BTW - one of my parts suppliers in Arkansas seems to think the weak link in these "sideways" engines is the rope starter housing letting water in and then the water seeping through the seal inside - kind of makes since - the 300's had kickstart as back up, and most of the 200's did not have a backup starting system. Can't say too much with the old ATC engines, JMO - they had too much floatation to submerge.

Still doesn't explain why the other makes are not effected as bad as the Hondas.

 

Good question. Have you ever sent the oil off to the lab? Might be a good idea to see what is in the muck. They can tell you what the exact content is.

 

Nearly all of the "smokers" I see can be attributed to air filter service. If you don't oil the filter properly after service, sand and grit can go right through it!! It's not a guess either when you can see the material embedded in the filter foam and in the venturi of the carb. And the filter is dry as a bone. This WILL take out rings very prematurely. This is not a new thing for me, I used to see it 15 years ago when three wheelers were popular, as much as I do now. Once your air box has been filled with water, the air filter gets "washed out" and needs to be serviced. As for the recoil theory, I would think if it leaks water through the seal, it would also leak oil externally.

 

My dealer told me the reason for Honda's smoking so bad after getting just a little water in the motor is becuase of what the rings are made of and the water breaks them down.

 

Thats a possible cause of this.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...a/f8d017b2.jpg

But I dont think all of this could of happend unless he ran it out of oil. About the only thing found in the bottom end was a bunch of metal shavings.

 

What is that in the picture?

 

A rancher piston.

 

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...1/f8d00b85.jpg

The other side.

 

I had to look at that photo again after reading what you wrote, piston.

My Recon has been around the sun 5 times and still shows no signs of oil usage or smoking but I do change the oil around every 25 hours and service the air fliter.

 

Thanks for the next picture and that explains it better.