From the day that you start your new engine for the first time, your new pride and joy is on a road to the engine graveyard. Only you have control over how long it takes to get there. The secret to a long life for your new piece of equipment is called engine maintenance. Each time the piston goes up and down or the crankshaft make a revolution, a small amount of wear occurs, not measurable to you. The control you have over this wear determines engine life. Dirt entering an engine is the main reason for premature wear. Here's some of the things that you have control over that cause premature engine failure:

• Dirt entering the internal parts of your engine.
• Engine oil and filters not changed at regular intervals.
• Engine cooling fins plugged with debris, causing overheating.
• Governor linkage sticking or binding, causing over speeding.
• Operating the engine with abnormal or excessive loads, overheating it.
• Using engine oil types not recommended in your owners manual.
• Using non-original parts such as air & oil filters.

Would you believe that all of the above problems can be avoided with a few simple maintenance practices. Modern engines are designed with systems built-in to prevent such things as dirt from entering the engine or keeping the engine from overheating while it is running. These systems work very well, but do require periodic maintenance to be performed on them. Start out right by reading your owners manual before you operate the engine. Here's a list of things that you can do to give your engine a long life span:

• Change the oil and filter at recommended intervals, more frequently when dirty conditions exist - use recommended oil, see chart below.
• Replace the air filter whenever it becomes dirty - cleaning of paper filters is not recommended.
• Clean your engine regularly, making sure the cooling fins are clean of debris - use compressed air or water pressure.
• Use clean fresh fuel and store it with a fuel additive when you put it away for the winter - leave the tank at least half full.
• Always use original equipment parts to insure a quality fit every time - an improper air filter can ruin an engine in a few minutes of dirty operation.

Also see Complete Engine Rebuild, Step by Step Two Stoke Carburetor Rebuild, Carburetor Rebuild, Loose Valve Seats Starter Rope Repair,

Carburetor Troubleshooting Chart or My Engine Won't Start for more troubleshooting.

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