WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

zlman1970

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
Messages
47
Guy at work, resident boat genious. He says he tools around an area lake at WOT for an hour or more. I say he's doing long term damage, he says their made for it. Guy kind of gets under my skin anyway so mostly we argue because thats what we do but who's right?
 

foodfisher

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Feb 18, 2009
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

Wot is supposedly the sweet spot. I think you owe him a beer.
 

JoLin

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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

Wot is supposedly the sweet spot. I think you owe him a beer.

Sorry, but disagree. Whether car or boat, 2-stroke or 4-troke, I've never heard of an engine that'll last as long (hours-wise) at WOT as it will at more moderate rpm's.

My .02
 

spdracr39

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Aug 30, 2010
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

You might as well be asking what is the best type of oil to use. You will never get a consensus on this question.
 

zlman1970

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Jul 10, 2012
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

You might as well be asking what is the best type of oil to use. You will never get a consensus on this question.

What brand did you say was best, hahaha.
Well to each his own then. My boat, I like to open 'er up but I'm not holding it there for an hour.
 

26aftcab454

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May 12, 2009
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

if it is an i/o the outdrive may get too hot unless you dunk it or drive shower.
 

haulnazz15

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Mar 9, 2009
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

I don't know anyone who runs their boat at WOT for an hour straight, unless they are sponsored in an offshore racing event. I don't run mine for more than a minute or two at WOT, but would not feel terrible about a 5 minute run. Longer than that and it's just being hard on the engine. Full load on an engine at close to 5k roms on an I/O is tough enough without doing it for an hour. The lube in the drives would be very hot without an oil cooler and drive shower.
 

T_Herrod

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Apr 1, 2012
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

I say to each their own. I think an engine that is used gently will outlast one that if hammered all the time.
 

BonairII

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2,727
Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

I haven't ever heard of a 2-stroke dying from too much WOT. I run mine at WOT all the time, but certainly not for an hour as my fishing holes are only 5-15mins from each other.

Remember WOT is NOT redlining it. Take my motor for example....recommended operating range is 5200-5800rpm(per Evinrude). I don't believe for a minute that this motor is at it's max at 5800rpm. No motor maker is going to list the motor's "redline rpm" as part of the 'recommended' range.

Motors(whether marine or automotive) are capable of much more than than the manufacturers set them up for. I would guess that 99.999% of all 'retail' motors are running at 70-80% of their true max hp capability.
 

coolbri70

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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

would you run your chainsaw or weed wacker at half throttle, how bout your leaf blower? i run my 2 strokes full trigger. they were designed for it, some 4 strokes too. ever run your mower set to the rabbit for an hour? i do every other week. it only matters when there is no load to keep it from over reving and the redline is exceeded things will fly apart throwing rods and such
 

BonairII

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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

would you run your chainsaw or weed wacker at half throttle, how bout your leaf blower? i run my 2 strokes full trigger. they were designed for it, some 4 strokes too. ever run your mower set to the rabbit for an hour? i do every other week. it only matters when there is no load to keep it from over reving and the redline is exceeded things will fly apart throwing rods and such

Good examples there. Lawn mowers are run full throttle their whole lives and are mistreated by 99% of all owner's. They are lugged(mowing tall grass to fast) often and operate in very warm weather. Not many people EVER change the oil in them either.
 

UncleWillie

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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

Good examples there. Lawn mowers are run full throttle their whole lives and are mistreated by 99% of all owner's. They are lugged(mowing tall grass to fast) often and operate in very warm weather. Not many people EVER change the oil in them either.

Your lawn mower has an RPM Governor in it.
Push the lever to the "Rabbit and you get a preset RPM.
It is well below WOT!
When you hit the tall grass, the throttle opens up to increase power, but the RPMs stay the same.
Push on that long skinny spring by the Carb on your lawn mower and you will hear what WOT sounds like.
It WILL Scream!

Chain saws and weed whackers are constantly returning to idle.
If it takes you more than 5 minutes at WOT to cut through a tree, you need a bigger saw!

Dig into the Boat Engines Manufacturers recommendations and you will find 70% throttle recommended for extended use with five minutes at WOT allowed occasionally.
 

BonairII

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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

Your lawn mower has an RPM Governor in it.
Push the lever to the "Rabbit and you get a preset RPM.
It is well below WOT!
When you hit the tall grass, the throttle opens up to increase power, but the RPMs stay the same.
Push on that long skinny spring by the Carb on your lawn mower and you will hear what WOT sounds like.
It WILL Scream!

Chain saws and weed whackers are constantly returning to idle.
If it takes you more than 5 minutes at WOT to cut through a tree, you need a bigger saw!

Dig into the Boat Engines Manufacturers recommendations and you will find 70% throttle recommended for extended use with five minutes at WOT allowed occasionally.


Boats are kept at a preset rpm also......using the correct prop. Take the prop off and an outboard will scream too. :D

Having a dull mower blade(as many do)the mower bogs down pretty good when mowing too fast. I sharpen my blade a couple times a season btw. I would guess that 90% of all mower's are run on the original oil their whole life. Once they start burning oil...the owners will add some(but won't actually change the oil in it's entirety)

Weed whackers are "supposed" to return to idle, but most owner's only know 2 settings "hammer down!" and "off". I RARELY hit WOT with my weed trimmer....normally 'fast idle' will cut most weeds.

I'm not advocating running an outboard WOT all the time....I'm just stating that many outboards ARE, and very few(if any) "wear out".
 

saxrulez

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Apr 10, 2010
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

I rarely run WOT for more than a couple minutes, but never feel bad or guilty about it.

I definitely wouldn't run it for an hour at WOT, but I don't even give it a second thought to run WOT for a few minutes if I'm in a hurry or tubing, etc.
 

Oshkosh1

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Jun 8, 2009
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

I run WOT frequently...HOWEVER...I'm propped so that WOT is around 4k RPM...not MAX RPM. I run different props for different loads/tubing/cruising etc...

I throttle back to "cruise" at around 30 MPH to save fuel.

This simple straight 6 is as near to "bullet proof" as an engine can be though.
 

MH Hawker

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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

A 2 stroke is designed to run at a pre set rpm for max life and use and I run mine at WOT often for 2 plus hours at a time. Not running one at WOT is why most fowl plugs.
 

BonairII

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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

Not running one at WOT is why most fowl plugs.

I disagree here. Fouled plugs are most likely caused by running low rpms for extended periods. I would assume, though that running WOT occasionally will help clear plugs that are starting to load up.

Running WOT(whether often or just periodically) will also help clear deposits in carbs, injectors etc. It's good to put the hammer down in your car also for the same reason.
 

catfishcarl99

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Apr 25, 2012
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723
Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

hugh. never gave this much thought. but theres big lakes and rivers. why would there be a WOT if it was only intended for a few min?????

ive ran mine WOT for 20 min several times going from one end to the other of the long lake here. as long as the oil is quality, the motor is proped, right and impeller is working correctly i wouldnt worry about it.
 

gpfishingdude

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May 1, 2012
Messages
538
Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

I'm hoping that my throttle cable is adjusted so that mine doesn't really run WOT. I guess that is why it would be nice to have a tachometer. I think there are recommended ranges of RPMs that an intelligent person would try to stay under most of the time. Probably tells in the specs. for the motor.
 

Aquaman-PSD

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Apr 11, 2012
Messages
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Re: WOT, how long is too long to keep 'er pinned?

I ran mine at WOT for an hour and a half a couple times and it always seems to run better for a while after that. For me I always make sure she's good and warm before i really hammer on it. The last time a ran WOT for a long time was the 4th... 73 gallons of fuel later we were on the trailer :( probably won't be doing that for a while now!

A 2 stroke is designed to run at a pre set rpm for max life and use and I run mine at WOT often for 2 plus hours at a time. Not running one at WOT is why most fowl plugs.

Definitely agree. One of the boats I run on a lot has 3 2 stroke 250's on the back. Though the power is needed at times most of the time is spent cruising at idle with only the center motor running. We have to change plugs on that thing it seems like twice a season!
 
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