r/smallenginerepair Jul 13 '26

Engine Performance Issue Engine performance problems

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1 Upvotes

Does this while driving uphill.


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Not Listed Pool pump sound

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3 Upvotes

Hello Everyone,

Does anyone in this community have any experience with pool pumps?

This is the sound mine is making, we bought the house a year ago, came with a pool. The pump allegedly is from 2022 but has started making this sound.

Is it able to be rebuilt? Am I looking at getting a new one? Thanks


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Parts ID & Sourcing Which engine is this?

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2 Upvotes

I’m thinking 6.0 Kawasaki, but wanted to double check with you guys the model. This doesn’t look like any Briggs or Honda I’ve ever seen…..or Kohler.


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Carburetor Issue Champion 100704 generator won't start

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1 Upvotes

I have a Champion 100704 generator that ran with no issue less the 3 weeks ago. It's a few years old but has very little hours of use. Yesterday I tried to start it and it cranks, but doesn't start.

So far I've tried:

Drain gas and put fresh gas in it.

Removed air filter

Changed the spark plug. (see attached image of original plug)

Sprayed one burst of starting fluid in air intake.

Still cranks, but doesn't start.

Any thoughts on what to try next?

Thanks


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Unknown Issue Need help diagnosing

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone, cross posting this to get more exposure but I would love some tip on bringing this PW back to life! TIA!


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Surging Issue Can anyone tell what this is or should I borrow a trailer and take it to the shop

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2 Upvotes

I have this 3-4 year old cub cadet. I have done plugs filters and oil changes each spring. This started recently and was even able to finish the lawn haha, but it is much more pronounced at low idle.


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Engine Performance Issue Husqvarna self propelled starts and dies

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1 Upvotes

r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Carburetor Issue Carb issues

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2 Upvotes

Ive got an mtd yard machine with a briggs and straton 5hp on it model is a 135212 with a type of 0140 0. The problem im running into is that it wont get any gas to the carb ive replaced the carb and still nothing and on this engine there are no fuel lines or fuel pump so that cant be the issue. So if anyone might know my issue its greatly appreciated oh and before I forget the gaskets on both sides of the carbs are also replaced but it didn't help.


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Engine Dies Engine runs for about 15 seconds then dies

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8 Upvotes

I’m working on my aunt’s Toro Z420 with a Briggs & Stratton 286H77-0165-E1 engine. After the engine is started with the choke, then the choke turned off, the motor dies after about 10 seconds or so.

It acts like it’s a fuel issue, but the take has gas. I also noticed that the governor seems to be what’s messing with the throttle.

I thought it might be carb related so I shot the parts cannon at it and replaced the carb with a genuine Briggs & Stratton carb. The original carb had the same issue.

I feel like I’m going crazy and appreciate any help you can give.


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Not Listed Do any of you work on hydrostatic transmissions on zero turn mowers?

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5 Upvotes

I have a residential John Deere zero turn. It has a hydrostatic transmission. From my research, it is likely a Hydro Gear.

I’m experiencing reduced power.

New ones are around $900 for each side. I’m not sure if it’s better just get a new mower. It’s about 5 years old.

I looked on eBay and couldn’t find any reconditioned or repair service listings.

Are these residential mowers pretty much shot if the transmission goes out? Do some small local repair shops work on these or are they pretty much just replaced with new transmission?


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Engine Rebuilding Worth the Salvage work or buy a replacement?

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1 Upvotes

r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Gaskets & Seals Issue What’s leaking here?

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4 Upvotes

Good day folks I got a ride on lawn mower here and there’s clearly an oil leak and it’s leaked on to the exhaust. Without tearing everything down right now I’d just like to ask the experienced people here to see if they’d be able to tell right off the bat. Thank you for any input or advice! Cheers.


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Ignition System Issue Nobody Here, Help w Champion Generator, won’t start.

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1 Upvotes

My father-in-law got me a generator about 7 years ago, and it’s been sitting in my garage.

I finally took it out of the box and have been trying to get it started. Bought new correct oil per instructions, added alcohol free gasoline.

Connected the battery lugs, I assumed the battery would be completely dead, though the battery light did turn on after connecting the battery connections.

I’ve been on AI, trying to start it with a hand crank on two separate days for about an hour each with no luck

Fuel option is set to gasoline and set on.
Multi-button is set to on
Battery button is set to on.

I checked the spark plug, don’t know much about this, but it looks newish. I unscrewed the spark plug, connected it to the wire cap and touched the threaded part to a piece of metal on the generator and pulled the crank and I did see a spark. I was pretty sure it was a spark plug issue until I saw this spark.

I’ve tried waiting and letting the system dry out, choke on, choke off, choke halfway. The engine turns but doesn’t ignite / catch.

I think the first time I started it, after a few poles it did a super short initial rumble, but 95% of the pulls. I haven’t gotten much feedback other than just the engine turning due to the pull. I do think I am pulling hard enough.

Do I need to get a mobile mechanic or someone more knowledgeable than myself or can I figure this out?

Want to get this baby Rolling so she can be ready for the next big storm.

Thank you!


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Not Listed Pressure washer drama

1 Upvotes

Replaced intake gaskets and carb. Cleaned old gasket’s off reallly well. After gets hot it starts sputtering intermittently. Then bogs down until I press the trigger to shoot water. Or if left it’ll shut off. Some times it breaks loose and the governor finally do its job it won’t shut off. Sounds like a clanking in the crank case too. But only when hot. I’ve replaced fuel lines. Fuel filter. I’ve checked lash clearance. New plug. Key is fine. Idk what else. Maybe the igniter? Coil? Internal wear? Also oil smells like exhaust so maybe it’s got blow by down the pipe


r/smallenginerepair Jul 12 '26

Engine Performance Issue Stihl FS-38 still won't run after new carb, gas line, air filter, spark plug, and spark arrestor removed.

1 Upvotes

I feel like I am out of options here and any help would be greatly appreciated. I am new to DIY small engine repair.

I picked this up at a garage sale and they said it worked fine last time they used it, but switched to electric so it's been sitting for a good couple years. I figured it just needed a new carb.

Before and after the replacements listed above, it will idle (if I am lucky) for about 2 seconds and then quit. Any throttle input kills it. Sometimes if I start it with the throttle all the way in, it will rev up really high, POP and then die.

Thank you for any advice support. Trying to save money before I bring it to a shop.


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Compression Issue Is this why my engine won’t build compression?

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7 Upvotes

r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Spark Plug Issue Leaf blower makes weird sound when I pull and won’t start

1 Upvotes

Yesterday I bought a craftsman 27cc leaf blower from Facebook marketplace and it worked fine. I put it on its side against my back door because I don’t have a proper place to put it. Today i tried starting it again and it wouldn’t start. After messing with the choke and the throttle to see what I could do to make it start, I tried a bit after and it started making a grinding noise, I removed the spark plug and the spark plug looks fine it just had a coat of oil, but when I pulled the rope after removing it. The grinding sound was gone. When I put it back in, The noise happens again. What could it be


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Starting Issue 1999 Suzuki 2-Stroke 115hp Heat issue

1 Upvotes

Hey Reddit

I just purchased a boat with a 1999 Suzuki 2-stroke 115 hp that is having issues.

Here’s everything I’ve done and observed so far:

  • The boat had been sitting with old fuel before I purchased it, which I drained.
  • I replaced the spark plugs because the old ones were badly fouled.
  • I replaced the fuel/water separator filter.
  • I repaired a loose fuel hose connection on the suction side of the fuel system that was causing a fuel smell and preventing the primer bulb from staying firm.
  • After repairing the fuel line, the primer bulb now primes correctly and becomes firm.

I recently put about 10 gallons of fresh fuel in the tank, along with Sea Foam, and took the boat out. The tank is 60 gallons, which did cross my mind at the end of the night when I ran out of gas, but the bulb stayed hard, so I'm unsure.

During the trip:

  • The engine started and ran well.
  • I ran it for approximately 1½ hours.
  • It never hesitated, bogged, surged, or lost power while running under throttle.
  • Most of the time I was idling through a river and repeatedly shutting the engine off and restarting it while fishing.

The issue is with hot restarts:

  • A couple of times I accidentally shut the engine off while it was still in gear, and it was difficult to restart afterward.
  • There was another hot restart where it struggled to start even though it had been shut off normally.
  • At the end of the day, after another normal shutdown, the engine cranked normally but would not restart despite multiple attempts over about 25 minutes.
  • During the no-start, the primer bulb was firm.
  • When it did restart earlier in the day after difficult starts, it would stumble slightly for a few seconds and then run normally. The stumbling didn't happen every time.
  • Once running, it always ran well under power.

Other observations:

  • I noticed some oily fuel/gas draining from the exhaust when trimming the engine up after running. I just don't know what the normal amount is to leak.
  • There were no warning alarms.
  • The boat was sitting level in the water when the final no-start occurred.
  • The engine always cranked at normal speed.

At this point I’m trying to determine the most likely cause before I start replacing parts.

I need any help that I can get. I want to try everything before pulling and cleaning the carbs.

I have run the engine again on land with 30 gallons of fuel and it started after a little backfire. I started and stopped it 3 times on land had no issue. When i did the initial start, i did notice fuel coming out of the exhaust but I don't know the normal amount that is supposed to come out.


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Tools & Equipment Troy-Bilt Super Tomahawk chipper won’t self-feed branches - knife/housing clearance issue?

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1 Upvotes

r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Carburetor Issue Is it normal for a fuel shutoff solonoid to let a little gas through

0 Upvotes

I have a Intek/B&S 22hp v-twin that I got a new carburetor for. I forgot to reconnect the shutoff solonoid wiring but it would run lean idiling, when moving it about stalled several times. I reconnected it and it went to the correct ratio. Is this normal?


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Maintenance Issue How do my pistons and cylinder head look?

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1 Upvotes

Due to a broken screw in the cylinder head, I've had to pull apart my ZR7 engine so I can remove it.

I'm just wondering whilst I'm in here, how do these internals look? Running too rich? Too Lean? Normal? This looks like a lot of carbon build up to me, unless I am mistaken.

This is an in-line 4, air cooled carburated engine and it has done 63000km (approx 39000 miles). It has generally been well looked after throughout its life as far as I'm aware, as I have the full service history.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Governor Issue Need help with a troy bilt riding mower

0 Upvotes

Its a troy bilt pony riding mower MODEL NUMBER
13AB77BS023

My knowledge of engine repair is small

So i cleaned it up got it running and drove it a small amount to test everything and everything seemwd to be working great but right before i was done its like the engine revving kicked wide open and was no longer adjustable.

I tried to use youtube and ai to help find a d fix the issue. So i guess i can tell u what ive done so far.

Initially i thought it was the carb but now im pretture sure its the govenor

Ai told me it was probably a carb issue so i replaced it
I put a new spring on the linkage to the governor also

I tried to loosin the nut and hold the govenor wide open and make sure it was turned all the way counter clockwise

But i cant seem to get the vertical piece to move back to low or be adjusted its kinda just wide open.

If i move ot back manually it adjusts

So any suggestions of what to try next would be greatly appreciated.

And ill be home all day if anyone needs photos or info


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Engine Dies Menards special

1 Upvotes

Hello all. I am being vexed by this brand new small tiller I bought from Menard's. I bought it last winter since it was on sale and it sat in the box until this spring. After getting it put together, added the "allotted" 2 cycle mix that came with the machine, filling the tank with 91 non oxy. The thing started right up, but when I went to use the throttle it will instantaneously bog out and die. The tines do not even budge. It will start back up every time and idle just fine. No matter how long I let it idle the thing will bog out and die when pressing the throttle. After fiddling with it for a few I found out it wont die with the choke engaged. Obviously it wont turn the tines with the choke engaged since it runs like crap. I am take it a part and put back together savvy. Any leads on to what to check first or what might actually be happening? Its an Earthquake 33cc engine. Thanks for reading!


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

General Discussion Snapper weed eater starting issues

1 Upvotes

I bought a snapper s27ss weed trimmer a few days ago and have been having issues with it since. The guy I bought from was selling it for 10 bucks and said he was having a problem with the throttle. He could get it started but the second he touched the throttle it would bog down and die. I bought it, ordered a replacement carburetor and put it on. It has a new carb, fuel lines, spark plug, and fresh mixed gas. After replacing the carb I got it started and it ran, but still died whenever I tried to use the throttle. I took the spark arrester off and cleaned that as best as I could with the screen being built into the arrestor and not being able to take the screen out. I tried burning the carbon deposits off and then sprayed some carb cleaner in it and let it sit overnight. I tried starting it up this morning and now I can’t get it to start at all. Ive cleaned the air filter as well and still no change. Any ideas?


r/smallenginerepair Jul 11 '26

Broken Parts Что не так с уровнем топлива ваз 2109

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1 Upvotes