Recent content by Tiger Small Engine

Although it is very frustrating and a huge waste of labor time, about once or twice a year I get one I can not figure out. I charge for parts and a substantially discounted labor rate. You can’t win them all. The equipment keeps coming in and going out, and the piece of equipment you can’t...

Dixie Chopper will not be missed by me. In the early 2000s they had their heyday. As the zero turn market became more competitive, they lost market share and lost. I literally have not worked on one Dixie Chopper all my years of doing small engines. There was a Dixie Chopper dealer in the city I...

One of your new switches could be bad, may also have reverse safety switch.

Battery should charge between about 13.5 to 14.5 volts. 12.75 is fully charged battery at rest. Purging the hydros on jack stands and seeing the wheels move back and forth is how it is done and is good. Putting it on the ground under load is how it is tested.

Some white engine labels do either come off (wear or pressure washing), or become unreadable with sun and time.

Fuses have nothing to do with safety switches. You have an intermittent safety switch issue that just happened to work correctly right after you checked the fuses. When you can start a mower, and pull in a steering handle and it dies, that means a bad safety switch. One fuse is for starting, and...

From what you read online, today’s riding mower is designed to last about 10 years. Most outdoor power equipment has a bottom on pricing. In other words, a 20 year old mower basically sells for the same as a 10 year old mower. I rarely have customers ask about any kind of warranty. And when...

First test the battery. Charge and load test. A weak battery will cause the blades to turn off.

Yes on grease.

I looked this BlackStone wheeled trimmer up. It is a wheeled trimmer. Worthless as txxs on a boar hog if you ask me. Sounds like it is one of the following: A). Hydro locked B). The engine brake is still contacting the flywheel C). Belt is somehow causing resistance D). A piece of crap

Every part of the country and states are different. Even different parts of the state have different levels of buying criteria and debt, and cash available. That said, you as a mechanic that repairs and sells outdoor power equipment, ATVs, UTVs, etc., have to sell and build the service and value...

There has to be enough profit after buying the equipment, parts cost, and labor to make it worthwhile. Often, low end riding mowers have little profit when buying, repairing and selling. Zero turn mowers and ATVs and UTVs offer more gross profit potential.

Compression is low, even for a compression release on cam. Plus it is a 24 year old engine. It may be over for this engine.

Check the belt tension by pressing on the belt with your fingers at the longest point in between spindles. Unfortunately, without experience, it is difficult to determine good belt tension.

If you can adjust both sets of valves in 10 minutes, you should start your own shop. Labor book times allows 45 minutes per cylinder.

Thank you for bringing up the point of different switches. There are 5, 6, and 7 post ignition switches for mowers, etc. Matching up the numbers of post doesn’t always work. I wish I had known this in the past.

You can shorten the spring to get better tension if needed and form a small loop on cut end.

Dirt/debris/oil buildup on cooling fins and engine will overheat the engine and blow head gasket, push valve guides, etc. if it gets bad enough over time. These are air cooled engines, and the cooling fins are essentially like the radiator for a vehicle.

The distance from the cutting edge of blade to the flat, level concrete (with air pressure in tires adjusted properly), is the actual cutting height. Without measuring it, you are only guessing. If it is actually at 2.25”, I would leave well enough alone, when the dial is at 2.25”. The real...

The dealer already threw three parts at this mower. I don’t know that I would rush back to this same shop again.

Clean OEM carburetor always before replacing with an aftermarket carburetor.

NO!

Trying to do this from a hole in the engine block, and then sealing the hole, and then this Tecumseh engine actually running right is a long shot. Piston. rings, and cylinder are probably scored and engine is worn out. Either age, run at too high of RPM, or low engine oil caused it to break the...

Think twice about installing a mulching kit. Time consuming to get on and off, and mulching is never better than letting the grass fly out of the discharge opening. Get a discharge flap for the short time you are mulching leaves in the late fall.

With belt removed from spindle or pulley, spin it. Does it sound rough, or keep spinning longer than it should? Grab the pulley or spindle pulley and rock it back and forth with your hands. Does it have play, or feel nice and tight? On spindle you can also grab the blade and check for play in...

Why not replace the push rods, adjust the valves, and send it back to customer first? I have never seen a twin cylinder engine that bent both intake push rods, but removing cylinder heads and replacing is expensive. Repowering the engine would be a last resort.

Don’t get caught up in how much oil an engine is supposed to have according to the manual. Add oil until it is full. Honda and Kawasaki you do not screw in the dipstick. Check your oil on a consistent basis. Change your oil every 50 hours or once a year. And yes, many air cooled small engines do...

Take a grinder and remove enough metal on the bushing on the pulley to get the pulley and spindle to line up. If not on the same height, being that close together, that is a problem. I have had to modify pulley height on decks several times over the years on different brands of mowers over the...

Before buying another SAM unit, clean the carburetor, and replace the fuel lines if needed. Also, as stated before, there may be trash in the tanks and/or tank grommet connectors. Try blowing through the fuel hose with air compressor blow gun back into tank, with fuel cap off.

Ok, so three years old, just hit something… Definitely check the blade to see if it is bent or hitting the deck.