Small Gas Engine Repair by Paul
Dempsey
Small Gas Engine Repair
SAVE MONEY BY HANDLING YOUR OWN SMALL GAS ENGINE
MAINTENANCE OR REPAIR JOBS
The Third Edition of Small Gas Engine Repair shows you how to
troubleshoot and repair virtually any type of small gas engine used in
garden equipment, chain saws, pumps, and standby generators.
Completely revised and updated and offering a step-by-step approach, this
bestseller covers all you need to know to repair and maintain a small gas
engine and get professional results while saving money. This in-depth
guide by master mechanic Paul Dempsey includes the latest in small
engine technology and gives you up-to-date information on overhead valve
and overhead cam engines, carburetion advances, digital ignition systems,
and more. Dempsey explains how to troubleshoot and repair both two- and
four-cycle engines. The author also reveals the shortcuts, field fixes, and
other tricks of the trade that only working mechanics know. In this Third

Edition youll find: New information on float-type and diaphragm
carburetors The latest ignition systems, together with advances in
pollution-control devices More than 50% new material added
INSIDE THIS GAS ENGINE REPAIR GUIDE:
Basics • Troubleshooting • Ignition Systems • Fuel System • Rewind
Starters • Electrical System • Engine Mechanical[not a major section;
addressed only briefly in this book]
Personal Review: Small Gas Engine Repair by Paul Dempsey
This is, for me, was and is an extremely difficult book to review and to
judge. When you read this review please keep in mind that it is being
written by a person who has absolutely no mechanical aptitude, cannot tell
the difference between a sparkplug and a fuel pump (okay, that may be a
bit of an exaggeration, but not much of one), and has never "fix" or worked
on a gasoline engine in his life. Well I currently have a yard tractor, three
regular mowers, a large garden tiller, three weed eaters, a leaf blower, a
smaller tiller and a chain saw. I can start them and I can use them. My
problem comes in when they refuse to start or refuse to do the job I paid
them to do. In addition to the list here, I have a barn brimming with
mowers and such that have all given up the ghost. I spend a fortune each
year keeping this machinery going.
My wife decided that I needed another hobby and stongly suggested I
learn to fix things that are driven by gasoline engines. So with her
encouragement, my quest has begun. I have made some progress, I will
admit to that, but I can still be classified as clueless. I will also state right
here that I have not yet given up!
Enter this book. I admit right here that I checked it out of the library and
did not buy it and thank goodness I did not! Remember, I am a
mechanical idiot. To be quite frank this book was way, way over my head
right from page one. Chapter one is entitled "Basics." The first few
sentences under the first subject "Four-cycle engines," reads "Figure 1-1
illustrates the internal components that make up a four-cycle engine. The
example shown has a horizontal crankshaft, side valves, and splash
lubrication."
Folks, even with a picture I have no clue as to what a four-cycle engine is,
or what a crankshaft is, or what a side valve is, and I have absolutely no
idea what a splash lubrication is! I am not even sure if this is a part or if it is
a method or a function of some other part. See where I am going with
this? Well let me tell you, it gets worse. Within a few pages we get in to
displacement, Power, Torque and RPM. And it gets even worse, page
after page. Choke, Choke Butterfly, Choke Link Clips, Pulsa-Jet
malfunctions, Kill Switch, Condenser, Needle Valve, Welch Plugs...For
someone like me, this is like trying to read the tech manual for the Star
Ship Enterprise written in the Vulcan language.

Now you would think that at this point I would slap a one star review on this
book, post it and stomp off in a complete huff. Well I cannot do that. I
actually took this book to three other individuals. The first was my
neighbor who helps me from time to time keep my motors running. He is
no "Pro" just a good old boy who works under a shade tree. I showed him
the book and he was as impressed as heck and decided right on the spot
to buy one. I then took it to two different highly skilled professional...hey
they have made a fortune from me over the years fixing my stuff, and I
showed them the book. Both thought it was absolutely delightful. The
understood ever word they read and one even stated that it was the best
book on the subject he had ever seen. Now both of these professionals
did point out to me that they felt it was way and by far over my head and
that I should probably stick to their services for a bit longer.
This work covers the basics, troubleshooting, ignition systems, fuel
systems, rewind starters, electrical systems and engine mechanical issues.
I did not understand one word of what the book was trying to tell me.
Now I did bother to read a great deal of this book and read it with chunks
of mowers in front of me and I did seek the advice and judgments of
people I know for a fact know what they are doing. I have come to the
conclusion that if you have some mechanical ability, have some previous
basic knowledge of the subject and are comfortable in this area of
mechanics, then you will probably find this book to be extremely useful.
The author (I researched this too) is quite competent and a master
mechanic. On the other hand, if you are a complete neophyte, and do not
know a hammer from a screwdriver, then you probably should look
elsewhere and slowly work your way up to this book. I cannot in good faith
recommend it to the rank beginner with no mechanical aptitude or skill.
I am going to give this book a benefit of a doubt and give it five stars
because I truly feel it is a good book; just not the book that meets my
needs at this stage of the game. Bottom line is that I simply cannot bad
mouth what is obviously a good book simply because I am a mechanical
klutz. I plan to find something more basic and keep on supporting my local
economy. Hey, the guys at the repair shop need to feed their families too.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
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