If you think Thai mechanics are bad think again

[DaweiBeach]

Proper way of running/in a 2 stroke engine in Myanmar amongst Myanmar mechanics is letting the engine idle for 2 days straight while now and then throwing some water at it so it doesnt overheat. I am going to wait to hear stories out of Thailand that come close to anything that "strange". So if you complain about Thai mechanics than be thankful you dont live in Myanmar. If anyone has a story of more insane mechanical work in Thailand let me hear it.

[DaweiBeach]

To clarify. Letting the engine idle for two days straight is how they run in a rebuilt 2 stroke engine (new piston + rings + cylinder boring). I forgot to mention that.

To make it even worse: They don´t care at all about running in 4 stroke engines. Or taking it slow while the engine is cold.

Does my head in.

My poor motorbike (Yamaha DT200R) is going through this process at the moment.

Edited March 9, 2016 by DaweiBeach

[eisfeld]

Guess the logic is: if it survived that, it'll survive everything else as well

[kiniyow]

Been doing this for years..Must know the importance of Cooling for longetivity

[papa al]

You seem to be suggesting that their 2T method does not work well.

Maybe you even have evidence of that?

Or maybe you are just promoting your own biases?

papa wonders....

Since 1966 papa has been trying to determine the best way to break-in an engine:

a plethora of opinions; a dearth of data.

[DaweiBeach]

So running an engine at idle for 2×12 hours seems like a sensible thing to you then?

There are a lot of opinions on how to run in 2t and 4t engines but surely idle for 24 hours is extreme. I dont think you will find anyone in the west who does that.

Most people in the west let the engine idle for maybe 2x 15 minutes after finishing the rebuild. Then they proceed by riding the bike with low but varying rpms and then slowly increase speed/rpm/load after some kilometers.

I thought that was the standart way to do it.

[papa al]

1. You think there is some 'standard way.' ?

2. Do the guys get poor results with their method?

3. "two days straight" " idle for 24 hours"

Which is it?

[DaweiBeach]

24 hours in this case means 2x12 hours since they obviously dont work at night. So if they idle them for two days, it means a total of about 24 hours.

If the results are good or not depends on way too many factors so no one can judge if the life span of a piston by the run in method alone.

[papa al]

24 hours in this case means 2x12 hours since they obviously dont work at night. So if they idle them for two days, it means a total of about 24 hours.

If the results are good or not depends on way too many factors so no one can judge if the life span of a piston by the run in method alone.

Exactly!

No one knows.

Certainly not papa.

Life span of the piston is not a criterion of optimal break-in tho, rather ring-to-wall 'seating'

and avoidance of glazing.

But if you hold so strongly to the western bias, why are you having them do it their way?.

It's your bike, why not break it in according to your own preconceptions.?

[canathai8]

"Proper way of running/in a 2 stroke engine in Myanmar amongst Myanmar mechanics is letting the engine idle for 2 days straight while now and then throwing some water at it so it doesn't overheat.."

That's how they treated YINGLUCK TOO

[DaweiBeach]

Papa. I would run it in myself if it wasnt for the various other things that need to be fixed after run in is finished.

[AllanB]

Just how many of these "Myanmar Mechanics" do this and in what region? Sounds like many other generalisations we get to hear about...once?

It seems unlikely that many in this cash strapped country would waste gallons of fuel doing this and I am not sure you could do this anyway, it would likely oil up the plug and stop. Unless they stood there and revved it.... using even more fuel.

Where did you get this story from, is it in one of their official WS manuals?

[papa al]

Just how many of these "Myanmar Mechanics" do this and in what region? Sounds like many other generalisations we get to hear about...once?

It seems unlikely that many in this cash strapped country would waste gallons of fuel doing this and I am not sure you could do this anyway, it would likely oil up the plug and stop. Unless they stood there and revved it.... using even more fuel.

Where did you get this story from, is it in one of their official WS manuals?

Thank you for the insightful post.

[puukao]

the worst!!! I asked for an oil change and they welded my engine to the roof of my car!!! I said I needed new tires and they put on steel square "tires". I said, "the windshield needs cleaned"...so they took out all the windows and threw them in the moat!!!!

and this was on a good day!!!!!

[Throttled]

While opinions differ as to proper break-in procedure, those opinions generally vary in terms of duration and load factor (i.e. the argument over how and when the bike should be run at redline, or the 'hard' break-in vs the manufacturer's gentler recommendations). What isn't in debate is the fact that proper heat cycles (meaning the bike is allowed to fully cool down before being run again when the engine is new) and running under a varying loads are necessary- I have a hard time believing that even Myanmmar mechanics wouldn't have such a basic understanding of what's necessary- don't they have the Internet there?

[DaweiBeach]

I am livng in Myanmar (Myitkyina, Kachin State) for almost 3 years now and can safely tell you that all workshops in my town do this. Most of the workshop owners come from lower Myanmar so I assume it is done like this everywhere. My motorbike is going through this at the moment so it is definitly not hearsay. I wouldnt believe it eiher because it is so strange. If you ever come to Myanmar you can look aound the bigger workshops and you will more likely than not find a Yamaha DT idling somewhere. That is a bike that just got its top-end rebuild.

[DaweiBeach]

Myanmar mechanics use the internet nowadays via their smartphones but obviously dont have the abilities to read mechanical English instructions.

[DaweiBeach]

What i am planing to do after I get my bike is taking it slow for the first day and then increasing speed gradually hoping no harm is done by ther idling.

This method of running in rebuild 2t engines has been used for many many years so I am hoping that at least it doesnt do any serious harm.

I am simply to polite to tell them that their way of running in engines is non-sense because that would mean that they did their job wrong for years. Myanmar mechanics are not bad by the way. Some of them are very talented but they simply lack some decent training and theoretical knowlege.

By the way Myanmar might be poor but Yamaha Dt 125s of the early 90s are very popular despite costing around 3.5 million kyat if they are in good condition. Which is around 3000 USD. So owners of these bikes definitly arent poor.

[DaweiBeach]

Wanted to pick up motorbike today and was told something was wrong with it when mechanic made a test ride. Was being told piston is too big. Unbelievable. And that after two days of letting it idle. If the bored cylinder and piston dont match up then how can the mechanic overlook this when re-installing everything? So annoyed by this.

[surat04]

Wanted to pick up motorbike today and was told something was wrong with it when mechanic made a test ride. Was being told piston is too big. Unbelievable. And that after two days of letting it idle. If the bored cylinder and piston dont match up then how can the mechanic overlook this when re-installing everything? So annoyed by this.

I owned a DT200WR. when you changed the piston it was just a matter of going to the next size. OEM was "A" so when that was worn you ordered "B".

Was it an original Yamaha piston they used?

[DaweiBeach]

Yes. They went to the next size. Previously it was size 100. Then they bored the cylinder and put in a size 125 piston(next biggest size after 100). Then they reintalled and let it idle for around 24 hours spread over two days. Today when the mechanic made a test ride he noticed something was wrong (noisy) and stripped everything off again. He claimed piston was too big so didnt run well. Now he is asking for advice from other workshops. No idea when I will get back my bike since all the other things that need fixing havet been done yet either. (New sprocket, new fluids, oil seal to stop transmission oil leak, "cleaning" the powervalve, fixing signal indicators)

[surat04]

The 200r must be totally different to the 200wr as there was no reboring when I had mine changed.

[DaweiBeach]

Could be that the dt200wr has a plated cylinder. Or you were lucky enough and the piston was changed before it caused damage to the walls. The previous owner of my bike probabaly didnt care about the bike and didnt change piston even though it was obviously starting to degrade. That would also explain the poor general shape of my bike. Bad signal indicators, sprocket, etc

[surat04]

Could be that the dt200wr has a plated cylinder. Or you were lucky enough and the piston was changed before it caused damage to the walls. The previous owner of my bike probabaly didnt care about the bike and didnt change piston even though it was obviously starting to degrade. That would also explain the poor general shape of my bike. Bad signal indicators, sprocket, etc

Yes plated/lined cylinder.

[DaweiBeach]

The most frustrating thing is that I just bought the bike and have only ridden it for a max of 3-5km. Now I am stuck waiting for it to be finished but it keeps dragging on forever.

Edited March 11, 2016 by DaweiBeach