Mid-Summer Heat!

As the temperatures start to creep up (finally!) it's important to make sure your equipment is ready. High temperatures tend to be very hard on small engines. By taking a few precautions and performing some maintenance you can keep your engine healthy during the hottest part of summer. 

One of the most important things to do is make sure your engine has clean oil and filled to the proper level. We often get customers that rarely or never change their oil. Clean oil is cheap insurance. Oil tends to break down over time and loses it's ability to lubricate. High temperatures speed up this process. Once oil starts losing viscosity, engine wear and possible serious failure are not far behind.  In addition, oil will collect the fine grit and dust that gets past the air filter, which of course leads to premature wear.  Also, be sure to routinely check your oil levels. Particularly in hot weather your engine may burn oil without your even realizing. 

Speaking of air filters, how does yours look? Don't know? It might be time to check. Keeping a clean filter in your machine is very important. As the filter catches  dirt and debris it restricts air flow into the engine. Over time, restricted air flow leads to poor performance and fouled spark plugs. If that's not enough, the dirtier your filter, the more likely it is that dirt is getting into your enine.

Last but not least is your cooling system. Even if you don't have a radiator, your engine still has a cooling system. On air cooled engines those little fins do more than just look cool; they are dissipating heat. No matter if your engine is air or water cooled, if it is covered in dirt, oil or something in between it is most likely running hot. It's important to make sure your engine is clean. If your engine is covered with plastic cowling you should pull those off at least once a year and make sure you don't have grass, dirt or mice under them (yes we have found mice, mice nests and even a bird under a cowling).

A little maintenance can go a long way to prevent big problems. Don't wait until your equipment decides stop working to give it some TLC.