Outboard Longevity

Snookerd · #1 03-11-2003, 02:17 PM

What is the scoop on how long the new motors are going to run? I hear the Suzi DF140 runs 5000 hrs. on the seatow boats. I want to know which motor dies the quickest,from worst to best in life expectancy. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

JohnS · #2 03-11-2003, 03:15 PM

All in all, the 4 strokes will give you more hours if you take care of them and run synthetic oil in them, just like a car. The two strokes will last a long time as well, as long as you take care of them but, they will not last as long as the 4 strokes. It will all depend on how you treat them. Be nice to them, baby them, give them lots of love, and they will love you back.

There are so many different opinions on who makes the better motor, it is hard to say actually who does, if anyone. At one time of another, every manufacturer has a problem, just depends on who has it and when. You might buy something that will last a long time and never give you one problem. The guy that buys the very next one off the production line might have the worst luck he has ever had.....

John

Snookerd · #3 03-11-2003, 03:23 PM

Thanks John. If the 2 stroke is inherently going to die faster, then the best plan is for a 4 stroke for the most use for your money. Most people are not going to run every day or even close. So longevity doesn't matter as much to them.

ScottM · #4 03-11-2003, 04:17 PM

Snookerd,
Remember total cost of ownership here. The 2-stroke vs. 4-stroke thing is similar to the gas vs. diesel argument for inboards. If you're only using a boat 50-100 hours per year like many people in the Northeast, the additional cost of the 4-stroke, including a more rigorous maintenance schedule, may never be recovered when compared to the cost of a similar size 2-stroke. On the flip side, if, like SeaTow, you're running every day of the year, the 4-strokes are a no-brainer.

barnacle · #5 03-11-2003, 05:03 PM

Sea tow in New Jersey is starting to use the Evinrude DI engines. Be sure to look at the cost of the upkeep with a 4 stroke. Also you need to think that these 4 strokes are not like your car. These engines make there hp at very high rpms. THe 140's are a 6,000 rpm motor. Thats alot of rpms.

Mark · #6 03-11-2003, 06:01 PM

I've enjoyed reading the for/against posts by the various members regarding which engines are best, most durable, lightest weight, etc. As is usually the case, there are diehard believers in both camps who would like to promote their own choice of engine while drawing attention to the faults of the competitors outboards without acknowledging that all manufacturers usually have both strengths and weaknesses.

I have yet to read a post by an OWNER of an HPDI, Honda, Suzuki, etc. that did not really like their engine. If you currently OWN an engine that you are really having problems with, lets hear about it. However, speculative talk of potential problems have never caused me to catch less fish.

Let's hear from that member that actually used a stainless prop on a Suzuki 140 and ruined his engine when he hit an oyster bed... being in the market for that engine, I'm all ears.