Best Pro Tips

Expert advice from the job site

- By Jay Corck

SMALL ENGINES, BIG INVESTMENT

Battery-powered yard tools are taking over, but it's not quite the end for gasoline and small engines. You can keep yours running smoothly for years with regular maintenance and some inside knowledge.

I talked with Dave Cheney of DC Carb and learned gallons of tips on small engine maintenance. Plus, he showed us how to rebuild a carburetor, which is not as scary at it sounds.

KEEP YOUR SMALL ENGINES HEALTHY

CHECK FOR SPARK

A spark plug checker can provide critical information. First, it will tell you if electricity is getting to the spark plug. Second, if there is no spark, it gives you the ability to determine the cause of failure.

INSPECT THE SPARK PLUG DIODE

1. CLEAN AND REUSE ..........

If the spark plug looks slightly brown-not too dark-simply clean it with a soft wire brush, check the gap and reinstall.

2. REPLACE

Once your spark plug gets to this point—with an oil-fouled and deteriorated electrode-it needs to be replaced. A new spark plug costs less than $10 and will create the right spark to best ignite the fuel/air mix in the combustion chamber.

FEED YOUR MACHINE FRESH AIR