First Time?

The grass in my yard is getting pretty high. The neighbors are going to complain. Man, I'm trying to save a little money here, I don't want to hire a lawn crew. I can do this. Just drag the old lawnmower out of the garage, let's see, I have a lever, ok put on run, pull cord, WHAT?!?!, no start. Ok, ok, get the wrench, change spark plug, add some oil, YES! Now, pull cord, hmmm, pull cord, ???, pull cord,*#@!!X* , what is wrong?

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Yup, when things get tough we all get down to basics. Even if we truly don't know quite how to handle certain things, we give it a go anyway. You see some people do have natural mechanical abilities, it doesn't matter, the old adage 'necessity is the mother of invention' is very, very true. If you don't have the money or don't want to give it to someone else to fix your stuff, you gotta try yourself. Why not, you're a smart person. You've figured out and fixed mutiple problems in your life by yourself. A lawnmower? Hah! Look at it. It's nothing. I can do this! Whoops, maybe not, need to chalk that up to another 'famous last words'.

Believe it or not you CAN do a lot of your own small engine fixing up yourself. You just need to be properly informed. Get some decent information, do a little research. Know the difference between a 4 stroke and a 2 stroke engine(also known as 4 cycle and 2 cycle). This is immensely important! Almost all walkbehind lawnmowers are 4 stroke and most grass trimmers(weedeaters, weedwhackers, etc.) are 2 stroke.

What does this mean for you? I aim to help you in your quest for the knowledge to tune-up, repair, and make your small engine equipment run to your satisfaction. Changing a spark plug may work, but adding more oil is NOT a good way to make a non starting piece of equipment actually start.

I will get into the specifics of 4 stroke and 2 stroke engines at a later post. For now, the simple difference is 4 strokes need their 30W oil and gasoline added to them in separate areas of the machine. A vehicle may take 10W40 0r 5W30 etc., Your lawnmower with a Briggs & Stratton or Tecumseh engine needs straight 30W. Kohler, Honda, and Kawasaki lawnmower engines need 10W30. DO NOT OVERFILL! There is a proper fill line on the dipstick for the oil.

2 strokes need their gas and oil mixed, the oil must be 2 cycle oil and I suggest not using cheap stuff. The proper ratio of the mix MUST be paid attention to. Today most chainsaws and grass trimmers take a 50:1 mix. These days you can easily buy a small 2.6 oz. bottle of 2 cycle oil that you mix with one gallon of regular gasoline and BAM you have a 50:1 mix. Older 2 cycles may require 32:1, the ratio must be correct or else you are gonna fry your machine. Believe me I have seen way too many brand new grass trimmers turned into trash because someone ran it with straight gasoline. You do not get your money back for abusing the equipment.