Two Good
Anyone who thinks the 2-stroke is dead hasn't driven an Evinrude E-TEC.
April 1, 2006
Talk about sensory overload ... picture yourself in a pack of 30 boats in Boca Grande Pass
surrounded by huge schools of 100-pound-plus tarpon busting the surface all around you. The
anticipation is palpable as pro Ray Van Horn, in the adjacent boat, tells 15-year-old Jessie Austin
to drop his jig, and after a subtle strike, he reels the line tight, sets the hook and holds on for
dear life.
Jessie's dad, Glyn, puts the Evinrude 150 in gear and points the 20-foot Ranger bay boat
toward the rampaging fish while Jessie fights from the front deck. After a spectacular jump, the
tarpon - estimated to be 120 pounds - sulks down deep and puts Jessie's will to the test. Although
the battle often takes them downwind at a speed slightly slower than the wind, you aren't enveloped
in gagging engine exhaust like you would experience if this was a carbureted 2-stroke. Must be a
4-stroke then, right? Nope, this one emits even fewer fumes, such as carbon monoxide, than even a
4-stroke, because this 2-stroke is a direct-injected Evinrude E-TEC.
Only a few years ago,
some were writing off the 2-stroke outboard as an antiquated technology, and they were partially
right. The old carbureted 2-stroke, although powerful for its size, allows up to 30 percent of the
oil and fuel to escape into the environment because the exhaust port is still open when the mixture
enters the combustion chamber. This design flaw caused places like California to enact a ban on the
sale of new engines that don't meet the Air Resources Board's (CARB) regulations. Although many
people assumed all 2-strokes were being phased out, the new direct-injected E-TECs are not only
clean enough to have earned CARB's three-star rating for being an ultra-low-emissions engine, but
they even won the EPA's coveted Clean Air Excellence Award - the first outboard ever to receive it.
Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), the makers of Evinrude outboards, started with a
clean slate for the E-TEC. Instead of building an engine and then convincing owners it's what they
should want, it reversed the process and asked owners and boat manufacturers what they want in an
outboard ... then built it.
First, consumers wanted an engine that starts quickly, and Evinrude responded by delivering
the E-TEC, which starts on the first revolution, the quickest in the industry. With its closed fuel
system, no air can get in the lines, so you're always primed and ready to go, which also means that
during prolonged periods of non-use, the gas inside the engine doesn't turn to a substance
resembling varnish. Next, the Engine Management Module computer (EMM) lengthens the spark coming
from the double-tipped platinum spark plugs during cranking, which continues during idle for
smoother operation, and also allows it to have an ultra-low idle speed of just 500 rpm - good news
for slow trollers.
Next, owners said they wanted an engine that spends its time on the water and not in the
shop, so Evinrude designed the E-TEC to be free of scheduled dealer maintenance for three years of
recreational use (300 hours). There's not even a break-in period, in part due to the boron-nitride
bores, which are porous and retain oil on the cylinder wall to provide constant lubrication. Plus,
the EMM, the brains of this outfit, automatically adjusts the flow of oil to the engine. Evinrude
claims that the E-TEC uses three-quarters less oil than conventional carbureted 2-strokes and up to
half of the oil as other direct-injected models, when using its XD 100T synthetic oil, because
instead of pre-mixing it with the fuel prior to burning, the oil is sprayed in places where it's
most needed, like connecting rods and bearings. You can even run it with no oil in the tank, thanks
to its S.A.F.E. system, which automatically reduces throttle and allows you to limp home for up to
five hours at 1200 rpm, due in part to the roller bearings.
Of course, owners want an engine that's lean, mean, and "green," and Evinrude delivers a
package that's lighter than other 150s, weighing only 419 pounds (20-inch shaft model). Pretty
impressive, when you consider this same 158-cubic-inch engine is also offered in a 175/200-hp and
high output (HO) configuration - with differences in engine mapping and port timing. They also come
in a saltwater version, which features many stainless-steel components to resist corrosion. Despite
the fact that it's a V6, and all 4-stroke 150-hp outboards are in-line 4-cylinder engines, the
E-TEC still has fewer parts, which translates into less weight. Because of its 2-stroke design, the
E-TEC doesn't need valves, camshafts, springs, belts, shims, lifters, powerhead gears, or
mechanized oil pumps.
Although fuel consumption figures are pretty similar to modern fuel-injected 4-strokes when
running at planing speeds, the E-TEC is super-efficient at slow speeds, the result of its
stratified-combustion, lean-burn capability, which means that only part of the combustion chamber
receives a fuel charge.
Idling out of the channel to Boca Grande, you notice that the E-TEC is considerably quieter
than other 2-strokes and exhibits far less vibration. It nearly reaches the quietude of 4-stroke
engines, measuring 58 decibels at idle. The tone is slightly deeper and not unpleasant as you put
it on plane. The hole shot is impressive with the E-TEC 150 putting the nearly 20-foot-long Bay
Ranger - which is fully loaded for fishing - on plane in 3.5 seconds. At 30 mph, the sound level is
just 85 decibels, making normal conversation possible. Mid-range acceleration is brisk, and the
Ranger quickly reaches a top speed of 47.5 mph. The water in the pass gets rougher, so you work the
throttle more to keep from over-cooking it and notice the excellent throttle response, indicating a
precise level of fuel control from the clever fuel delivery system that resembles a voice coil in
loudspeakers, allowing it to vary the strength and duration of the injection pulse to control the
size of the fuel droplets for maximum performance.
With the addition of
the new 150/175/200-hp models, Evinrude is now an all E-TEC lineup that ranges from 40 hp to 250
hp. The V6 models use a NMEA 2000 compliant system, so that its state-of-the-art, I-Command
instruments or other compatible accessories can be installed like plug-and-play components on a
home computer.
Jessie's fish proves to be the perfect tarpon fight: a jump so you can see how big it is, a
long tug of war battle to test your mettle, then it comes loose at the boat so you don't have to
deal with getting a hook out of a rampaging fish. Best of all, it swims off alive and kicking -
just like the future of 2-strokes built by Evinrude.
Visit Evinrude's website:
www.evinrude.com
Evinrude E-Tec 150
ENGINE TYPE: In-line 4-cylinder 60-degree V6 direct-injected
2-stroke.
Displacement: 158 cubic inches
Weight: 419/427 lbs. (20/25-inch shaft length)
Warranty: 3-year non-declining
Test results were gathered on a Ranger Bay 2000 with two passengers, full fuel and a 13 7/8"
x 17" SS prop.
Top Speed 47.5 mph
Time To Plane 3.5 seconds
Decibels @ Idle 58 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph 85 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 94 dB-A