School of Life Hacks
    Sign inTake a seat
    Gloved hands reaching into the opened rear panel of an appliance, a row of screwdrivers laid out on a folded towel, a green work light overhead.

    Small Engines

    Mowers, generators, pressure washers, blowers. Four things make a small engine run, and nine times out of ten it is the fuel.

    Module 5 of 74 lessonsWritten in full1 worksheet
    Start this moduleThe whole course

    The lessons

    All 4, in the order they are read.

    1. 1. Fuel, spark, air, compression
      Four inputs, tested in that order, because the first one is the answer nine times out of ten.
    2. 2. The carburettor and stale fuel
      Ethanol-blended fuel left over a winter is the single largest cause of small-engine failure, and the fix is a bowl and a jet.
    3. 3. Storage that prevents the fault entirely
      Ten minutes in autumn removes the most common spring repair from your life permanently.
    4. 4. Generators and load
      Sizing, transfer, fuel duration and the two mistakes that kill people every storm season.

    The worksheet

    Small-engine service and lay-up card

    One card per machine, kept with the machine. The lay-up block is the half that matters: it is ten minutes in autumn that removes the most common spring repair from your life.

    Small-engine service and lay-up card
    ItemValueLast doneNote
    Machine, model, serial———
    Spark plug type and gap——From the manual, not from memory
    Oil type and capacity———
    Air filter part number———
    Fuel: ethanol-free or stabilised———
    RUNNING TEST — fuel reaching the bowl———

    5 further rows in the downloadable sheet.