Small Engine Repair

[DocRDS]

So for you motorheads, I spent too much time in match and science, and only got around to wood and metal shop. Now with some tools and tinkering, I've started on small engines. Are there good online vids/resources. I can pull stuff apart and clean it, have a basic idea of how things work but zero experience.

Just cleaned out my first carburetor and looking to pick up some skills so I don't lose $300 every time the mower doesn't start.

 

[chevy_man]

It's a mower. If it doesn't start drain the shit gas and fill with fresh.

Fixes 99% of the carb problems. I've found water in my gas every spring for 14 years. What finally killed my mower was the wife's friend running her truck through my shed. I never did a thing besides sharpen the blade. Changed the oil every few years when I thought about it.


They're not rocket science. What you will need if you want to get into it is the service manual for that specific motor for clearances and torque specs.
Although they're so low output that generally a few clicks of the 1/4” impact and "that's not quite rubbing" is enough to keep them going forever.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

The biggest thing that I've found with 'carbs' for small engines, be-it chainsaws, lawnmowers, snowblowers, etc. is the actual "fuel ports". They can get plugged up/gummed up with both bad gas, or age. One thing we have here in my locale, is 'extremes' regarding seasons. Lawnmowers don't get used for 6 months of the year, and the same for snowblowers. Ad nauseum.

So using good gas helps. Using good storage procedures helps. Running tanks dry makes a difference.

But working on 'other peoples stuff'... the problem most often is plugged fuel ports AND passages. Little tiny holes that run far up inside the castings. Point being, the hole that you see may be clear, but the passage way up inside might be gummed solid.

That and avoid the "tighten until it cracks, then back-off a 1/2 a turn". Torque values matter.

 

[BJames]

^^^ this. I used to fight a “free” snowblower a buddy of mine gave me a couple times a year. Rebuilt the carb multiple times, had it down to a science. Had a few rebuild kits on the shelf for the next time. Then I found I could buy a brand new carb for $60 or less if I shopped around on eBay. If you are wanting to learn internal combustion engines, that’s a great place to start, but constantly rebuilding them gets old quickly. They are about the simplest things on the planet. If you were anywhere near AK, I’d send you a “free” snow machine, so you could learn 2 strokes.

 

[Makinchips208]

Install a fuel filter on the lawn mower.
Stops grass and dirt from plugging the carb.

 

[Jscb1b]

Carb wise, at our shop rate of $85 an hour, it is cheaper to replace than try to clean. Sta-bil is great stuff. I run my tanks dry.

 

[n2ishun]

Just binge watch a bunch of these guys videos.
Pretty much all they do is random small engine stuff.
They *can* be amusing too.....sometimes, sometimes annoying in a "it gets old"kinda way...

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsandCameras/videos

 

[Marinevet1]

Use only ethanol free gas in your small engines...........you will have less trouble with them.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Watch Mustie1 on YouTube. He does a lot of small engine troubleshooting

 

[kenny1773]

find a forum specific to your small engine, best place to find experts

I see posted above that stabil works, and it does, but I ALSO add star brite star tron to the gas container I use to fill my mower. I buy fuel, I treat it the minute I get home.

Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment Gas Additive Small Engine

Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment is a multi-functional fuel additive that uses enzyme technology to stabilize fuel and make engines run smoothly and efficiently.

www.starbrite.com

untreated gas never gets inside my small engine gas tanks

I had an old motorcycle that I would have to rebuild the carbs on regularly until I found star tron

ethanlol free fuel is too hard to find, treating the fuel with both stabil and star tron products I have gone 2 years on fuel and its been fine.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

Use only ethanol free gas in your small engines...........you will have less trouble with them.

^^^^This x 100.

I run 91 octane non oxy in ALL my small engines and don’t have to worry about gas going bad over the course of season changes.

 

[NoDopes]

seafoam to treat/reserve gas... or next level shit... startron stabilizer.

edit: looks like somebody beat me to it on startron. It's good stuff.

 

[DocRDS]

Man i just wanted to tinker around. Was joking about the mowers. Got them shaped up. I do like playing with mechanical stuff just for fun.

 

[whatsupdoc]

If you want to minimize carb issues on small equipment always run the carb dry when you are not going to use the machine
for longer than 2 weeks.

 

[db2000]

Use only ethanol free gas in your small engines...........you will have less trouble with them.

^^^This 100% and Seafoam additive has fixed all my small engine carb issues. I use many of them only 1/2 the year. Some only a handful of times a year.
If you just want to tinker, make some money off the folks willing to spend it by putting a sign in your yard “small engine repair”

 

[Makinchips208]

Man i just wanted to tinker around. Was joking about the mowers. Got them shaped up. I do like playing with mechanical stuff just for fun.

Then take a perfectly normal running engine apart.
Reassemble it.
If you don’t end up with a few extra bolts or screws then you did something wrong.

Edit; better stop the engine first. Thanks @Sean the Nailer

 

[Jscb1b]

Buy two chainsaws. It doesn't matter the brand. Leave them alone for 3 or 4 months. Next time you check on them, you will have 50 of the fucking things. CAD is real.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Then take a perfectly normal running engine apart.
Reassemble it.
If you don’t end up with a few extra bolts or screws then you did something wrong.

Stop the engine first.

Or, film it for all to see!

 

[vh20]

Carb design matters. Out of a half-dozen small engines, all running the same ethanol-free gas treated with Sta-Bil, I have one pressure washer with a Briggs and Stratton engine that will not start if it sits unused for more than a month. I have to remove the carb, disassemble, and clean the gunk out of it to get it running again. I never have that problem with any of the others. I agree that this problem would be avoided if I drained the tank and ran the engine dry, but I've never had a problem with any of the others and I don't do that for them.

Also, for 2-strokes, I've always mixed my own by buying ethanol-free gas and adding Stihl 2-stroke oil @ the recommended 50:1 mix, plus Sta-Bil. I only recently learned that if you buy their pre-mixed fuel, it has about a 2-year shelf life (MUCH longer than anything you can mix yourself). I've come to the conclusion that the pre-mixed factory fuel is probably more economical in the long run, even though it costs more per gallon.

 

[thebeav]

I learned the hard way, (the way we all learn), to stay away from ethanol. Especially on 2 strokes. It eats those diaphragms.
My snowblower and lawnmower are hard starting to begin the season. I always pull the spark plug and put a few drops in the cylinder first thing. That convinces them every time.....