Trouble Shooting

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Troubleshooting

To troubleshoot you need to have a procedure. This procedure is setup so you can use all the information to determine what the actual problem is. Below is my trouble shooting procedure. I use this on any device I work on. I repair electronics, electrical, industrial machinery and small engines. I am retired and have to work to make ends meet. After working 45 years in electronics I got burned out on electronics repair so do very little of that type work now.

Collect all the information about the problem you can.
1. This means talking to the person using the device (he/she knows more about what is happening with the device than anyone). Note what is said.
2. Use your eyes. Do a complete visual inspection and note what you see.
3. Listen to the device. Note any sounds you here it making.
4. Feel for vibration. Note any vibration made by the device.
5. Smell the air and note any smells emitting from the device.
The above is the basic technique for trouble shooting but you will have to add to this for the type device you are working on. Now that you have the basic data of what the symptoms are and what you have deduced from those checks you have a starting point. From this point you can decide which tests such as voltage, clearance, and flow measurements etc. should be made.
Always start with the easiest things to check first. This saves you time.

An example would be an engine not starting.
1. Operator said engine just quit while using it with no adverse sounds.
2. You made a visual inspection finding nothing out of the ordinary.
3. Since it is not running sound in this instance is not applicable.
4. You smell no fuel smell and nothing to indicate flooding.
5. Vibration in this instance is not applicable.
Now you have to determine the problem it can be fueling or ignition. There is two ways to go about this. The easiest is to check is the ignition and fueling at same time. I spray a little starting fluid into the carburetor. If the engine starts for a few seconds then that tells you it is not the ignition and that it is not fueling.
The second way is do a spark test by using a spark tester which means removing the spark plug wire and attaching the tester to it and ground then adjusting the test to the proper gap. But this I have found has a flaw in it. This flaw says only if it is firing and not how good. It can be firing but when compression happens it can be firing so little that it will not ignite the fuel. Using the starting fluid says it will run or not.
Now the simplest trouble shooting if it is fueling problem is to check to see if the filter is allowing fuel to pass. I usually just replace it since in most cases it has been on machine for a while. If that is not the problem and you have fuel going through the filter then the next step is to check to see if it has an electrical fuel shutoff on the carburetor and that it is working from an electrical stand point. If it is electrically working or does not have one then you will have to remove carburetor and start checking it for why it is not fueling. In most cases it is trash or the fuel over time has built some residue that is stopping the fuel flow. A carburetor cleaning in some cases will fix the problem and in others you have to replace the carburetor.
An Ignition problem is a little more complicated and will depend on what type ignition system the engine has. This can be a point type system (some older machines used this), simple CDI type system or full electronic control system and each has its own system of checks. So it is best to use the devices literature to trouble shoot.

With this basic technique of trouble shooting you can find the bad parts or what is causing the problem.
 
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