Average motor life ???

[thebulldog]

Hello sailors & boaters ....

What is the average engine life of a 2 cycle 40-90 hp that has had normal care, tuneups and good winter/off season storage ?

Many Thanks in advance, the next round is on me !

 

[CWKboat]

Re: Average motor life ???

I've never had any engine newer than a 1976 if that helps any. The key is to keep the cooling and fuel systems at optimum performance and a fuel filter is a must as a blocked jet = no oil in a 2 stroke. There's an old adage that outboards die from non-use and owner negligence more than they wear out. The weakest link is usually the ignition system, and the powerhead itself should last hundreds of hours if not more provided the maintenance is religious on the fuel and cooling system, in combination with good oil.

Also, you never want the engine to "lug" at Wide Open Throttle and the engine must be propped to make the prescribed WOT RPM range for a specific motor. Lugging produces detonation which eventually kills any motor.

 

[JB]

Re: Average motor life ???

There are many outboards in normal service with thousands of hours on them.

In 60 years I never saw an outboard wear out. I have seen many die of abuse or neglect or have a part failure.

With TLC and no part failure I would expect an outboard to last many thousands of hours.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Average motor life ???

Agree with above as there are plenty of 30+ yr motors out there still going strong

 

[sschefer]

Re: Average motor life ???

While all the preceding responses are true, they equate to how long a motor could last if your knowledgeable enough. I agree 100% with the conclusions.

However, I suspect your looking to buy a used motor and are wondering how many hours constitute a red flag. If that's the case, the average life of a motor is 500-750 hours because of owner misunderstanding, abuse and neglect.

 

[steam_mill]

Re: Average motor life ???

I've heard that rings will wear out at some point between 2500 to 5000 hours.

I've heard commercial outboards last about this long.....

 

[saumon]

Re: Average motor life ???

I've heard that rings will wear out at some point between 2500 to 5000 hours.

I've heard commercial outboards last about this long.....

As JB said, they never reach this point. In northern US and Canada with the 6 month fishing/boating season, the AVERAGE hours put on outboard is 50 hours/year. That mean 20 years to reach 1000 hours or 50 years to reach the 2500 hours mark. Odds are the engine will get a clogged carb, shred impeller, electrical failure, name it, long before that point.