How To Tell If Bottom End Is Bad On Your 2 Stroke Dirt Bike

Wondering if your 2 stroke dirt bike has a bad bottom-end? This article will help you figure that out, how to inspect it, as well as how to help prevent it from happening sooner. 

2 stroke bottom end noise

Do you hear a whining or a grinding noise in your engine while riding? There’s a chance it may be the bottom end. 

Unfortunately, it’s hard to know for sure without taking the engine apart. With that said, if there’s a new noise that’s getting louder, you need to stop riding and figure out what’s causing it. 

Continuing to ride with a loud noise may end in your engine blowing up and resulting in a major crash or getting stranded. 

When to replace bottom end on a 2 stroke

If the crank has seized, then you absolutely need to replace the bottom end. If the bearings are worn out or the rod is bent, then it will either need to be rebuilt or replaced.

How long does a 2 stroke bottom end last

The bottom-end crankshaft will last longer than the top-end, but the exact amount of hours is not certain. It really depends on how you ride and how well you maintain your 2 stroke dirt bike.

You may have to rebuild the bottom end every other time you rebuild the top-end. On the flip side, you may get 500+ hours on the stock bottom-end.

The harder you ride (high RPM), the shorter it will last. Also, not using enough 2 stroke oil or having a clean and properly oiled air filter will greatly reduce the life of the bottom-end.

Funny story

Bad crank bearing symptoms 2 stroke

Bad crank bearings can make extra engine noise when they’re bad. They size the bottom end sooner than later if not replaced. Worn bearings will also have extra movement when installed in the crankcases.

How to check crank bearings on a 2 stroke

You must have the top-end removed from the engine. This includes the cylinder and head. 

To check the crank bearings, simply wiggle the crankshaft connecting rod. There should be zero movement up and down, but a small amount of side-to-side play in it. 

How to tell if a 2 stroke engine is blown

It can be difficult to tell if your engine is blown up for sure without taking it apart. With that said, here are the most common symptoms of a blown 2 stroke engine:

• Engine seized (won’t crank over)
• Bike won’t start
• Starts but doesn’t want to stay running
• Power is significantly less
• Fouled spark plug

How do you know when your 2 stroke dirt bike needs rebuilding?

If the engine is seized or the compression is low, then it’s time to rebuild your 2 stroke engine. It may only need a new piston ring (or 2), but it could need a new piston kit and/or a crankshaft rebuild. 

The only way to tell for certain is to start tearing down the top-end for inspection. 

2 stroke worn top end symptoms

A worn top-end will generally have low compression, foul spark plugs, be down on power, and is harder to start. 

What causes a 2 stroke to lose compression?

Wear and tear on the engine is what causes any dirt bike engine to start losing compression. However, there’s other factors, and they can be prevented if you pay attention and do some simple maintenance. 

For one, you need to keep the air filter clean. Running a dirty air filter for too long will cause dirt to get into the engine. Why is this bad? Because dirt eats away at the metal and causes it to wear out much faster than an engine that has clean air running through it. 

How to prevent catastrophic engine failures

Having an engine break down on you sucks, but what’s worse is when it happens while you’re out riding miles away from your truck or camp. That’s why I want to show you 3 simple tips to help prevent this from happening with my free guide. Click here to download it.