Break in of a 2stroke outboard

[boater1234]

Well i have had a question i have been thinking about here lately on the breakin of my 15hp 2stroke yamaha outboard.I was wondering were and how do all the metal shavings of a 2stroke outboard exit the motor when it's getting broken in.I know with the lower unit the metal shavings break down as the gears mesh and all you do there is change the lower unit oil.Also with a 4stroke you can chance the lower unit oil as well as the engine oil to get rid of all the metal shavings or gunk that builds up.

Well what happens with a 2stroke since you can't change the oil?Do the shavings just dissolve or does a 2stroke work different then a 4stroke in that aspect.This is just a curious question i thought someone or a bunch of people would know cause i have no idea.I know the rings seat,then the pistons break in so i would think some smaller shavings must come off or does it happen adifferent way?Thanks for any info.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Breakin of a 2stroke outboard

Re: Breakin of a 2stroke outboard

The oil is constantly moving through the motor and out the exhaust.
Interesting fact; A new Evinrude Etec 2 stroke does not require a breakin.

 

[nwcove]

Re: Breakin of a 2stroke outboard

Re: Breakin of a 2stroke outboard

the metal shavings, are more like microscopic particles, and as steele said, they get blown ou the exhaust......and like any combustion engine, that process never stops, it just slows down after breakin

 

[robert graham]

Re: Breakin of a 2stroke outboard

Re: Breakin of a 2stroke outboard

The break-in on a 2 stroke is mostly the piston skirts and piston rings against the cylinder bores, so it's not like metal shavings and chunks of metal(hopefully). I believe a careful break-in is very important to a 2 stroke motor since the piston rings and bores have machined/honed surfaces that have to "wear or lap together" for an excellent seal. During the break-in period I believe it's easy for heat to build up in these areas. Good Luck!

 

[boater1234]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

Yes i hope so also[no big metal chunks].I have been doing research as far as breaking in any motor and i really thought the easier you took on the motor in the beginning of the breakin the better it would breakin.Well i have read a ton on a much controversial subject[what is the right and best way to break in a engine].I have come up with break it in hard[imo only],what i mean is not wide open out of the box but just vary the rpms up and down all the way to wot.I am breaking the motor in up to wot for a while then i let the motor cool down then go at it again.I really liked the motomans way of doing a breakin.I took that along with all the other stuff i read and decided to not baby it but do what it is intended for in the first place[run i hard but don't abuse it].I'm sure the outboards we buy go through some hard core testing even before they ever hit the boxes to ship out.

There was a guy on another forum that had over 5 brand new 2stroke engines since he was a kid and he just went full bore right out of the box and has never had one problem with any of his outboards and most of them are still going strong today.Almost makes you wonder if you really need to do a 10hr breakin on any engine.I also saw some tecs on another forum say the reason why the manuf wants you to do a breakin procedure their way is if it does have any problems they can catch it and try and correct it before you start going wot and do any major engine damage.[This info is not from me this is just what i read and i have no idea whether it's wrong or right.]Well i will just break it in hard and then have fun with it.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

Remember to use the double amount of 2 stroke oil for the first 10 hours. Not too long on the WOT!...let it cool down between runs!

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

There are 2 stroke motorcycle racers that claim by not running it hard from the get-go, you'll never get it to it's max potential.

 

[nwcove]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

like was mentioned above, give it lots of oil, let it warm up, run it at different speeds for a few minutes at a time, and dont be afraid to go to wot during the breakin.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

Just follow factory break in procedures and you'll be fine, check your owners manual for that and use 25:1 gas/oil ratio for first 10 hour break in. You can add 50:1 gas/oil ratio on top tank's 10 hour mix leftovers.

Happy Boating

 

[JimS123]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

I'll use an analogy - maybe it doesn't apply, but I'll tell the story anyway.

Buy a fairly expensive gun and shoot a box full of ammo while sighting it in the first time out. Then clean it and the next time you'll see accuracy of maybe 1 inch. I shoot one round, cool it down, clean the bore with solvent, followed by a patch with flitz polish. A box of 50 will literally take 3 days to get the gun sighted in. The result - "0" accuracy, i.e., all bullets go into the same hole.

I break in all my boats, whether it be an OB or an I/O in a 6 mph canal for the first few hours, varying the speed. Then never exceed 1/2 throttle in the open waters, except for small bursts of full throttle. Never go WOT for more than a few seconds until 10 hours.

I have a 3.0 liter I/O and my mechanic says its the smoothest he's ever seen. I've had a few people in the boat that thought I was running a V8.

I'll stick with what works for me and avoid buying used motors for daily running. To me its just common sense. Madison Avenue may tell you that breakin isn't important any more, but they just want you to buy new stuff. After all, if it runs perrrrrfexct, you'll probably keep it and they'll be out another sale.

The ONLY reason people don't follow common sense is because they are too impatient, too lazy, or don't care because they'll trade it in a few years anyway.

 

[boater1234]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

Yes sir robert,I run 25:1 for the first 10hrs in all the 2strokes no matter how hard or easy it's ran.

Jeffnick that is exactly what i have read about all engines especially outboards.

 

[boater1234]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

That is right jim if it works for you then why change it right.Here is were you missed what i was trying to say,most of these articles i have read think breaking in your outboard is the most critical and important time and you only have a very small time frame to do it right,that is why they really emphasize to break it in hard to seat the rings asap. I just read a few articles that mad a whole lot of sense to ME.Like you must put some pressure on the rings to seat them properly which means don't be afraid to hit the throttle.According to quite a few people in some other stuff i have read you only have a small window of opportunity to seat the rings.Most of the people said that taking it easy will not do so and will cause oil to sneak by the rings so i will go that route of breaking it in hard[like i said hard means varying the speeds up and down with no idleing in the beginning except for warming the outboard up for a few minutes]If i'm wrong so be it.They all said in the articles i read warming up the engine for at least 3-5 min is the single most important thing you can do to have a long engine life.

I will follow the breakin period as far as the 25:1 oil for 10hrs but as far as idleing it slow which i thought was the proper way and the only right way i will do it a different way as i have read alot of things to open my eyes and made alot of sense to me,i feel it will improve the rings seating properly and getting the most power and performance i can get out of my little 15hp yamaha.

I'm not saying in any way shape or form that these articles people have wrote are accurate or even close to right.I just think after hearing break it in easy or break it in hard [i feel breaking it in hard will do the most good for the outboard.]If it's all wrong it probally won't take long to notice a decline in my motors performance.Sometimes i need to just take a chance.If it as just one article or person saying breaking it in hard was right then i would probally stay clear of that,if you do a ton of research on breaking a engine in hard there is a ton of people,articles and tecs who support this way of doing the breakin.Alot of these people have actually tore down 2 different engines,one with a easy breakin and one with a hard breakin and the differences were unreal[P.S NOT JUST THE MOTOMANS SITE EITHER THERE WERE SOME MORE SUPPORTING A HARD BREAKIN]Well i guess if anyone else has some good info to add to this subject feel free to voice your opinion as i would like to hear how people feel on this subject.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

All too often we forget about the conventional wisdom that our Grandpas taught us. But of course, when they bought something it needed to last almost a lifetime. Today, we live in a disposable society. And, even if it works, its useless tomorrow becauuse we now need someting better.

Cars in the 1950's notoriously burned oil. We broke ours in in the city at 30 mph, and they never burned oil.

The guy that races and needs to get all of its potential doesn't care about its longevity. But think about it - how much more potential does he get? What is the last one hundredth of one percent going to buy you?

Grandpa also had another saying: "Believe only half of what you hear and only a quarter of what you read".

 

[boater1234]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

All good stuff jim but the outboards of today are built better then they were many yrs ago.I think they can handle more abuse without having many problems.I have talked to many yamaha,mercury etc...tecs who have been working on outboards for many many yrs and i belive they have quite a bit of knowledge with how an outboard works.What i find funny is the manual i got from yamaha hasn't been updated in who knows how many yrs.It's been the same for a long time but yet our outboards have improved over the yrs and have been better built for many yrs.I have merc manuals from the 6hp up to a 60hp 2stroke.The manuals are from 1995 to 2005[just different ones] and it only states you need to break in a outboard for one hr with double oil and vary the rpms.

Maybe in reality there is no real way of breaking in an outboard besides the double oil to extra lubricate the internals of the engine which makes perfect sense.Maybe they just want you to take it easy for the first 10hrs just in case if any kind of major damage happens to the motor it was at a lower rpm and may be repairable.Who really knows?Think about it if we were suppose to take it easy on an outboard from the start why in testing them do they put the outboards through hard running tests if you are not suppose to go wot for a few hrs.I watched a few videos on you tube were they showed several manufactures testing outboards before they leave the plant and they hammer those motors down as well as going through all the rpms.They usually test them for an hr according to what they were saying.That is quite a bit of running before we even get a motor.

So now one really knows if it takes 10hrs or one to fully break in an engine anymore.When i got my 1999 tohatsu 9.8hp 2stroke i didn't know a thing about outboards besides put double oil in it for an hr according to the manual.I never broke that outboard in as far as varying the rpms,didn't change the lower unit oil for like 7yrs,never changed the plugs for 7yrs or change the impeller for 7yrs because i didn't know any better and that was my first outboard i ever got new.I went full bore out of the box and never looked back.That outboard still is running like new today as my friend has it and it still to this day has never,ever had one problem.I was a younger kid and didn't have a clue on how to take care of an outboard except when i was done with the motor i always flushed it out from the salt water and coated it with a lubricant,powerhead and all.When i sold it in 2006 it looked and ran like new.I'm not saying i'm proud of what happened but all i'm trying to say is these little 2strokes are extremely tough.Once i realized what i need to do to keep an outboard up i now do religious maintenance on every outboard that i own.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

our outboards have improved over the yrs and have been better built for many yrs.I have merc manuals from the 6hp up to a 60hp 2stroke.The manuals are from 1995 to 2005

?Think about it if we were suppose to take it easy on an outboard from the start why in testing them do they put the outboards through hard running tests if you are not suppose to go wot for a few hrs.

So now one really knows if it takes 10hrs or one to fully break in an engine anymore.

We now have better electronics and more bells and whistles. But, the guts haven't changed in decades. I would venture to guess that a '95 powerhead (bearings, tolerances, etc.) is no different than a 2011. (With the exception of an E-Tec, but they are in a class by themselves)

Of course, they drill the crap out of them in the factory. I've seen it first hand and even worked with OMC Engineers. Why? First to find the weakest link so they can redesign it. And second, because they know that too many expert boaters can't read owner's manuals and will run the crap out of it themselves.....LOL.

Of course 10 hours aren't required. Maybe 2? 3? I dunno. But I just love the 10 hours because it gives me the excuse to go for all those boatrides in a short period of time.

Bottom line is everybody should do what makes them happy. Someday I might buy a new motor and run the crap out of it just for the fun of it. As i said before, the average Joe won't have it in a few years anyway, so why should he care. Looking over Craigslist just this morning and I saw 3 real nice rigs with the same line: "having a new baby and need to sell the boat".

 

[nwcove]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

"quote" All good stuff jim but the outboards of today are built better then they were many yrs ago.I think they can handle more abuse without having many problems.

have to disagree with the above quote! i wont be around to see....or not see it, but i doubt that there will be guys finding motors from the 21st century, in barns or basements, 50/60 years from now and replacing a few parts for a few bucks and having them work. (hope im wrong tho, its a great hobby)

 

[aerobat]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

There are 2 stroke motorcycle racers that claim by not running it hard from the get-go, you'll never get it to it's max potential.

yes, its a offensive therory but some thruth is in it and the basiscs are not to baby the engine. from a physical point of view every new engine breaks in but in nowadays it occours without attention of the driver and so , e.g etecs or many automotive manufacturers recommend to use it "normal" from the first minute. normal means a use with different loads and rpms without forcing it to the max for a longer period of time. this is perfect for running in. so etec gives more oil for protection and recommends to use it at all loads from first minute- the engine breaks in by itself whatever the driver does.

you have to force the engine to push the rings hard against the wall by combustion pressure for a perfect seal, but not the whole time to avoid hot spots on a "rough" wall when factory new. to baby the engine on break in risks glazing the cylinder walls.

so- also in my opinion. run the engine hard from first minute giving it burst of WOT , but not keeping it at full power all the time. some manufacturers disagree here , but mostly to avoid warranty issues when the driver pushes it too hard all the time, and its somekind of an old story when manufacturers ( in automotoive engines ) say that oil consumption of 1litre oil /1000 km is normal- which in today times is surely not.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

"quote" All good stuff jim but the outboards of today are built better then they were many yrs ago.I think they can handle more abuse without having many problems.

The crux here is what does "today" and "many years ago" mean. The OP cited 1995. IMO, that IS today as far as powerheads go.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

yes, its a offensive therory but some thruth is in it and the basiscs are not to baby the engine.

"normal" means a use with different loads and rpms without forcing it to the max for a longer period of time. so- also in my opinion. run the engine hard from first minute giving it burst of WOT , but not keeping it at full power all the time.

I think you have parroted the spirit of the owners manual.

Nobody ever recommendeed babying.

The OP's previous threads have pointed out he likes to run WOT most of the time. His motivation (I think) is to get approval to do that with a new motor without breaking it in according to the Manufacturer's guidelines.

So far only the racers writing articles have recommended that.

 

[boater1234]

Re: Break in of a 2stroke outboard

No i don't go wide open for long periods of time.What i meant in babying it was a marina down here in fl where i live said you should run all outboards in idle for at least the first hr and i thought he was correct so that is what i was gonna do.Then i just searched the net for weeks before even starting the motor for the first time.I only have one good chance to seat the rings properly so i wanted to make sure what i was doing was ok.When i started to search breaking in an outboard hard on the web i found a ton of different info then the guy was telling me.

So doing even more reasearch it seems that when a outboard is broke in to easy the rings do not seat right from what i have read.Also it seems that it will never reach its true max power on an easy breakin from what i have read.Is it true i have no idea but i have found alot more people following the harder breakin of outboards then doing what the manual says[i'm not saying that is the right thing to do]I'm just saying that is what more and more people are doing according to what i have read.Like i said there is a guy on another forum who went full bore from the box and they were all johnson 2strokes,smaller outboards,6hp to a 25hp.He clearly states he just flat out used and abused them from the box and never had one single problem ever.Is that right,again i'm not saying that but it makes you wonder if you really need to break in an outboard at all[besides the double oil of course] or for the 10hrs they want you to do it for.100%i agree you should use double oil if not a hair bit more on beakin just to make sure every milk and cranny of the interals is lubricated properly.

Well like i said i will do the best of both worlds,not wide open for a long period of time and i make sure to vary the rpms on every trip i go on for at least the first few hrs or so.I personally don't think you will hurt the outboard by not doing a breakin for 10hrs.The thing that almost every forum or article i read had im common was to make sure to properly warm the outboard up,there is only a small window to seat the rings and to make sure there is double oil in a 2stroke.Other the that i think all you need to do after that is vary the rpms as you wish for at least an hr or so.