# Dealer Says Yamaha SHO's Having Lots of Problems



## Cap'n Crunch (Aug 3, 2007)

I have/had a 2006 E-Tec 200 HO that has had it's share of problems over the years. I'm on my 3rd computer, second lower unit, second power trim assembly, and now I'm being told it has a hairline crack in the exhaust port of the engine block. All with only 500 hours on the motor. That being said, and considering the problems I've had, I'm not 2cool on the thought of buying another one, although I'm not 100% against it. My thoughts have turned to a 250 SHO, but one of the local dealers is telling me they're; shearing prop shafts; having gearcase problems; and having powerhead problems. I have 2 friends running SHOs, a 200 and 250, and they are singing nothing but praises over their motors. However, in the interest of full disclosure, at this point they don't have a tremendous amount of engine hours on them. Can anyone else weigh in here and tell me what your experiences have been? I can save a bit of money on the gauge package if I stick with E-Tec, but the previous motor has me a bit peeved at present.


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## SeaY'all (Jul 14, 2011)

I have 120 on my SHO and havnt had any issues yet.


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## saltaholic (Feb 19, 2005)

I bought my boat from a dealer that sells Yamaha, Suzuki and evinrude. The service dept talked me into Suzuki......


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

You also bought the first year Etec, which is usually never a good thing. They have ironed out the bugs and are a lot better product now. Yeah, some have issues, but so do the others. I'd say Suzuki is the most problem free of the new motors, just from the lack of issues you see online.


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## ziggiey (Apr 6, 2010)

*SHO*

They did have a problem with prop shafts and lack of lube to a bearing in the lower unit causing failure, they were corrected years ago. Haven't heard or seen any powerhead problems.


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## BluewaterAg26 (Jan 12, 2009)

Suzuki, Yamaha, then.......... Etec


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## txdukklr (Jun 30, 2013)

I've had zero problem with my sho and know 10-12 guys with sho's and can't say i've ever heard of a major issue.

First time I've ever heard a suzuki is the preference over the yamaha.


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## Salty Dog (Jan 29, 2005)

My 250 is about a year and a half old and I have 320 hours on it. No problems at all. I fish with several guys who also have 250 SHOs and I don't know of anyone who has had any issues.


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## dk2429 (Mar 27, 2015)

You could look at the 250 Mercury Pro XS. I sing praises over mine


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## Champion22 (Jan 18, 2008)

I have 250 SHO about 3 years old, about 150 hours, no problems.

I bought it after 2005 E-Tec 250 went through 3 powerheads in 5 years...

I have no ill will against any motor brand, in my opinion they can all blow at any given time, with that many horses running through them...but I have to say I have loved the Yamaha.


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## Crowhater (Jul 21, 2014)

We SHO on the Majek and the ElPescador and have had zero problems on either of them. My cousin sells Yamaha engines at his dealership and if they had an issue I would know. I think any of these engines can have problems if the owner abuses them or does not perform regular maintenance. Yamaha has proven its self to be a very reliable outboard engine and they have strong customer support.


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## teamsho_hope (Mar 8, 2016)

I have a SHO and only issue I had was a bent shifter sensor. Other than that great motor


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## EvansMarine (Jun 7, 2010)

Great Motor's, Had some issues on the first years, but we Maintain a few with 1000+ Hours on them that have never had any issues.


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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

Most of the modern 4 stroke engines from the top builders these days are golden. However Yami has the market share for a reason. My 250 SHO was a marvel of balance between performance and reliability from top to bottom.


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## jaime1982 (Aug 25, 2009)

BATWING said:


> Most of the modern 4 stroke engines from the top builders these days are golden. However Yami has the market share for a reason. My 250 SHO was a marvel of balance between performance and reliability from top to bottom.


Yep, I wouldnt even consider anything else(maybe Honda or Zuke) on the new boat Im looking for.


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## saltaholic (Feb 19, 2005)

It will always be a Ford vs Chevy argument but the price, warranty and closest service center should play a big role in the decision.


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## Cavjock22 (Jan 5, 2008)

SHO 250 with 198 hrs, 2 years old...
Not a problem with anything... Love the engine.


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## bigfishtx (Jul 17, 2007)

250 SHO 16 mo old and it has been flawless. They are number 1 in 4 Strokes for a reason.


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## sotexhookset (Jun 4, 2011)

250 CHO with 230 hours. Has only been in the shop for scheduled maintenance.


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

I have one with about 330 hours on it, and it's true that the early year models had lower unit problems. I blew mine up with about 150 hours on it, and yamaha replaced the entire unit with a new one. 

it also made oil when it was new, and these motors are still doing this. The main ***** I have about the SHO is the **** bolts and components that didn't use a high grade stainless. I have rust on washers, with the bolt that goes through them being in pristine condition. That's a materials issue, not a maintenance issue. The main pin that connects the tilt cylinder to the motor is also rusting. The anodes that come on the motor are tiny, and have too shot of a life. In an effort to get the lightest weight motor, they did some stupid **** for certain. Put a regular anode on the friggen thing, yamaha!

performance is good with the motor. I believe the 250 I have is putting out closer to 300 HP than it is to 250.

I think like mentioned before, the first couple years on a new design are going to have issues. I will never buy another motor that hasn't been out for at least two years.


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## gozag (Apr 3, 2013)

200 SHO Just rolled 200 hrs. Not one issue only been in the shop for service, been run pretty hard in those 200 Hours. On a 23 Shoalwater cat


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## blindhawg (Jul 6, 2016)

Just sold my Xtreme with close to 600 hours on a 250SHO. Only problem I had a few years back was because I didn't take it in for a service bulletin they had out for a main seal hold-down kit they were putting on them. It blew the main seal out the top with some oil. My fault for not taking it in to fix a known problem. Other than that, zero problem. 

Look at resale value and how quickly any said boat with a Yamaha sells compared to an Evinrude


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## EvansMarine (Jun 7, 2010)

blindhawg said:


> Just sold my Xtreme with close to 600 hours on a 250SHO. Only problem I had a few years back was because I didn't take it in for a service bulletin they had out for a main seal hold-down kit they were putting on them. It blew the main seal out the top with some oil. My fault for not taking it in to fix a known problem. Other than that, zero problem.
> 
> Look at resale value and how quickly any said boat with a Yamaha sells compared to an Evinrude


This^^^^^^


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## Saylin (Jun 30, 2016)

Man I had no idea people were having so many problems with their Etecs. 

I can say my 4 stroke Yam feels just about bulletproof


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

Saylin said:


> Man I had no idea people were having so many problems with their Etecs.
> 
> I can say my 4 stroke Yam feels just about bulletproof


Remember, the 2 with problems posted on this thread were from the first couple of years, they changed the design in about '09 to clean up these issues. People running the newer ones rarely have problems that they didn't have something to do with, like running with low water pressure. The SHO is a solid motor, no doubt about that.


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

I have about 600-700 hours on my 2012 Etec....lots and lots and lots of scary shallow operation with less than perfect water pressure and lots and lots of scary shallow hole shots. Not one hiccup. Water pump has 250 hours on it....


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## 21shoalwater (Sep 8, 2015)

Run a 225 sho and no problems, pretty good on fuel too.


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## Cap'n Crunch (Aug 3, 2007)

Bit the bullet and bought another E Tec 200HO. Shallow Sport wouldn't support anything over 200, and the old one pushed my 21' Sport just fine. From what I've read, E Tecs hit the market in 2004. Mine was a 2006. Gen 2s hit the market in 2015. I went with the Gen 1. Just can't get the warm and fuzzys around the looks of the Gen 2 and, considering the problems I had with my "second year of a new model" Gen 1, I didn't want history to repeat itself. Shopped it hard and Chris at Coastal Bend POC came through with a great deal. Wish me luck and thanks to all who contributed to this discussion.

Crunch out


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## jaime1982 (Aug 25, 2009)

So your first etec was a piece of garbage and you bought another etec? 

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## BATWING (May 9, 2008)

Classic LOL


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

jaime1982 said:


> So your first etec was a piece of garbage and you bought another etec?
> 
> Sent from my Samsung S7 via Tapatalk


Pretty sure he stated why he did, he bought one of the first ones they made, they have since corrected many of the problems, so he bought another one. I have the exact motor he bought, minus 2 years, all it does is run.


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## fishin shallow (Jul 31, 2005)

I had an '08 ETEC. Blown powerhead and other issues

Now have a '15 ETEC. Never second guessed decision


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## SuddenJerk (May 12, 2014)

250 SHO with about 150hrs and 2 years old and no problems at all. This motor has some serious balls.


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## Cap'n Crunch (Aug 3, 2007)

Jamie1982 -

I've had Yamahas that were POS's, too. I'm 59. I had my first Merc at age 15 before I was old enough to have a driver's license. After my 1991 OX66's 250 counter rotates turned out to be sh** equipment I turned around and bought new Yammys from John Meeks, God rest his soul. I'm looking at a Yammy 25 on my jon boat as I type. Kinda. Truth is I have to look a the keys when I type. I understand that the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". However, I also understand that, as with many things in life, sh** happens. The workaround is to not let yourself get blindly cockbloc*ed and prevent yourself from making informed future decisions based on all of the facts, not just some. Had I done that I'd not have posted this thread in the first place. And in reading it, I see plenty of history in this thread that have had problems, and plenty that have had success. Truth is I bought a second year production of a new concept motor. I see plenty of second year problems with SHO's in this thread when they were new concept motors. Which is exactly why I bought the Gen1 and not the 2.25 year old new concept Gen 2. The Gen 2 is not proven yet, in my mind. That, and the fact I'd think they're ugly and I'd have to close my eyes to wash it.

Since posting I've heard the Yammy slams from other dealers. However, one suggested that it may seem like there are more Yammy problems out there simply because there's more Yammys out there. A fact that I find believable, a fact that helped me make my informed decision.

Thanks for posting. Your opinion, like all on this thread, is definitely appreciated, and you bring up a valid point. I pondered over that very issue for quite some time, and actually it caused me to post this thread in the first place. But ultimately, I absolutely loved running my E Tec when it wasn't having problems. And my problems represented a few days of problems during many years of enjoyment. Chris priced the new one right, it came with free rigging, and a 6 year warranty. I have no crystal ball, but at age 59 I call a 6 year warranty a "lifetime warranty".

Crunch Out

drop mic


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## catsalesman (Jul 11, 2012)

Had a 2011 250 SHO on a bassboat that had 347 hours on it when I sold it and it is still going strong. Currently have a 2013 SHO with 100 hours and so far it has been perfect.


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