200 Evinrude Ficht powerhead cost?

[scrutch]

Can ne1 tell me what I could expect to pay to get a 200 Evinrude Ficht powerhead replaced?

[JohnnyBigger]

is it carb or injected

[JohnnyBigger]

I believe its injected now that I think about it but you probably looking powerhead at around 1,000-1,500 on the high end plus labor should be less though, call your local evenrude/johnson dealer for a quote.

[scrutch]

perfect thx!   Saw a 99 Ranger 518VX Comanche (single cons. 4 sale with a few extras) for $8700 with bad powerhead...now its over 10k easy.

[JohnnyBigger]

About six months ago I bought a 98 Stratos 19.5' with a 200hp vidicator in perfect condition for $9500 so just shop around i dont know what area you in but im in central Fl. and i noticed that north GA has the best used boat prices.

[scrutch]

Im in the south bend, indiana area.  It'll be my first boat purchase.  Been looking all winter.  Prob buy something in spring.   THX for the info... I'll check it out. 

[Way2slow]

There is no way on gods green earth your going to get a good ficht powerhead for $1,000 - $1,500, maybe three times that. A remanufactored powerhead is going to so $3,000 or so. This is only the bare head.

If your's in blown, there was a reason for that. A bad injector or ECM etc. If the motor has been sitting for long, all six injectors will need to be rebuilt and it would most likely need the ECM updated. For this work, you're looking at another couple of $K.

Let me just say something and not trying to be ugly, but if you don't know what you're doing you had better walk away from a ficht. Actually, don't walk, RUN.

If you're anywhere near GA, I have boat I will make you a deal on.  I'm sure my wife and son would scream and holler but since my dad died (my main fishing partner), I haven't had the desire to fish.   The boat is a 1999 Javelin Renegade 20 Dual Console with a 225 Ficht.  This motor runs great, has less than 200 hours.  The ECM was shipped to DFI Technologies and completely upgraded with all the latest and greatest updates (Approx $1,000 update).  Great fishing platform with plenty of deck space and runs in the 70's.   I would consider $7,000 for it.

[scrutch]

sounds like a great boat.  I'm in indiana though, and I'm not ready for a purchase till sometime in spring.  if the price is right and the boat seems worth the trip,  i'd consider traveling to buy a boat. leave me ur info and when I'm ready, maybe we can talk.  (assuming the boats still available) thx.

[ProCraft Joe]

If you can get a FICHT powerhead for $1000-$1500 I'll take 5 of them. Iboats lists them for $3499 plus $600 core. As way2slow said, you then have to find out what killed it to start with and reprogram the ECM. If you're a new boat owner I advise you not start with a money pit.

[Way2slow]

Actually, the ficht is a very good engine, provided it has had a recently updated ECM. This is not the same as the Dealer updates. There is only one of those and that was required by the Coast Guard to keep the injectors from leaking gas a blowing the thing up. Since the introduction of the ficht, there have been approx 50 upgrades to the ECM but these are not done by the dealers. The only way to get them is to send them off to a place like DFI and pay dearly for them, have a dealer get it rebuilt (again, they just have a company like DFI to upgrade it) or buy a new ECM from the dealer, VERY, VERY, expensive.

The next problem with the the early DFI motor, fichts and Rams, they can't handle old gas. Bad gas will make one pop a piston in a heartbeat. When I don't use mine regularly, I run about a quart of fresh gas with a heavy mix of SeaFoam through mine every month, either running it in the water tank or on the hose. I disconnect the hose at the primer bulb and connect another hose from a little one gallon container of fresh gas with SeaFoam. Note, doing this alway keep a clean set of spark plugs that have been properly indexed. After a number of runs on the hose, they get carboned up and may misfire at the lake. I just change plugs before I go and clean the set in the motor for next time. 

I also pump all the gas out of my tank as soon as I return from the lake.  Before my dad died, none of this was a problem, I usually took him fishing every other weekend, pretty much year round, so all this crap was not necessary.

If you don't use the boat at least every two months or if you are not willing to do this, I would suggest not getting a ficht. You let is sit through winter, or for long periods, you greatly increase the chance of blowing the motor.

[JohnnyBigger]

Well I guess I was a little off haha sorry bout that, my advise get a running bout, one issue leads to another.

[Way2slow]

Stick to posting what you know and not what you think you know and your advise will "usually" be well taken.   

[scrutch]

that's the beauty of this forum,  so many readers....and opinions...if someone's experiences or ideas are a little out of the norm, it'll usually get corrected.

[JohnnyBigger]

Stick to posting what you know and not what you think you know and your advise will "usually" be well taken.

i was wrong which does happen from time to time

[Tin]

Fact: There is no such thing as a good FICHT.  ;D

[Way2slow]

I know a number of people that would totally disagree with you.   I know a guy in norther Cal that ran eight of them, two each on four boats, commercially in salt water for five years and over 1,800 hours with only a few minor failures and no majors.  He liked them so much he traded for eight more Rudes in 2,004 and just last year traded for eight Etec's.  Evinrudes is all he will put on the back of his boats. 

This is a very common story for commercially run fichts.  Like I said earlier, the biggest downfall to a ficht is they can't handle old gas so they give your average boater problems.  Come right down to it, there probably have been no more fichts blown than there have been the Opti-Pops (Opti-Max's).  The next major problem with all DFI motors, when they do break, very few dealers really know how to fix them and they tend to break again shortly afterwards because they never fixed the root cause of the problem.

[scrutch]

Is there a motor that does tolerate intermittent use a little better?  I have 4 small kids and once a week , early sat morning fishing, I consider a luxury.  More frequent trips to the lake in 5 yrs or so but right now its possible to sit unused for a month under the right or wrong circumstances