
"Mike,

Contact Porta-Bote a

"Mike,

Contact Porta-Bote and ask them if it is an issue...They will start laughing and ask you what you are talking about. They have sold close to a thousand of the 2-3.5 frame without having an issue."
 
"Hello jamie,
thank you for t

"Hello jamie,
thank you for the information however there is one thing wrong. You are incorrect. I never put the motor on a wrong application. as a matter of fact it ran fine for about three weeks and then went south. The problem is a design defect which Nissan knows they have and regrettably refuses to admit it."
 
"Thanks, Tohatsu Guru.

Yes,

"Thanks, Tohatsu Guru.

Yes, they do sell the tohatsu including the 2.5 an 3.5 so I expected there are no problems. However this discussion got me nervous so I wanted to asked."
 
"Hello All,I have the 2008 3.5

"Hello All,I have the 2008 3.5 tohatsu and it is a great little motor.I run it on a 12 foot jon boat no problems at all."
 
"Mike,

It's always best

"Mike,

It's always best to keep in mind that people can say anything about a product on a forum like this. There doesn't have to be a shred of evidence that something is one way or another. Basically people routinely libel without any fear of legal action against them because manufacturer's don't know who they are and/or its not worth suing. Most bashers crave the attention that they are denied in their real life. This is a way for them to assert themselves...Safely and gain control(in their minds). Most of the time detractors have had a bad experience of some type and feel the need to lash out. Usually it's the "I'll make them pay" mentality at work. It doesn't matter the brand or the product. Somewhere, someone is whining about how something didn't work, broke down, etc. It's a sad fact that said problem is usually the result of a product being used improperly or just not used as the manufacturer envisioned. Some people just have bad luck. In general the best thing to do is look around and decide whether a product has a number of detractors for the same reported problem. A case of one, five or whatever is usually an indication of "Whiny Butt" syndrome rather than a real product issue. Crap doth happen though. I have seen every brand and every model have a failure of one kind or another over the last 45 years. Tohatsu' has had their fair share too. But, the crap being dispensed here about the 3.5 is undeserved, not true and more in line with an adolescent temper tantrum than a legitimate gripe.

PS For the record, I don't like the 3.5 myself. I think it's too heavy, I don't like the fact that you are limited to the built in gas tank and I think it is over priced. But, the other brands have their drawbacks too.

Honda 2 hp, Loud, small fuel tank and a horrible shift system.

Suzuki, 2.5 hp, Loud, small fuel tank...And the kindest way of saying this is that its "brittle".

Yamaha, 2.5 hp Expensive and a small fuel tank.

None are perfect
"
 
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