Can worn crank seals on a scooter cause a loss of power?

Question

So my scooter (1999 italjet torpedo 50) is cutting out when under load. I took it to a mechanic (the only one in the area that will work on italjets) and after quite a bit of diagnostic work, he's telling me that the cause of the problem is bad crank seals. I know nothing about fixing scooters, so I was just wondering if his diagnosis makes sense or if he's just telling me some b.s. to charge me a bunch of money for all the diagnostic time. The reason that I'm a bit suspicious is because after talking to him several times, there were some inconsistencies in his explanations. Thanks in advance for any input.

Answer 1

OH YES!

A well sealed crank case is mandatory for a two-stroke engine. A two-stroke engine draws the fuel mixture into the crankcase when the piston moves toward the cylinder head. If the seals on the crankcase are leaking, then you are not drawing in the proper fuel mixture and are pulling air into the crankcase past the bad seals as well.

When the piston is moving back from the cylinder head after combustion, the piston should be forcing the fresh fuel mixture into the cylinder, but this can not happen if your fuel mixture is being forced out a bad seal.

The result, a seemingly good idling bike with no power.

Get the bikes crankcase resealed and have some more fun with it.

Check out the link below for a animated two-stroke engine.

Ride Safe

Answer 2

air leaks are deadly to 2 cycle horsepower

Answer 3

Compression is everything to a 2-stroke. In this design, the entire engine block is used to build compression.  A leak in any seal will cause a loss of compression, a disruption in the cycle of incoming fuel mixture, outgoing spent exhaust, etc.

If all else fails, call a dealership with experience on these bikes, and see if your mechanics diagnosis is plausible. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

answer to your question, YEP !!!