Should be no problem!

 

I would guess that if one or more major automotive manufacturers released a 2 stroke powered vehicle, you would soon see pumps for premixed 2 stroke fuel at your local filling station. Especially a volume seller like a full size pickup is equipped with such an engine.

 

All jokes aside, it wouldn't be premix as such would it? Oil injection.

 

For quite a few years, modern 2 stroke snowmobile and outboard engines have used oil injection systems to provide lubrication to the engines. A separate oil tank, holds the 2 stroke oil to feed the oil injection pump. They do not use a pre-mixed oil and fuel mixture.

Many now use computer controlled electronic oil pumps for variable rates. They also can use dedicated lines to directly lubricate main bearings on crankshafts and deliver oil into the intake air stream, exactly where they want it.

 

Our 86 Polaris Indy 440 had a separate tank for oil and it worked fine, til the engine seized up somehow. Though some people have discarded the oil injection on the modern 2 strokes in favor for pre mic, because it's less to go wrong. Even though you lose on a more precise measured amount of oil when needed. Having had an oil injected engine seize up first hand, I'm still a firm believer in pre-mix, cause it's less to go wrong and it's proven.

​​​​​​If these engines are anything like sled or dirt bike engines, they'll have a tuned pipe, which is a piece of work in itself. We may as well just skip going to 2 stroke in favor for full electric or something I'm fuel cell.

 

Seems like most of the comments think this is a joke.
It isn´t

Auto Industry Newsletter: Opposed-piston engine work is ?no joke? ? Achates

Stay tuned. We will for sure hear more from this project during 2017.

That research program has yielded a 2-stroke 3-cyl. (6-piston) engine that Achates will install in two demonstration vehicles later this year 2017. Images of the two test vehicles on a Powerpoint presentation suggest one vehicle is a Ford F-150 and the other a Chevrolet Suburban.

 

That's quite a few years ago... You'd think the oil/gas technology has improved in 30 years? OTOH, all the big outboard motors I've been seeing lately seem to be 4-stroke.

 

This thing looks interesting...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoQkTIfAB2U

One line in the video is "Oil consumption on part with 4-stroke engine". I don't think these things are lubricated like a conventional 2-stroke.

 

I, too, have some experience with a Fairbanks-Morse engine, but mine wasn't as favorable. The Santa Fe Railway had one of the locomotives Wikipedia says used the F-M engine "briefly". It was a miserable beast, leaked oil from every joint, and had little power. So, it was consigned to one job that happened only every few days during the summer, and sat idling the rest of the time.

And when we did use it the poor thing was so carboned up that it spewed red-hot carbon from the exhaust. In fact, we saw a fairly continuous line of grass fire follow us down the right-of-way.

 

Wow...what year was that engine made?

Was just on the Fairbanks-Morse website last night.

Opposed Piston Engine Model 38 8 1/8 | Fairbanks Morse Engine

Absolutely blows my mind that an engine designed in the 1930s and used extensively in WWII and the postwar period is STILL in production.

 

Well, my experience was in 1965 and this thing was was relegated to limited duty by then. So, that fits with Wiki saying it was built between '44 and '56:

 

Almost this engine which was fairly successful - lots of power in a small package.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3bj47TAYiU

 

Not really. I've read quite a few threads of newer 2 stroke boat engines that inject oil instead of mixing, and they do fail. That is why some just convert it back to pre-mix. I have no idea how these auto engines are supposed to be, no doubt they'll probably be more reliable than modern sled and outboard 2 stroke engines, but still its worth noting. But I've never heard of an efficient 2 stroke, neither gas nor diesel. Sure they can be made to be more efficient than other 2 strokes, but I'm skeptical. I know VW or some diesel maker was working on a modern 2 stroke diesel for autos and I believe making them in a hybrid.

 

Some sled drivers, maybe others, will still run at least some oil as premix in case the injector has a bad day, also to increase an oil ratio they consider to be based on reducing emissions, as opposed to good engineering. Opti-2 is normally mixed at 100-1 and would keep a piston from siezing up in case of injector failure.

 

I think it's safe to say you can throw out anything you know about conventional two-stroke engines. The article implies a traditional oiling system, and the video shows the intake and exhaust ports on opposite sides of the long cylinder. Meaning exhaust leaves next to the top piston, and intake air comes in above the bottom piston.

The intake charge doesn't circulate the crankcase like it does in a conventional 2-stroke, so this oil mixing discussion has no relevance. This isn't like anything ever seen in a consumer application.