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(79 votes) Published: Jun 10, 2009 8:26 p.m. In 2 Favorites Lists Viewed 402 times
I thought to myself one day in class. "What do I have to contribute to RE, and came up with this!"
Ive looked and there’s maybe one egg even remotely similar to this. So I decided to make one.
Covered in this egg will be simple small engine maintenance(1), performance tips(2), and a tear down of a Briggs and Stratton 4hp (3) (Shown Below).
I have a small Yard Work business so I take care of my equipment( 2 strokes, are a different egg).
For this egg you will need:
-Ratchet set
-Phillips and Flathead screwdriver.
Possibly- Wd-40(bolt loosener)
(1)-- Some small simple and vital areas that need the most maintenance attention would be like any car. But much easier, with a few exceptions.
-Oil
-Spark Plug
-Carbon build-up
-Exhaust
-Carburetor
-Gaskets
-Magneto and magneto wire
-Cooling fins
-Blade
-Air filter
-Flywheel
-Springs.
Not that order.
Probably the most obvious thing would be the oil,but its also the most neglected.
OIL CHANGE: 1.First loosen the dipstick to keep from creating a vacuum then locate teh oil drain plug underneath the mower (locations vary) :
You’ll need a 1/2 inch ratchet(a socket wrench, the square piece on the end)
Tilt the mower on its side remove plug and drain the oil completely before replacing it.
2. Oil weight to add, the recommended weight for most is an even 10w-30. But for extended life and better protection a heavier oil is better such as 10w-40.
Its thicker so obviously it might be harder for the engine but i honestly doubt youll notice a difference.
But don’t go outrageous and add the heaviest or lightest oil.
Remove the dipstick and add your oil of choice.(Tilt the bottle sideways for a smooth pour).
Add a little and check until its at the right level on the dipstick.
(DO NOT OVERFILL)
K your oils clean.
SPARK PLUG: Changing your spark plug and wire will be very noticeable in performance.
Now can you find the spark plug??
Well done, get a 5/8 socket or spark plug tool(be very careful as the socket can crack the porcelain on the plug)
REmove teh plug and cylinder head and leave off for further maintenance!
Now carefully insert your fresh plug and hand tighten then tighten 1/4 -1/2 a turn with your socket.
Check the wire that goes to the plug for rust,tears, or fraying, if so replace with plug.(Probably need to replace magneto and wire as one piece, its only two screws)
I suggest these:
E3 spark plugs available at most parts stores about $4 per plug.
They are sooo Cash, and i use them on my mower and my truck A.K.A Ol’RED
Now while you have the cylinder head off (thing the spark plug goes in) well do the following:
Check valves and for carbon buildup.
This is what your seeing in order from biggest to smallest,
Piston(left), Intake valve(top), Exhaust valve(bottom), and the silver edging is where the gasket should be.
Simply inspect the valves for chips, cracking, warping, and or melting(mainly exhaust)
If any of these are noticeable you better salvage from another engine, or skip the rest of this egg.
Because if its big enough then that engines fucked.
That black around everything is slight carbon build up, open the valves(by twisting the blade) like so:
and check for carbon build up. If so spray it down and clean it with carb. cleaner or gas.
I’d stay away from the piston or cylinder wall(big circle) even the smallest scratch can cause compression loss and leakage.
Last Step:
Replace the main gasket(silver thin piece) before replacing cylinder head.
AIR FILTER: Easiest tune up, performance, noise, gas usage.
First off determine if your filter is dirty and if so get a new one if not..you prob need one anyways.
The above picture is of two air filters the one on the right is the regular filter for my lawn mower.
The one on the left is a much bigger more free flowing vacuum filter(both found at lowes)
Obviously the vacuum filter would allow more air and therefore power, but some people are cheap and lazy.
So there’s also a small mod to allow more air.
Its not huge! But i guarantee it’ll be noticeable, just drill a few holes in the plastic air filter casing to allow more air.
It still gets filtered fine but allows more air. and for a slightly bigger mod here:
http://www.rotteneggs.com/r3/show/se/405842.html Make sure you have some sort of filter cuz WATER or DIRT + ENGINE = SAD ENGINE
EXHAUST: More air in means more power out.
Im doubtful that teh muffler that came on your engine is very restrictive (right), but if it happens to be.
I’d suggest upgrading to a bigger pipe (such as the one on the right).
Or you can take some metal out of current muffler.
I think that explains itself.
One cylinder needs no back pressure, so don’t worry about over doing it.
But multiple ones do in order to help pull exhaust from the other cylinders.(im sure there are exceptions)
Flywheel, COOLING FINS, AND BLADE: Sorry no pic for flywheel, (its what the string spins and has a bolt in the middle)
others as follows:
On the flywheel sand the edges down to leave more space between it and teh magnet which causes less friction.
The purpose of the cooling fins is well. too cool the engine, they are like so , so that as much surface area as possible touches air to dissipate heat.
Therefore you really need to clean and sand these down to a smooth unclogged surface to help keep your engine cool. Especially after all this.
Then there’s the blade pretty obvious,
grind or sand the cutting edges to a sharp edge,(it helps to remove it first)
This is probably the greatest improvement you can do if its a lawnmower.
Good luck, and remember all this applies to most small engines, minus the blade.
Ford Gt Toby saw teh other day!
Jun 11, 2009 9:27 am - nice egg except you dont want to make the blade extremely sharp, because if its super sharp small stuff like pebbles and trash will ruin the cutting edge fast. 4*
Jun 11, 2009 5:13 pm - One important thing to keep in mind is to torque the head bolts in a criss-cross pattern and in two steps to avoid warping the head.
You ever try running it without the head gasket? As long as you’re careful about torquing the bolts, it won’t do any damage and you’ll notice a big increase in power due to a higher compression ratio.
Jun 11, 2009 5:46 pm - wow Dodge, that’s unbelievably simple.
But good idea, im taking the head off now,
=].
You dont think there will be any pre-detonation?
I can learn much from you dodge...5* on all
Jun 11, 2009 6:45 pm - No, you shouldn’t get any detonation. The increase in compression isn’t that extreme. But when you’re talking about an engine that small, the power increase will be very noticeable.
If for some reason you did get detonation, you could switch to a higher octane fuel. But again, it won’t happen unless you did other things to increase the compression ratio.
On a side note, do not tell any old-timers that you are running it without the gasket. They will tell you that you can’t do that.
Jun 11, 2009 7:01 pm - Few things to add(sorry not very well thought out, spur of the moment egg)
That lever on the top left of the carb is the governor control.
Its basically a throttle that control how open the butterfly valve is in the carb.
You can easily remove the springs from this to allow full throttle all the time..
But it will get hotter and therefore shorter engine life.
5* for all who commented
Jun 12, 2009 10:31 pm - Briggs & Stratton--the other Milwaukee vibrator! I bought mine in 1993, have performed minimal maintenance beyond an annual oil change, abuse it to high heaven, and it runs like a champ!
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and check for carbon build up. If so spray it down and clean it with carb. cleaner or gas.
