Eli5 why does a two stroke engine’s oil tank need to be refilled rather frequently while a four stroke engine only needs its oil changed after a comparatively longer time?

Question

Eli5 why does a two stroke engine’s oil tank need to be refilled rather frequently while a four stroke engine only needs its oil changed after a comparatively longer time?

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Answer 1

In a two-stroke engine, the oil is mixed directly with the fuel — and so is burned off as part of the engine’s operation.

In a four-stroke engine, however, the oil is in a separate chamber and normally doesn’t burn off, so you only need to swap it out due to getting cruddy and gunky.