Can anyone recommend a good book on small enginer troubleshoot/repair?

-Blast

Haynes Manuals are a good basic knowledge of engines, these manuals below are specific if you want a real good service manual. Most of us use the newsgroups to get PDF factory manuals but these options below if you want hard copied manuals. It can get expensive over time when buying a lot of service manuals. I stick with honda,brigs and stratton or generac for generators and engines. Honda is usually a little to much for my blood. Engines aren't to bad to rebuild it's the parts that kills you. Even in the third world countries when traveling some of the most simplest things are near imposable to fix with out tools or parts and a welding torch is a must have when parts are scarce.
I'm not sure what type of engine your after but maybe this will help a little.


http://www.repairmanual.com/small_engines/

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/serbs.cfm

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Engine-Repair-Haynes-Manuals/dp/1850106665

Blast,
You are overlooking a local source of knowledge in this subjecct. What are you working on. There is only two things I can't fix... the crack of dawn and a broken heart, however I have been known to mend a few broken hearts! Email me or call my cell. Need info on Wednesday night also. Sounds great.
kmat

kmat,

D'oh! I forgot your motorcycle racing experience. Right now I don't have anything in the works but after Ike I saw a lot of neighbors fighting with generators and chainsaws. It was pretty cool, sparks and body parts everywhere...

Just kidding about the sparks/body parts.

Anyway, since we decided to get a generator I figured I should know how to keep it running. Plus, it seems being able to fix a small engine could be handy in many ways.

-Blast

Blast,

Most generators have Briggs engines, so check their website for technical manuals. For Kohler engines you can get very detailed tech manuals online for free. I haven't checked but Briggs probably has something similar. You will need to know the model number for your engine though.

My folks in Kingwood certainly got a lot of use out of their genny, and mentioned that it was leaking a little oil from somewhere. Always good to have a tech manual for the engines you own. They will get you out of many bad situations.

Greg

I would go to a local library and dig out a good book that gives you a good base of knowledge. Once you find one (or a few) I would then look on Amazon and buy it to always have it around.

Getting the books is a good idea but those books won't tell you one of the most important aspects of "keeping it running" (it starts and runs when needed) which is to use or store stabilized fuel and keep the fuel supply fresh. Proper layup of the machine is important if you don't periodically run it up to full operating temperature.

Small engines are remarkably durable if you feed them fresh fuel, check the oil level, change the oil frequently, and keep them from overheat situations.

Blast,
I got to play Mr. Fix-it in my neighborhood more than I wanted. I must have worked on seven different generators for reasons mentioned earlier. No one was prepared and generators had been sitting for months or years without being properly stored and run on a regular basis. I became the instant hero when lights, refrigerators and fans began to come back to life. Anyway, we will get together and I can give you a mini-crash course on engine maint. and repair.
kmat

Uh-Oh.....Blast will be working on engines.......everyone look out......LOL

Hey Blast...will you set up the camera on a tripod so we can 'watch'?

No way. I learned my lesson with the cat!
Though ironically, the pictures of the festering wound earns me about 75 cents a day on my blog.

Hmmm, imagine what I could earn with a lawnmower injury...

-Blast