About: Four-stroking

Four-stroking is a condition of two-stroke engines where combustion occurs every four strokes or more, rather than every two. Though normal in some instances at idle, extremely high engine speeds, and when letting off the throttle, such firing is uneven, noisy and may, in cases of malfunction, damage the engine if allowed to continue unabated. In chain saw operation, where natural fluctuation of chain bite during a cut can cause momentary over-revving, the full throttle mixture is adjusted for four-stroking to occur at a set high rpm, cutting engine speed and enriching lubrication.