evinrude 9.8 4 stroke

In the beginning most of the copied stuff isn't that good, but if they're somewhat successful the quality may improve over time.

Most of the manufacturing plants I've been to in China were very clean and modern. The level of quality could be dialed up or down depending on what was desired.

 

I had a look at a parsuns 9.8 today. It looks good, controls feel good; I haven't heard one running though.

 

The Parsuns outboards may be built under license from Tohatsu.

 

After OMC went bankrupt this outcome was pretty much inevitable. BMR only bought the outboard part of the business and shaking off the bad rap of the FICHT outboards never quite happened, even though the engines have been completely different from the FICHT for many years. (I was surprised to see one just the other day on a boat at my marina.) I could show you photos I took in 2001 of those outboards at a dealership in Florida. They had a lot of problems. Many of the problems were fixed but their bad reputation stuck with them.

But I have never forgotten the 5 HP Evinrude that my foster dad had. it was a 1950 or 51. A heavy beast and really loud, but ran like a swiss clock, and when I joined the Coast Guard in 1965 he still was using that engine. Of course he was the kind of person who could keep anything running as long as he could get, or make, the parts he needed. I learned a lot from him.

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread. Give it 4 or 5 years more and we'll know if the parsuns are any good.

 

The only problem with FICHT engines was the computer mapping. Some bean counter decided that, to save money, they should only test the engines at idle and wide open throttle. The problem is that most people, particularly fishermen, run them between fast idle and low mid range. At that speed the oil injection added too much oil, which built up carbon in the piston ring grooves. The rings could not seat and protruded getting stuck in the ports and destroying the pistons. BMR remapped the computers.

 

The early ones had a lot more problems than those. How long has it been since you have heard of an outboard catching fire? Some of the early ones did. They had fuel line connectors that broke, or simply came apart. A fuel pump that the connection would break, and more. OMC corrected all that but as you noted there were other issues as well. When BMR bought them they ditched it and developed the E-TEC.

 

The E-TEC is a modified FICHT. They had to change the name for marketing purposes.

 

I suppose so. Its been over 15 years since I retired and I haven't been keeping up. But it's still a shame that they canceled the Evinrude line. In many parts of the world, Johnsons (an evinrude by any name is still and Evinrude) gained such a reputation that it has become a generic name for outboards. (like any copy made on a photocopier is a xerox, or all tissues are kleenex)