| E-TEC 40hp is a big smooth twin | |
| Twin cylinder outboards the distinct advantage over their three cylinder counterparts for low casting-over height and generally lighter weight. The '737cc carbureted two stroke Johnson 40 is a great example of this weight reduction and despite having a larger piston displacement than its direct three cylinder Japanese competition it weighs only 88kg, about the same as the 698cc Yamaha 40. The twin cylinder Japanese 40s are lighter but have significantly less torque and as anyone who has operated the 493 cc Tohatsu M40C and 703 cc Yamaha CV 40 knows, they shake your teeth out below 1000 revs! |  |
| The Johnson 40 has always been well balanced for a big twin but the 864cc E-TEC 40 takes this balance to a new level and above 2000 revs there's little more vibration than a three cylinder two stroke engine.
In standard form the E- TEC 40 also trolls slower than the competition, maintaining 650 revs in or out of gear. Tohatsu's 697cc direct fuel injection TIDI 40 trolls at 700 revs and the 747cc four-stroke Mariner/Mercury F40 and Yamaha F40B troll at 750 revs. Both the 808cc Honda BF40 and 814cc Suzuki DF40 troll at 800 revs - way too high for some freshwater fish species. When trolling the E-TEC 40 has a distinctive twin cylinder beat but this is isolated from the hull. As with BRP's other DFI models and Tohatsu's TLDI engines there's a slight "flat spot" on transition from stratified to homogenous combustion, where the air/ fuel ratio alters from about 40:1 to 25:1, but from 2000 revs upwards the power delivery is effortless. The E-TEC 40 lacks the overall smoothness of the three-cylinder EFI 4-stroke Mercury F40 and Suzuki DF40 but then its twin cylinder powerhead is lower and narrower and interferes less playing a fish around a boat's transom. Because the E-TEC 40 complies with the EU 2006 exhaust emission requirements in addition to CARB (California Air Resources Board) 2008 and US EPA 2006 regulations, it's also very quiet for its output. EU 2006 covers noise emissions as well as hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions. But there's much more to the E-TEC 40 than reasonable vibration levels, quiet running and the 300 hours or three years of no scheduled servicing. Unlike all other DFI systems available, the 40's engine management system is contained wholly on the powerhead, eliminating the need for a separate battery to power the system. Like automotive engines, EFI, 4-strokes such as the Mariner/ Mercury F40 and Suzuki DF40 require a battery to operate the management computer, while the Orbital Combustion Process (used in TLDI and Mariner / Mercury Optimax Models) requires a minimum battery voltage to 10.8 to prevent low-revs misfiring. A battery cell can collapse without warning and leave the operator without the means to start or even run the engine unless a new battery is fitted. With an E-TEC the flywheel shroud can be removed and a rope wrapped around the flywheel, enabling the engine to be manually started. Unlike the OCP there's no need for an air compressor to inject air with the fuel as the high pressure, electronically controlled unit injectors individually pressurise fuel to 550 - 700psi and inject it directly into the combustion chambers just like a direct injection diesel engine. The 75amp variable alternator with 25 amps of dedicated battery charging current is mounted under the flywheel so there are no drive belts anywhere on the engine. Commonality of parts across the Evinrude range is another advantage. The E-TEC 40 has the same cylinder bore and piston stroke dimensions as the E-TEC 75/90 and Ficht 115 to 175 and as the bore/stroke ratio is so oversquare piston speed, even at WOT, is much lower than the direct competition, particularly the F40 and Yamaha F40B which are undersquare or long stroke engines. Providing the engine revs are within the recommended limits the E-TEC 40 can be run for hours at WOT without powerhead damage. The large lower unit with deep gear ratio (2.67:1) from the discontinued Johnson 55 commercial outboard enables large diameter and course-pitch props to be swung although when the leg is trimmed in this design can create excessive prop steer torque until the leg is trimmed out to at least perpendicular with the water. But at low speeds the large diameter prop makes maneuvering an absolute pleasure. | |
| The demo. E-TEC 40 from BRP Australia started instantly hot or cold and never blew any visible oil smoke although there was an oil smell after an extended trolling period. Mounted on QFM's customised Blue Fin 4.2 and pushing an estimated total of 650kg including two adults, two hefty deep cycle batteries and a bowmount Minn Kota the 40 provided plenty of power, yet spinning a 17 inch pitch SST stainless steel prop averaged only 3.7 km/h (2.0kts) on 650 revs using an estimated 0.5lph. The hull planed cleanly at 23.3 km/h (12.6) on 3400 revs using about 6.5lph and the WOT was an impressive 47.7 km/h (25.7) on 5500 revs using around 13.4lph. |  |
| So how well does the E-TEC 40 compare with 4-strokes in this power range? For smoothness and throttle responsiveness across its entire rev range, it lags behind Suzuki's DF40, which in my opinion is the best overall package of all the low pollution 40s and is only 1kg heavier. The E-TEC40 is also 18kg heavier than the Yamaha F40B, 13kg more than the Honda BF40 and 8kg heavier than the Mariner/Mercury EFI F40. But for simplicity, low maintenance and that low casting-over profile, it's well ahead of all of them! The E-TEC 40 develops 40.2hp at only 5000 revs and has a WOT rev range of 4500-5500. It weighs 209kg for the 20-inch electric start power trim and tilt version. The remote plastic fuel tank holds 22.7litres and the under-cowl oil tank 1.9 litres. | |
