Quebec-based Bombardier, Inc., the new owner of Evinrude and Johnson engines, has agreed to recall thousands of defective 200-hp and 225-hp engines built by now-defunct Outboard Marine Corp. (OMC). The action, clearly an effort to restore public confidence in the brand, particularly those with Ficht fuel injection technology, involves over 11,000 engines built for the 1999 and 2000 model years.

In concert with Bombardier’s recall in late March, the U.S. Coast Guard issued a public safety advisory based on OMC’s warning that engine fuel leaks in some 1999 and 2000 Ficht Ram Injection engines could cause fires and explosions.

Just weeks before filing for bankruptcy protection in December, OMC issued a service bulletin to its dealers, alerting them that 1999 and 2000 200-hp and 225-hp Ficht Ram Injection engines could catch fire or explode. The vaguely worded bulletin downplays the seriousness of a problem about which the company’s internal records show it was well aware for over a year and a half. There is no evidence at this time that other Ficht outboards are affected.

Fuel leaks from multiple sources within the engines are reportedly the cause of the problem. Because volatile gasoline vapors and liquid fuel ignite easily when sprayed on hot surfaces or when exposed to sparks, BoatUS advises owners of these engines against operating them until an OMC-trained mechanic can inspect them. The engines’ track record bears out this warning.

Documents obtained from the U.S. Coast Guard list over 60 separate complaints of fires and explosions reported to OMC by owners, dealers and mechanics between early 1999 and up to just a few days before OMC’s bankruptcy petition was filed on December 22. For example, OMC’s records contain the following incident report involving a 2000 200-hp Ficht engine:

"I was out alone, about 10 miles off the coast of Cape May when my engine started to behave erratically,” Ed Metzner of Sicklerville, NJ, told BoatUS “I made it back to the dock under reduced power and prepared to set my dock lines. At this point my engine exploded followed by a large fireball with the fire spreading to the adjacent water.

“ My immediate injuries were second degree burns from ankle to knee and my heart went into atrial fibrillation. Other medical complications set in later and I was pretty much out of action for five months. Damage to the engine and boat was extensive," he said.

A seasoned boat owner, Metzner told BoatUS, “I won’t go back onto the boat with that engine on board. It terrifies me to think of what might have happened if I had my grandchildren with me.”

Metzner’s account is in stark contrast to the following description of the incident found in OMC’s records:

“Customer had problems with engine missing...He went back to the dock and noticed engine on fire. Customer extinguished with fire extinguisher...called three days later to report he was in hospital, suffering from an infection due to injury suffered when he jumped off boat.”

Ellen Keirnan, now-bankrupt OMC’s coordinator of claims and litigation, admitted that an alert similar to the one sent to OMC dealers was written – but never sent – to engine owners.

“The letter to customers was never released, as OMC filed for bankruptcy...before that could be accomplished,” Keirnan stated. Had OMC acknowledged the defect and initiated a recall beforehand, the cash-strapped company would have been obligated to notify the public and make repairs at no cost to owners. A recall’s dark cloud could also have jeopardized OMC’s value at bankruptcy auction.

“Accident reports run all the way from a small fire extinguished by the boat owner, to an explosion that blew the engine cowling 75 feet into the air,” said Phil Cappel, chief of the Coast Guard’s Recreational Boating Product Assurance office. OMC records describe only a handful of minor burns, but both the Coast Guard and BoatUS have received reports of serious injuries involving the 200-hp and 225-hp engines.

“Initially, we thought that one of the problems was a plastic fuel line OMC began using inside the engine, instead of the more expensive metal fuel lines used on earlier Ficht models,” Cappel told BoatUS “Upon further investigation, we realized it is a combination of things: torque from the engine and fuel system parts that aren’t clamped or fastened properly.”

Fuel separators used on the Ficht engines are one source for leaks, according to an OMC mechanic who worked on several of these engines. “In hot weather, the fuel in the separator expands after the engine is stopped or sometimes in real hot weather just the sun shining on the motor cover causes enough heat expansion to push the top off the canister.

“OMC made parts to beef up the tops to prevent this from happening,” he said, adding, “They just chose to ignore the situation and continue to handle complaints on a case-by-case basis. They went so far as to call back any older vapor separators we had with us in our service trucks and replaced them with new ones.

“When I asked why they wanted them returned, they said ‘You do not need to know and keep quiet about it,’” he said. “When it blows the motor cover off, we call it a ‘911 code — motor cover above expected range,’” he added, referring to the usual procedure of classifying warranty repairs by code numbers.

Bombardier’s decision to conduct a recall campaign comes as a pleasant surprise to Ficht engine owners and spells a promising start for the Canadian firm’s revamping of two classic American engine makes (see related article, Bombardier Throws OMC Owners a Lifeline). In addition to promising retroactive warranty coverage for 2000 and 2001 engines, Bombardier reportedly obtained $3.5 million from OMC’s assets to pay for this recall.

In a related matter, Paul Rabe, a former OMC vice president of North American sales and marketing, alleges in a complaint filed with the bankruptcy court that he advised then-OMC President, David Jones, about “the safety risks and hazards involved in selling the defective engines.”

According to court documents, Rabe’s opposition to the sale of Ficht engines was “based on his good faith belief that the engines were dangerous and could lead to serious personal injury.” He alleges that he lost his job in retaliation for complaining about Ficht engine safety problems, as well as for complaining about alleged price fixing and violations of trade secrets agreements by OMC. Rabe’s complaint came to light in court documents in which he claims he was denied over $1 million in a severance package when OMC went bankrupt.

OMC’s two-stroke Ficht outboards have been plagued with problems since they were introduced in 1997 in response to Clean Air Act requirements to reduce hydrocarbon emissions. Ficht fuel injection technology was supposed to reduce emissions by 70% to 80% while increasing fuel efficiency, but early engines became fouled with abrasive soot when operated at low rpm levels. As a result, complete breakdowns occurred while engine hour meters were still registering in the single digits.

Many Ficht owners were sidelined as their engines went through repeated cycles of breakdowns, repairs, factory upgrades and breakdowns. Thousands of engines needed repairs, at a cost of about $1,000 each.

The engine maker ceased production for a few months of research and development and promised that newly designed Ficht Ram Injection engines would do the trick. Production of the revamped engines began in late 1998 for the 1999 model year.

By April 1999, however, OMC records show the company was already aware of fires and explosions involving certain of the new Ficht engines. A retrofit kit was developed to correct problems, as was a video to teach dealers and mechanics how to make repairs, but it took over a year before OMC went public, even on a limited basis, with the news.

“This upgrade is extremely important in that we have found ways to reduce the likelihood of fuel leaks, which can be a potentially hazardous condition,” dealers were warned in the OMC bulletin dated November 2000. Some dealers didn’t receive their copies until mid-December.

BoatUS has learned that repair materials, including software, fuel system components and engine cover modifications, once difficult to obtain, will now be provided by Bombardier.

“I suspect there are thousands of these engines out there,” said Cappel. “I don’t know what else we can do besides warn the public.” The Coast Guard’s fleet is also affected, he said. Hundreds of the 200-hp and 225-hp fuel-injected outboard engines are used on Coast Guard RIB inflatables, but an attorney for OMC hadn’t responded to Coast Guard inquiries, Cappel said in March.

The Ficht Ram Injection debacle is just the latest example of OMC management’s failure to guide its customers, dealers and employees through the bankruptcy process. Earlier, the company unceremoniously announced that it would no longer provide warranty service or parts to customers. Dealers were left with large inventories of parts and no factory support, while thousands of employees received pink slips with their last paychecks three days before Christmas. And, according to EPA documents, a massive toxic waste clean up at OMC’s Waukegan headquarters was never completed.

The former industry giants’ assets — a dozen boat companies, including Chris Craft, Four Winds, Hydra-Sports, Stratos and Seaswirl, in addition to Evinrude and Johnson outboard engine operations and Ficht technology — were auctioned earlier this year for $95 million to Bombardier and Genmar Corp., parent company of Wellcraft, Hatteras, Larson and others. Genmar purchased only the boat manufacturing operations and is not involved in the engine campaign.

For more information about the OMC Ficht outboard engine recall, call the U.S. Coast Guard’s InfoLine, 800-368-5647, or visit their Web site, www.uscgboating.org. Information about the recall is also available from Bombardier, 847-689-7090.

OMC engine owners with unresolved warranty issues unrelated to the Ficht engine problems can find out how to file their claims with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court by calling 888-232-6814, referencing OMC case #00-37405.

(c) Copyright BoatUS Magazine, May 2001