Four Stroke versus ETEC

[stilltryin]

There has probably been a bit of previous on this subject but I am looking at a new either Suzuki or Yamaha 60HP four stroke or an ETEC 60 hp. The problem is that I am getting a lot of different information which might or might not be true.

Some say get the Four Stroke and other say the ETEC. The main comparisons I am making are servicing costs/length, running costs, purchase price and longevity.

Any other points that should be considered would be well received.

Also looking at a decent dealer in the Brisbane area for either.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Wahoo]

i would cross off the zook and look at the Honda instead, the yammi is good and so is the E Tec

[BUCA T]

mate i currently have a 50hp e-tec, its good on fuel, it vibrates at idle probably due to being a 2 cylinder engine, ive blown it up at 12 months old. It now has a new power head and seems to be going sweet but time will tell, the old power head ran sweet until it put a piston through the block. The injected 2 srokes are good for hole shot but unless your water skiing with your rig who cares if you take another second or 2 to get on the plain. Im looking to upgrade boats at the moment and the next donk will be a 4 banger for sure, as for brands i will just go with the best warranty and best dealer in my area hope this helps.

buca t

[stilltryin]

Tried holding down a Honda dealer to a price but that proved too difficult. Yammie seems good but still leaving my options open. It seems that pricing wise there is very little difference in factory recommended prices on the lot of them.

[stilltryin]

mate i currently have a 50hp e-tec, its good on fuel, it vibrates at idle probably due to being a 2 cylinder engine, ive blown it up at 12 months old. It now has a new power head and seems to be going sweet but time will tell, the old power head ran sweet until it put a piston through the block. The injected 2 srokes are good for hole shot but unless your water skiing with your rig who cares if you take another second or 2 to get on the plain. Im looking to upgrade boats at the moment and the next donk will be a 4 banger for sure, as for brands i will just go with the best warranty and best dealer in my area hope this helps.

buca t

You hit the nail on the head as I have replied it seems that the prices are the same no matter which engine. The warranties are about the same as well, so it seems that it is up to the dealer who makes the best offer, I have though some reservations on the merc four stroke, some issues there.

[stinky-stabi]

honda, my mechanic says the only thing wrong with them is they never break down, he is also etec dealer as well as honda, i purchased new etec of them 2years ago, as you stated the best deal will be with the service you get after sales ...good luck m8

[bden]

I do not want to cloud the issue but surely OPtimax or another brand of DFI would also be a worth consideration?


I think if you make it an Etec vs 4 stroke and leave out the other DFI's out there (Yammi included) you are only looking at half the field.

Brett

[stilltryin]

Appreciate that, have looked at them and have an inquiry in for the current price. The ones I listed were the best price I have been offered at this time.

[Flex]

All depends how often you use your boat?
If its only once a month or so I'd go a two stroke. cheaper to service, easier maintenance etc.

But if you use your boat nearly every weekend and put heaps of hows on it putting around etc I'd go a 4 stroke.

I use my boat roughly once a month as I live 300km from the coast so a simply 2 stroke is fine, no sump oil to change, no belts to go crusty from no use, no clogged valves etc.

But when I move to the coast and can use my a boat maybe multiple times a week, Id get a 4 stroke.

a 4 stroke will always last longer than a 2 stroke, E-tecs are great yeah, but its still using small amounts of oil in the fuel for lubrication, compared to a 4 that has dedicated sump.

So comes down to how often you use your boat?

[Luke G]

See if you can go for a run with each. The new 60 suzuki looks very good.

[Dean1]

I got a brochure on opti's during the week and they blow etecs out of the water! But id still go a Yammie F60 absolutely brilliant motor...

[boatboy50]

Hey,

Like Luke said. Have a look at the new Suzuki 60hp Four Stroke.

Only 102kg, lightest in the field now.

Wahoo will be speaking of the old model Zuk 60.

Regards

Darren

[rodneyk]

buy the 60hp yam priced rite runs on the board all the others have come because of them and there market domination for so long ive owned 3 of them been in lots of boats with them not saying the suzuki honda etec are worse or better but if your looking at the big picture buy local i currently own 150 etec not my chioce but goes well would have preffered 4 stroke but the rig ticked all the boxes :)

[Gary Fooks]

None of those are a bad choice.

Are you talking about the NEW Suzuki 60hp? I wasn’t sure it was released yet. (could be some bargains on the old one though)

The Yamaha is proven and been around for a while.

The NEW Honda ( definitely selling now) is special , have a look at the fuel consumption test in F&B last month.( www.seamedia.com.au (http://www.seamedia.com.au)) best fuel consumption they have ever seen. very positive test results

....as will be the new Suzuki ( when its out)


The E-TEC 60 took another year to come out after the sister 50hp. So its had a fair bit of development.

Again, none of these are a dud.

Gary

PS
Read the Opti brochure with a grain of salt …. Very selective in what they state. Typical US style advertising. Though there is no Opti 60-hp anyway.

[Bowser]

Personally I have just bought a Yammie. Ruled out ETec because it is a 2 pot vs 3 or 4 for the 4 bangers. Even Evinrudes own brochures (a couple of years ago, but still evinrude) state that they are show a little vibration at idle. The new Honda looks the goods but as with all things Honda is to bloody dear, they still expect you to pay for the name and the new Suzi should be good but nothing is known about it at this stage, should come to light at the boat show next weekend. This leaves the Yammie, the acknowledged leader in the 60 HP range. IT has the market by a long way and is the reason that both Honda and Suzi bought out new models. Thier old motors were ridiculously weighted in comparison to the Yammie. Left only one option to me, and I would suggest you buy the Yammie.

[TheRealAndy]

You hit the nail on the head as I have replied it seems that the prices are the same no matter which engine. The warranties are about the same as well, so it seems that it is up to the dealer who makes the best offer, I have though some reservations on the merc four stroke, some issues there.

I would give the merc a miss. We have a merc 4 banger on the back of our yacht club rescue boat, its noisey, vibrates, the control box on it is crap. Thats compared to my yam 4 banger and the honda 4 banger on the other rescue boat.

I must add, there is nothing wrong with the merc when it comes to reliablilty or performance, its exactly the same as the honda and yamaha, just all those other little things I dont like about it.

[stinky-stabi]

I got a brochure on opti's during the week and they blow etecs out of the water! But id still go a Yammie F60 absolutely brilliant motor...

but the e-etec blows away the yammy ......baited an waiting.lololol

[Skusto]

they would all be pretty much the same i really dont think u would be able to pick much difference in all of them, go with which dealer is the best for servicing and if its still between to or more go with the longest warrenty, we have a yamaha atm and are goin to suzuki next due to dealer and warranty.

[Mindi]

I have a Yammy 60 4 stroke EFI and am absolutely delighted with it. Pushes a boat really too heavy for it by propping it right... I expected a hole shot weakness but to tell the truth it hasnt turned out like that. I would equally have taken an ETec if it was on the boat I bought....no hesitation but now that I have the Yammy I love it.

[NAGG]

my 60 4 stroke Yammi is now coming up to 3 years of age ........ used a fair bit too & its running great 8-) Quiet , vibration free , starts quickly ..... & fuel efficient.

I just carried out a oil (sump & gearbox) change which took me only around 1 hour (pretty clueless) ...... & except for a little mess - it was a painless exercise & at around $80 for filter / oils ........ I can skip a $400 ish service thus extending the service period.

I cant say which motor will be best ......but the 60 Yammi is well proven & regarded.

Chris

[stilltryin]

It seems to be down to the four strokes. I pass my thanks to all that replied and appreciate your views and thoughts either way. I do use my boat a fair bit and on the last trip was doing eighty kilometers a day in a round trip fishing at Weipa. The current motor which is a two stroke did it without problems but the fuel was a bit heavy compared to my mate who has a yammie. As trips like weipa are regular the four stroke might do the trick. Now for a bit of negotiation at the boat show next week.

[aaron_gilmour]

Go the honda if you can afford it!!! prob dearer than the yamie and etec but with the blast tecnology etc its absolute amazing. No more should the 2 bangers say they have better hole shot!!! best bet is to test drive a few baots with the motors you wnat and do a water test.

If the honda is out of your budget the yamie is a proven and great motor. for the record i own a optimax but will be moving to the honda very soon. i have also owned merc 2 strokes and yamie 4 bangers as well.

cheers

[TheRealAndy]

my 60 4 stroke Yammi is now coming up to 3 years of age ........ used a fair bit too & its running great 8-) Quiet , vibration free , starts quickly ..... & fuel efficient.

I just carried out a oil (sump & gearbox) change which took me only around 1 hour (pretty clueless) ...... & except for a little mess - it was a painless exercise & at around $80 for filter / oils ........ I can skip a $400 ish service thus extending the service period.

I cant say which motor will be best ......but the 60 Yammi is well proven & regarded.

Chris

My yam(50 4stroke) is 5 year old and has just clocked up 600 hours. Does not miss a beat.

[FNQCairns]

Go the honda if you can afford it!!! prob dearer than the yamie and etec but with the blast tecnology etc its absolute amazing. No more should the 2 bangers say they have better hole shot!!! best bet is to test drive a few baots with the motors you wnat and do a water test.

If the honda is out of your budget the yamie is a proven and great motor. for the record i own a optimax but will be moving to the honda very soon. i have also owned merc 2 strokes and yamie 4 bangers as well.

cheers

So what is blast really? Variable valve timing and a rest from lean burn technology when the throttle is jacked open??

There is nothing new out there that I know of but would like to know about it if there was.

cheers fnq

[black runner]

So what is blast really? Variable valve timing and a rest from lean burn technology when the throttle is jacked open??

There is nothing new out there that I know of but would like to know about it if there was.

cheers fnq

Your right FNQ, just a marketing label for the smarts that exist in all 4 banger efi ecm's. The Honda 60 doesn't have variable valve timing but should breathe well with 4 valves/cylinder albeit 3. Given that it's a newly developed donkey it should theoretically be an improvement on the yammie 60 efi (which I use and am extremely impressed with). Will be interesting to see how both the new Suzi and Honda stack up.

The tough job for both Honda and Suzuki will be to tick all the boxes that the yam 60 has been doing since 2002 and Yamaha don't really need to tweak the 60 too much in resonse as the specs of the Honda and Suzuki are virtually the same as the 7 year old Yammie (or 5 years if comparing the efi version).

The next generation 4 banger will undoubtedly be direct injection.

Cheers

[TJ Bear]

Would go for the EFI Yamaha as as others have said it has the runs on the board for years and I could take it to Yatla Yamaha for trouble free service, which is probably more important to me than anything else.

[Mindi]

my 60 4 stroke Yammi is now coming up to 3 years of age ........ used a fair bit too & its running great 8-) Quiet , vibration free , starts quickly ..... & fuel efficient.

I just carried out a oil (sump & gearbox) change which took me only around 1 hour (pretty clueless) ...... & except for a little mess - it was a painless exercise & at around $80 for filter / oils ........ I can skip a $400 ish service thus extending the service period.

I cant say which motor will be best ......but the 60 Yammi is well proven & regarded.

Chris


Chris

As another clueless home servicer a couple of tips on our identical motors part from experience with mine and part from a friendly local Yammy mechanic....

When you change the plugs (dead easy at $5 each) be sure to restore the plug leads the way they came off....it is NOT the same as what looks to be the order when they are disconnected...ie the first two leads actually cross over....when you cant find a straight 18mm tube spanner for the plugs anywhere go to a mower shop...I found one at supercheap in the end for $2.99. It is not a very common size.

You will need to get professional service after a couple of hundred hours if not a bit sooner...the two things the motor is prone to are (1) corrosion sticking the thermostat open which stuffs up the operation of the new model EFI ones no end so that needs prevention. I am thinking of also finding a salt removing rinse aid product to flush with..? and (2) The valve clearances do need checking and adjustment after significant hours.

The waterpump impeller needs replacement after similar time or earlier depending on how much sand you pump with your water. Be very sure that a good looking impeller is not reinstalled by you or a mechanic....never reinstall them.... (ask for the old one). I figure as a general rule as long as it pumps water strongly through the telltale then it is cool...(sorry)

Good motor huh..?

[bassfanatic5]

I do not want to cloud the issue but surely OPtimax or another brand of DFI would also be a worth consideration?


I think if you make it an Etec vs 4 stroke and leave out the other DFI's out there (Yammi included) you are only looking at half the field.

Brett

Brett, I dont think Optimax or Yami HPDI are made in a 60hp? May'be i'm wrong!

Stilltryin, They are all good choices, i had a 445 hornet with a 60etec and have 5 mates with 445 hornets with different brand 4 bangers, I found the etec's lower idle of 450rpm and slower trolling speed great for impoundment fishing when the fish were taking really slow moving lures but apart from that I would own any of them.

Cheers Damien

[stilltryin]

come on boat show

[zenpaul]

for the past 2 years ive been running a suzuki 90, cant fault it. although the servicing a little pricey, feul usage 1L/1nm this is on a 5.5 glass boat. when it comes time to upgrade however it would be a toss up between suzi or honda.

[Blusta]

Had Merc 4 50 stroke efi same block as 60; 112kg. Was very smooth quiet and frugal. I thought was an excellent motor.

[notsa]

I got a brochure on opti's during the week and they blow etecs out of the water! But id still go a Yammie F60 absolutely brilliant motor...
I don't use brochurs on my boat.

[Spaniard_King]

So what is blast really? Variable valve timing and a rest from lean burn technology when the throttle is jacked open??

There is nothing new out there that I know of but would like to know about it if there was.

cheers fnq
FNQ and others,

Without going into significant detail, blast is a combination of air induction velocity and the best air fuel ratio to give optimum power when asked for. When the power is not asked for its all about the leanest fuel air ratio for the given throttle position. Before you ask its all detrmined by throttle position ie high throttle percentage.. your in BLAST.

For those that don't have it it's all w@nk but for those that do have it :)

[madman1]

I've just skipped to the end of the thread as all responses are the same actually and have a 60hp Etec and cant be happier. The fuel efficiency cant be beat. Not real quiet as its a tiller steer as i'm sitting right next to it, and yes you do get a bit of fumes.

You may pay a bit more for it but the warranty claims seem to be pretty straight forward.

Best of luck with whichever way you go..

All motors have their pro's and con's.

This is my second Etec and definitely not the last.

Cheers


Mark

[Lapras]

I skipped through the thread like Madman1 and got confused - doesn't take much. What you really should ask is who owns a whatever and would you buy one again and why.

Put me down as 40 ETEC and YES.

I've had a 40 ETEC for nearly 3 years and I am very happy with it. You do get the smell of two-stroke at times but nothing to complain about and probably adds to the experience and fishing memories.

I had a problem with an oil switch when I first got it (warranty repair) but since then it has been great.

Best thing is they really do start first time every time. One time I ran out of fuel (forgot to swap to the second tank) and was amazed that it still started first kick.

Good luck with your choice,

Dave

[suzygs1000]

If you check out ACCC's web site and look for all recalls in the last 30 days, you will see that there are two recalls for for Etecs from 25 to 90hp, another BRP one for CanAm roadsters, and also one for Polaris ATV's, which I believe are also a BRP product, altho that may now be incorrect.

Don't see any for Suzuki.

By the way, what is wrong with the 60hp Suzuki?

Dave.

[Noelm]

couldn't possibly be anything wrong with a Suzuki ever huh, all the dealers are closed because they never need attention, even the car yards are gone! and if you looked really close to the recall, it is for a possible start in gear problem, hardly something that will leave you stranded or blow up your motor.

[Noelm]

OH, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a 60HP Suzuki.

[cormorant]

Safety recalls have nothing at all to do with the quality of goods or how long they will work for regardless of brand.

All they do is notify people of a danger if they use that good.

I reckon there would be lists of motors , cars and bikes all with design faults , some of them fatal to the engine but unless thay can hurt the human user they won't ever get a recall notice.

Real shame there is Aussie standards for safety but none for longevity and pissweak aw on "fit for service".

You name a brand and someone on here will be able to tell you a model in the range at some time that is one to walk away from unless some remedial action has been taken or to never touch and that is in , cars , bikes, planes, outboards, inboards etc etc. A lot will depend n the usage it was designed for and where it is used.

[suzygs1000]

couldn't possibly be anything wrong with a Suzuki ever huh, all the dealers are closed because they never need attention, even the car yards are gone! and if you looked really close to the recall, it is for a possible start in gear problem, hardly something that will leave you stranded or blow up your motor.


Just trying to keep people informed, Noelm, as the original poster was looking for information, not biased opinions.

Also, I did look closely at the ACCC site, wasn't there also something about possible fire due to corrosion of a component in the fuel system?


Dave.

[Noelm]

OH, I see not BIASED opinions!

[business class]

MY pick is a four stroke and no matter what four stroke you choose will be better then the 2 stroke ie E-Tec, However if you wish for a brand in four stroke, i have had both Suzuki and now honda, loved them both but am falling inlove with my new purchase more and more everytime she hits the water, and blown away how little fuel it uses. so i would say Honda for me;D .

[BarraBandit]

I will say this on the ETEC, and only this... Before you buy read the fine print!!! :o

[bassfan]

For the extra purchase costs & 4 stroke service expenses, I reckon a straight 2 stroke is by far the best value option, unless of course you are putting a lot of hours on it and fuel economy becomes a factor or ULP goes to $10/litre.
Just my 2 cents...

bassfan

[FNQCairns]

For the extra purchase costs & 4 stroke service expenses, I reckon a straight 2 stroke is by far the best value option, unless of course you are putting a lot of hours on it and fuel economy becomes a factor or ULP goes to $10/litre.
Just my 2 cents...

bassfan

Very true as witnessed so many times on boating forums, outboards are an emotional purchase first and foremost.

Whatever rocks your boat and all that.

cheers fnq

[siegfried]

Stay away from poptimax ebombs supercharged anchors and stuff mate, pros use zooks and yammys cause they are...the best and I would know

[Wahoo]

pros use
Are these the same Pro's the work funny hours and wear fish net stockings;D;D

If so than i understand, bet they set you back a bit too. They know what there talking about:-X

[stilltryin]

Went to the boat show. Looked at the offerings. Seems that Suzuki have achieved the lighter 60hp motor by using the 40/50 block, under 1000cc instead of their original 1300cc. The bigger block is now used in the 70/80/90 range.The new Suzuki doesn't have a price as yet, but it is expected not to change much.

Nice motor though and should be available in the new year.

Yamaha still were the same and the weight diffference was negligible. Pricing wise the Yammie has not changed much and the dealers are working hard. The new offering from Yammie is a bigger leg and prop if you want for approx a grand extra. Meant for the houseboats and large loads.


The honda seems to be a 40/50/60 block hence the lighter motor. Their technology has changed slightly. Price is till up there though.

The etecs were the same and not much of a deal going there at the moment. They say there might be something around the corner.

For now Yammie might win out. Now I have to sell my current motor privately for the upgrade to take place.

Thanks all.

Gary

[Gary Fooks]

Gary ( Stilltryin)
Where did you get your data?

My research shows :
The Honda 40/50 is 808cc, the Honda 60hp is a different engine with 998cc
The new Suzuki 60 hp is 941cc , while the Suzuki 50hp is a smaller 814cc

Gary