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I am buying a 1999 Grady White with a 1999 175 HP Evinrude Fich, I've heard conflicting stories about the fich engine. That the problems were with the 97 and 98 models and the 99 model is fine. My marina service guy has taken care of this engine since day one and assures me that this was not the case with the 99's...but of course anything can happen with any engine at any time. Any input out there is appreciated.
you could be right about the 99..it may be ok.did it get computer/emm updates? if so they appear to run great when they run..but can go ka boom at any second.But more often than a conventional outboard.if you run into problems and need a part or computer call.
DFI MARINE PARTS
22638 CANAL ROAD
SUITE B, ORANGE BEACH, ALABAMA 36561
866-298-1510
IGNITION MODULE 586381 210.00 REBUILT.
they come very highly recomended.
doug
__________________ world cat 266sc/mercury 150 verados
Welcome aboard, and great choice of boat. 99 is one of the "problem years". I have a 98. But they are good motors, you just won't find too many fans around here. The best way to find out about the motors is to call Bombardier yourself. Have the serial and model numbers and talk to service and ask about the problems. They'll tell you if it has the upgrades needed. Mine ran a little fuzzy when I first bought my boat, but it runs great now with very little tweeking. Just remember to run XD oil in it, and don't troll with it. You can also run a search on FICHT, there's quite a few threads on them (a couple from me). Hope this helps. What model is the grady?
tinmarine, what do you mean don't troll with it...do you mean on a heavy basis trolling for long periods in the ocean, how about some light stuff within the inshore bay areas or maybe a larger lake.
fullrut2, what kind of problems are you having after your cruising in the no wake zone, is it just stalling out or sputtering. Did you have the 2000 upgrade with the pin heads? And if you have done that and made the upgrades do you still have the problem.
hello thewal,
I have blown an ignitian module on my 98..got it fix and the next day it looks like its going again! motor runs fine until it just quits..thats what it did last time.and it kinda looks like it will do it again? could something be shorting it out?
doug
__________________ world cat 266sc/mercury 150 verados
well, I have not paid the money yet for mine, just a small deposit. After everything I've read, learned and discussed with people over the past few days I think I'm gonna bail on this one and start my search again. It's my first boat and I can't deal with the stress of uncertainty when there will be enough of it anyway no matter what I purchase.
They reserched the problems and found out that the problems came from continuous low speed operation. According to BRP approx 100 hrs. My motor has an upgrade kit, but not the one with the "pinned heads". The purpose of the pins is to deflect the debris during combustion. If the motor has an upgrade kit, been serviced properly, and has a few hrs and still running great then don't be concerned. Every motor that came from the factory is not junk. You just can't troll with these motors. Most of the bad press is from people that don't or have never owned a FICHT. I almost didn't buy my Grady because of what I heard. I'm glad I did. They run quiet, little to no smoke, and great power. Like I said if you want to troll, you just have to buy a kicker. Ask the owner if he's done any trolling with it. That would be my question. I was kind of hoping others would chime in and tell their experiences with them. Good luck in what ever you decide. You could also go to greatgrady.com or gradyowner.com. Hope this helps.
1999 175 HP Evinrude Fich 
99 is one of the "problem years". I have a 98. But they are good motors, you just won't find too many fans around here. The best way to find out about the motors is to call Bombardier yourself. Have the serial and model numbers and talk to service and ask about the problems. They'll tell you if it has the upgrades needed. Mine ran a little fuzzy when I first bought my boat, but it runs great now with very little tweeking. Just remember to run XD oil in it, and don't troll with it. You can also run a search on FICHT, there's quite a few threads on them (a couple from me). Hope this helps. What model is the grady?
