I currently have an Evinrude 50hp 2005 on my Mac, which has been fantastic and worked perfectly, starting first time every time until now.
At the end of August in the middle of Poole harbour the outboard quit suddenly whilst underway. No bang or judder or anything, it just stopped. After frantically sailing out of the shipping channel, into which we had drifted, to an anchorage off of Brownsea Island (there are worse places to break down) it turned out that the main outboard fuse had blown. I replaced the fuse and it blew within a second when the key was turned just to on (the trim still worked fine without the key) with no beep. After finding no obvious short anywhere (at the controls or engine) and running out of 10A fuses we gave up, had a lovely few days at anchor and on Brownsea and had to get towed back to Cobb's Quay (we used ropes to get her across a channel the next morning and back up the slipway). The guy who towed us had a look for issues but stopped when what he was doing in the engine caused an electrical puff of smoke. Now back at home I've had a really good look for anything shorting, disconnected almost everything and found nothing. Isolating the outboard shows the problem is definitely there somewhere and there is a faint smell of an electrical issue at the engine management module (EMM). There are three connectors on the EMM (J1a, J1b and J2) - J1a & J2 connected seems OK but J1b as well causes a short. Whether anything else has failed I do not know but the inevitable conclusion seems to be that the EMM has had it.
The local Evinrude dealer has indicated that the EMM will be £1271.81 + vat.
Does anyone have any advice for me? Have you had a similar experience? Is it worthwhile to get the EMM replaced in the outboard given that it is 14 years old? Can the EMMs be repaired? If I replaced the outboard, what brand should I get? The Suzuki DF60 looks light and good. Is it? And what should I do with the non-working engine?
Thanks for any advice.
Martin
Hi Martin
That is bad luck! It sounds very much from your description that the EMM has failed. I would be surprised if it is repairable, I would guess that it is completely sealed against the environment. Even if it can physically be repaired, it would take an engineer with experience and circuit diagrams to diagnose and fix (I speak as an electronic engineer myself!).
Whether it's worth replacing the EMM or getting a new engine is a bit of a judgement. Do you know how many hours the engine has done? That can be as important as the actual age. You could probably sell the Evinrude as it is, there seems to be a market for outboards whatever their condition. Try advertising it on eBay, I've sold two engines successfully that way. Search existing ads, and see what is being offered and at what price, then pitch yours accordingly. You might even find a used one you'd consider buying as a replacement!
How much you think you can get for it can inform your decision on whether to buy a new one.
Regarding new engines, I've had a couple of Tohatsu TLDI 50s, which I found very reliable and economical, and are a good price - should be available for well under £6000. It's a light and compact engine too.
Good luck!
Rick Jones (Treasurer), former 26X & 19 owner, Isle of Wight
Thanks for the reply Rick.
I'm afraid there's no indication of engine hours, but it "looks" in good order and was smooth and responsive in operation. So there's a risk. I'll keep a lookout for similar non-working Evinrude's on ebay - no comparators I can see at the moment. Someone might want it for parts but from what I've read the EMM (which needs professional input to set up) is one of the things that has a high failure rate.
I'll also have a good look at the Tohatsu TLDI 50. This is a little lighter than the 60hp Suzuki and cheaper.
Martin
Hi Martin, I’ve got the same engine which went into safe mode on Windermere this year. With nobody local prepared to look at I contacted https://www.southcoastmarineoutboards.com
The guys were extremely helpful and got me out of trouble over the phone so I would really recommend giving them a ring before doing anything else.
01202 482695
it was the first time I’ve used the boat and once the problem had been sorted I was really pleased with how smooth, quiet and economical it was compared to other engines I’ve had dealings with.
good luck
Ann & Keith
Star 26M
Thanks for the information Ann & Keith. I'll give them a ring to see what they say. I almost dropped by South Coast Marine (as they specialise in Evinrude) when we were down south - they are based in Christchurch - but we were slightly stressed by getting it on the trailer from its mooring before the marina woke up and back up to York.
So far other repair shops near us have not expressed much interest...
It's a shame as I was very happy with the outboard when it worked.
Martin
Quark 26M