Logo
FULL SITE MENU

150hp going on Limp mode

G

Guyph_01

Contributing Member
Hi guys,

Need some help.. Looking at buying a 150 hp Evinrude FICHT outboard to try and fix up.
Engine details:
06/2000
E150fpxsir
G04897332

Story:
Seller says when the engine went on limp mode due to water flow it was sent to a shop that replace the impeller but didn't fix the issue. Was then brought to another shop that replaced the thermostat and impeller again and same issue so he ended up buying a new engine. He says it most likely a computer problem.

Now, no offence but i don't trust him.. I know i can be hard to guess what the problem is but i'm wandering if this is a common issue. Also do you guys think its possible the ECU is at fault? cracked block? Head? What else could possibly be causing the problem?

I'm just trying to learn from you guys the max about the engine to weight my options and see if it is worth it.

Again, much appreciated,
Regards,
Guy
 
Guyph_01 said:
Haha, really?? that bad hey?
Click to expand...

When FICHT motors are well kept and running good, they are great motors powerful and fuel efficient, a friend of mine has 2 x 225 Evinrude FICHT Rams on his 26 ft Hydra-Sport and he has them maintained every spring and fall at a great cost that is.....this motor is a special breed requiring sparks plugs to be indexed and so forth....a headache to a person who doesnt turn wrenches and doesnt have a lot of experience with outboards....BOAT means BREAK OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND.....that same issue reminds me of when my friends engine control unit was overheating putting him into limp mode because the water flow in the engine block is also used to cool the engine controller.....look into that as well....
 
Guyph_01 said:
Haha, really?? that bad hey?
Click to expand...

I have ZERO experience with these motors, but I do recall they were overrun with many design problems. The 225 and 250 motors seemed to be fairly reliable but the 150 and 175 motors were known for cooking the power heads. There were injector problems, fuel rail problems, and as mentioned, spark plug indexing required....the list goes on.

If you are a very well versed mechanic and you have a computer and the diagnostic software, the engine may be worth a shot if it's really cheap. If not, you're better off looking elsewhere.
 
RUUUNNN as far and fast as you can unless it's free. The standard ficht is not the same as a ficht ram so you can't compare them. The main problems with the 150 and 175s were this. Most of the problems were on offshore boats where they ran them in tandems. The way they troll out there is pretty fast that created a problem because of the way the injection works. The ficht creates an ultra lean idle for emissions when you accelerate it transitions to a richer mixture these motors were running at that transition point so it just caused catastrophic problems. All the fichts had issues with bad electronics none were immune but the biggest problem is going to be NO FACTORY SUPPORT for that motor. Anything you find is aftermarket and not cheap. If OMC would have waited 2 yrs and came out with the RAM Injection they probably would have been OK. They tried to make it as cheap as possible and that motor has not stood the test of time it's scrap aluminum.
 
Last edited:
I too have a 1997 Evinrude 150 that I bought new on a Princecraft Vacanza 24' deckboat. It has mostly been used for recreation but, has been run hard a few times pulling 2 skiers, tubes or trolling all day. The point is, until this year, 2024, after 27 years of great service, I have never had a problem until now. Being totally honest, I didn't maintain it to factory specs but, took good care of it making sure it had fuel stabilizer added during the off seasons and replacing plugs and impellers every 3-5 years. This past Spring, I took it out and it ran fine at high speed but after trolling at idle speed about 10 minutes, the hot light came on. I checked the water flow and it was pumping but, noted it was not a strong stream. I let it cool and headed back to the dock. I couldn't get back up on plane I think because it entered limp mode and the hot light never went off. So, I proceeded to replace the impeller, thermostats and left bank temp sensor because it looked like the rubber grommet melted a little. Now

Model: E150ELECD
S/N: G 04417764
MFRD: 10/1997 in NAUKEGAN, IL
 
Roo said:
I too have a 1997 Evinrude 150 that I bought new on a Princecraft Vacanza 24' deckboat. It has mostly been used for recreation but, has been run hard a few times pulling 2 skiers, tubes or trolling all day. The point is, until this year, 2024, after 27 years of great service, I have never had a problem until now. Being totally honest, I didn't maintain it to factory specs but, took good care of it making sure it had fuel stabilizer added during the off seasons and replacing plugs and impellers every 3-5 years. This past Spring, I took it out and it ran fine at high speed but after trolling at idle speed about 10 minutes, the hot light came on. I checked the water flow and it was pumping but, noted it was not a strong stream. I let it cool and headed back to the dock. I couldn't get back up on plane I think because it entered limp mode and the hot light never went off. So, I proceeded to replace the impeller, thermostats and left bank temp sensor because it looked like the rubber grommet melted a little. Now

Model: E150ELECD
S/N: G 04417764
MFRD: 10/1997 in NAUKEGAN, IL
Click to expand...
Hello,
I have just acquired what is I believe a 1999 Evinrude FICHT 150hp. The tag with the model number is unreadable, anyhow I am experiencing this exact issue. The person who I acquired it from did the usual as well, replaced impeller and T-stats but did not resolve the issue. Did replacing the temp sensor resolve your issue? How did you verify water flow? I've not been able to locate the "tell tale" water stream typically found on outboards. Any help and you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
John
 
First thing to do if your going to waste money on these motors is to buy the software to check them. Make sure of the version as some 2001 would not backread the 98-99 models
 
Bigjohn6172 said:
Hello,
I have just acquired what is I believe a 1999 Evinrude FICHT 150hp. The tag with the model number is unreadable, anyhow I am experiencing this exact issue. The person who I acquired it from did the usual as well, replaced impeller and T-stats but did not resolve the issue. Did replacing the temp sensor resolve your issue? How did you verify water flow? I've not been able to locate the "tell tale" water stream typically found on outboards. Any help and you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
John
Click to expand...
faztbullet said:
First thing to do if your going to waste money on these motors is to buy the software to check them. Make sure of the version as some 2001 would not backread the 98-99 models
Click to expand...
Multiple thermostats one at bottom of power head no one seems to find went thru a year before my motor was right because of this
 
Back
Top