Replacing old 2 stroke with newer 4 stroke advice?

[flyingscott]

Get yourself the 4 stroke! They are certainly not considered disposable where I am. Yah gotta move with the times, I didn't even know they still made 2-strokes!

How many 4 strks have you seen rebuilt? Please point me to a 4 strk outboard rebuild kit?

 

[KJM]

How many 4 strks have you seen rebuilt? Please point me to a 4 strk outboard rebuild kit?

They are just so reliable they don't need to be rebuilt!

 

[flyingscott]

They are just so reliable they don't need to be rebuilt!

Lmfao at least you made me laugh.

 

[matt167]

A 4 stroke in proper maintenance lasts thousands of hours. 2 stroke doesn’t have that longevity, but they are easier to rebuild. Keep in mind a rebuild ‘kit’ is generally sourced from aftermarket suppliers. The bigger problem is with ECUs and sensors that become discontinued

 

[racerone]

Lots of electronic parts on newer 4 strokes and 2 strokes are listed as NLA.----So if you can't get that ECU during the season ???

 

[flyingscott]

A 4 stroke in proper maintenance lasts thousands of hours. 2 stroke doesn’t have that longevity, but they are easier to rebuild. Keep in mind a rebuild ‘kit’ is generally sourced from aftermarket suppliers. The bigger problem is with ECUs and sensors that become discontinued

Explain all the engines still running from the 50s, 60s and 70s and 80s and 90s. So what do you do with the motor you cannot get electronics for? How is that more reliable? Thank you for making my point for me and showing 4 strks are in fact disposable.

 

[racerone]

I do not believe the bearings in 4 strokes are up to the task of supporting a crankshaft in big waves.------Gyroscopic effect comes into it.-----Try holding a bicycle wheel in your hands.-----Have someone spin it and then try to move / change the position.----But 4 strokes do run nice when they are running.

 

[airshot]

They are just so reliable they don't need to be rebuilt!

Yet, wait another ten years or so and see what the price will be on a rebuilt, especially when shop rates will be 200 per hour or more. Look at how many two strokes still run perfect that are 40-50 years old, lets see how many four strokes are still running perfect after 40-50 years. Mabey they will be ok, I can't say, but I am not interested in being a guinea pig to find out.

 

[racerone]

I have paid for a 150 HP Yamaha 4 stroke outboard.--Getting water in the engine oil.-----Not that I really need or want one.-----But the price was a no brainer.-----I might need to spend time and effort and say $1000 on parts.----People who own these thing , like all things can afford to buy a new one.----I have seen my share of 4 strokes laying abandoned in yards.----And I have a few in the 10 / 15 / 50 HP range.---Might be picking up a 90 HP 4 stroke for the same reason as well.-----They were deemed not worth fixing at dealer labor rates.---One was a 15 HP , name starts with an " S " and a good looking motor.----Case of beer and take it home they said.

 

[KJM]

4 stroke engines in general are not new tech, they have been around forever. I recently sold a 4 stroke quad that was 20 yrs old, ran like a charm. All the added computer tech is on all new engines 2 or 4 stroke. Its sometimes hard to let go of the past and what you are used to but sometimes you just got to dive in.....

 

[matt167]

I think it comes down to different strokes for different folks, literally

 

[BWR1953]

I'll clarify something I said earlier in Post #13.

If I could afford a brand new boat, which was designed to handle the weight of a brand new 4-stroke outboard. I'd do that in a heartbeat.

But, I can't. So, I'm stuck with rebuilding/restoring old boats with "ancient engines." To the best of my limited ability.

 

[BWR1953]

I think it comes down to different strokes for different folks, literally

 

[airshot]

4 stroke engines in general are not new tech, they have been around forever. I recently sold a 4 stroke quad that was 20 yrs old, ran like a charm. All the added computer tech is on all new engines 2 or 4 stroke. Its sometimes hard to let go of the past and what you are used to but sometimes you just got to dive in.....

Not new tech at all, but the application is all new !! For decades we have been taught that 4 strokes should not be held at high rpm for long periods of time, to much mechanical and failures will occur. Now we are using OB motors at 6500 rpm for long periods of time ( boating) and we should expect no issues. All the performance engine builders have for years claimed fast engines were built to last a certain period of time, longer life equals slower performance etc. Now we are being sold on screaming four stroke outboards that will run forever with a 5 year warranty when consumers need them to run for 40-50 years. It just appears to me that they are shoving us into four strokes for a service they were not designed for kind of like the gov't is shoving us into EV's !! Telling us how wonderfull they are before they are proven.

 

[flyingscott]

4 stroke engines in general are not new tech, they have been around forever. I recently sold a 4 stroke quad that was 20 yrs old, ran like a charm. All the added computer tech is on all new engines 2 or 4 stroke. Its sometimes hard to let go of the past and what you are used to but sometimes you just got to dive in.....

Yup its hard to let go of cheap maintenance and parts availability. But if the strk you need is expensive oil changes and higher maintenance cost absolutely have at it. Don't forget the disposability of those engines that is definitely a selling point. As is the lack of torque yup better all the way around. 4 strks are not new technology either. So you think they could make one with more durability don't you?

 

[racerone]

Friend owned a marina and said that he loves the 4 strokes.-----Fork lift fee to take the boat out of the water.---Service work at 100/ hr.----Filters / oil / gear oil / sparkplugs add up to a hefty invoice.-----Well to do folks have no issue with this.

 

[KJM]

I think it comes down to different strokes for different folks, literally

Yeah, I guess that pretty much says it all.

 

[flyingscott]

2 kinds of people love their 4 strks.
rich people that money is no object
regular people who have not had to pay to have it serviced yet

 

[KJM]

2 kinds of people love their 4 strks.
rich people that money is no object
regular people who have not had to pay to have it serviced yet

Well I'm certainly not in the rich group, and you are right, I haven't had to pay to have anything serviced yet.

 

[guy48065]

Well I'll never have $12,000 to invest OR throw away on a brand new 120.
What about portable outboards?
Are there any 4-strokes in the 5-10hp range that are reliable and likely to still be humming along in 50 years?