Life Expectancy of a 4 Stroke Engine

A_FITZ

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Ok, so I just found out life expectancies of a 2 Stroke Engine on a motorized bike is . . . 600-3000 miles. Some people just reach 1000.

Mines already having problems.., and I just bought mine premade.

So I ask you with a humble question.....

How long have your engines lasted with these 4 strokes..?

I just felt like putting this for some reason.
 
In my experience, a 4 stroke engine will last several times as long as a 2 stroke engine, sometimes as much as 10 times longer. On the other hand, the top end on a 2 stroke, if you have the right one, can be quickly, easily, and cheaply rebuilt, while a 4 stroke is much harder, more time consuming, and anything but cheap.

To make a comparison, I have 2 scooters, both bought new. One is a Yamaha Vino 125 4 stroke. I have 14,000 miles on it, and have not had a single problem. Many people have put over 50,000 miles on these engines before having any problems.

My other scooter is a Genuine Stella, just bought new a couple of months ago. It is a 150cc 2 stroke, which failed on me at 400 miles. It was repaired under warranty, but according to all the scooter forums I belong to, 8,000-10,000 is the absolute max you can expect from a Stella top end. On the other hand, a new one costs $249, and you are back in business. A Yamaha motor cannot be rebuilt with new parts for what a scooter with 50,000+ miles is worth. You are looking at about $1200 worth of parts.

For a bicycle motor, considering the low cost, I am definitely going with a 4 stroke, as much for quietness as anything else.

One more thing. Not all 2 strokes are short lived. I managed to put 20,000 miles on a 50cc Tomos moped, and never even had the head off. It was still running great when I sold it. Build quality and quality of materials used seems to have a lot more to do with how long a 2 stroke lasts than a 4 stroke. My advice is whichever way you go, stay away from anything made in mainland China. 2 stroke or 4 stroke, it's all junk. Jerry.
 
I have Honda GX series with over 2000 miles and no signs of significant wear.

The Honda will out last any other lawn tool four stroke due the centrifugal filter effect from the oil dipper. It slings solids to the walls of the oil tank,only clean oil mist re enters engine.
 
Hi,

Normally I dislike Chinese products, however the HS 142 4-stroke motor is an exception. I have well over 4500 miles on mine and I know of one with over 7000 miles. It seems the biggest issue is finding the correct drive ratios and converting to American made drive systems.

Have fun,
 
theres fourstrokes over 100 years old that run.
theres two strokes over 100 years old that still run.

i still use a 30 year old 2 stroke brushcutter. no reason to get rid of it. thats 2 years older than i am!

onto my fourth chainsaw(2stroke) in three years.(2 oil pumps dead, one engine dead)

i had a huasheng fourstroke die for no reason after 500 km... ive got an os26 fourstroke that sat in a pine plantation for years unknown and runs beautifully now...

its a stupid question that is relative to the observer.

how much do you pay? how good are you at maintenance? how hard do you use it? how often? what types of fuels, oils are you using? what brand is the engine? is it stock or modified? do you garage it or leave it outside in the rain? what environment are you running it in? do you complain that its useless when something minor like a plug cap fails or a carbie springs a leak because you cant fix it?
 
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I think he was talking about the ht 2strokes...not 2strokes on general.

Realistically it depends on who made the engine, how hard you run them, how you break them in, and the oil ratio.

If all the right circumstances fall into line, you don't excessively abuse them, and you are lucky... You can get thousands of "trouble free" miles. But on the flipside you can also get one that came with a faulty carb and doesn't work out of the box.

Because of the qc and numerous manufacturers it's almost impossible to say with confidence how long one will last for sure. It's common to see 1000-3000 miles before they seize.

It basically comes down to "you get what you pay for".

The ht engines are fun to play with, but I wouldn't reccomend one for daily transportation. If you are going to ride your mb with any regularity buy a rs eho35 powered gebe kit... Its by far and above the best kit out there... As evident by the $600 price tag.
 
I've got a few thousand miles on my Robin E035 & it seems to be getting stronger. I run it WOT all the time. I change the oil every few hundred miles & use Premium gas w/no ethanol.
So far so good.
I just got a Lifan 152F 97cc engine yesterday & havent started it yet but will see how it holds up compared to the Robin.
-lowracer-
 
I've got a few thousand miles on my Robin E035 & it seems to be getting stronger. I run it WOT all the time. I change the oil every few hundred miles & use Premium gas w/no ethanol.
So far so good.
I just got a Lifan 152F 97cc engine yesterday & havent started it yet but will see how it holds up compared to the Robin.
-lowracer-

I'm guessing you will be pleased. I have two of them. I ran one for ~7000 miles give or take until I wrecked it in a snow storm. Always started and ran well. Odd part was that it was laying in the snow when I got to it.....still running.
 
ibdennyak
Not to get too far off topic here, but how did you hook up your throttle to the Lifan?
I started it up for the first time on the grass yesterday after adding oil & gas & it ran at full throttle for a few seconds until I shut it down. I didnt even realize it was on full since I am so used to the little Robin's higher RPM's. The lever throttle came jammed at the fast setting & I had to get it loosened up to get it to slide up to slow. I probably need to drill & cable stop mount for my bicycle cable to operate the throttle somewhere but wanted to see what others have done...(see pic)
Thanks
-lowracer-
 

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Ibdennyak -

I have been away from this forum for a while. Where did you get the engine plate that is displayed in your photo? I should get one...

Thanks,
MikeJ
 
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