Small engine#Repairs/maintenance

The engines are small in both physical dimensions and power output, relative to larger automobile engines. Power outputs are typically less than {{convert|15|hp|kW|0|abbr=on|order=flip}}. The smallest of all are used in handheld garden machinery, such as string trimmers and chainsaws, which have a displacement as small as {{convert|24|cc|cuin|1|abbr=on}}.{{cite web |title=Chainsaw Buying Guide |url=https://www.chainsawjournal.com/chainsaw-buying-guide/ |website=www.chainsawjournal.com |date=28 August 2014 |access-date=19 July 2019}} Production cost is often a key consideration for small engines, resulting in relatively simple designs (compared with automotive engines, for example).

The most common configuration is a single-cylinder engines that is air-cooled. The combustion cycle can be either two-stroke (which results in a lighter engine for a given power output){{cite web |title=How Two-stroke Engines Work |url=https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/two-stroke1.htm |website=www.howstuffworks.com |access-date=19 July 2019 |language=en |date=1 April 2000}}{{cite web |title=The Lighter, Better, More Efficient Two-Stroke Engine |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a7167/the-lighter-better-more-efficient-two-stroke-engine/ |website=Popular Mechanics |access-date=19 July 2019 |date=3 October 2011}} or four-stroke (which produce lower levels of exhaust gas emissions).{{cite journal |title=Air Pollution: Asia's Two-Stroke Engine Dilemma |journal=Environmental Health Perspectives |volume=112 |issue=11 |pages=A613 |date=2004|pmc=1247506 |last1=Potera |first1=C. |pmid=15309754 |doi=10.1289/ehp.112-a613a }}{{cite web |title=How Two-stroke Engines Work |url=https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/two-stroke6.htm |website=www.howstuffworks.com |access-date=19 July 2019 |language=en |date=1 April 2000}} The fuel is usually either petrol or diesel.[http://www.hatz-diesel.com/en/products/diesel-engines/ One-cylinder Diesel engines]

In 1973, a small Wankel (rotary) engine manufactured by NSU was used in a lawn mower.[https://books.google.com/books?id=fz0ymWEOyowC&dq=wankel+rotary+engine+mower&pg=PA18 "Now You Can 'Mow' with a Wankel!" Popular Science, July 1973 p. 18]

When a manual starter system is used (such as a recoil starter with a pull-cord), only a basic electrical system is required, since the system's only purpose is to power the spark plug. Older engines used a magneto to achieve this, while newer engines often use a capacitor discharge ignition (CDI) system with an ignition coil.{{cite web |title=How to test and repair ignition system problems? |url=https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na/en_us/support/faqs/browse/ignition-system-theory-and-testing.html |website=www.briggsandstratton.com |access-date=22 July 2019}} These systems do not require a battery or charging system.{{cite web |title=How does a magneto work? |url=https://science.howstuffworks.com/question375.htm |website=www.howstuffworks.com |access-date=22 July 2019 |language=en |date=8 May 2000}}

Before the invention of the recoil starter, a notched pulley was attached to the engine's flywheel; the operator would manually wind a rope around the pulley then jerk the rope to rotate the engine so that it would start. Following the introduction of the sprag clutch in the 1960s, the "impulse" or "wind-up" starter was popular for a brief period.{{cite web |title=History of the Starter Motor |url=http://www.crankshift.com/history-starter-motor/ |website=www.crankshift.com |access-date=22 July 2019 |date=1 October 2013}} These used a heavy spring which the operator placed under tension using a rotating crank handle.{{cite web |title=Your were asking: Impulse starters |url=https://www.classicmotorcycle.co.uk/your-were-asking-impulse-starters/ |website=www.classicmotorcycle.co.uk |access-date=22 July 2019 |date=26 May 2017}} However, these systems were potentially dangerous as it was possible to leave the starter wound up and ready to start the engine unintentionally, even long after the crank was wound up.

Electric starting, which has become more common over time, requires a more complex electrical system. These engines also require a starter motor, a battery to power it and an alternator to keep a battery charged.

Petrol engines often use simple fuel systems consisting of a float-type carburetor with a fuel tank located above it (so that the fuel is delivered by gravity, avoiding the need for a fuel pump). Sometimes, the fuel tank is located below the carburetor and fuel is delivered using engine vacuum or crankcase pressure pulsations.

Diesel engines use fuel injection.{{cite web |title=B-Series, small diesel engine, single cylinder engine |url=https://www.hatz-diesel.com/en/products/diesel-engines/b-series/1b20/ |website=www.hatz-diesel.com |access-date=23 July 2019}}

Most small engines use a governor to maintain a constant engine speed under varying loads. Some engines also have a mechanism for the user to adjust the engine speed. Rather than directly controlling the opening of the carburetor throttle, this is usually achieved by adjusting the governor, which in turn regulates the engine speed higher or lower.

The most common design is an overhead valve configuration, as used by the Honda GX range since the 1980s for example.{{Cite web

|title=Honda GX160 engine

|url=http://engines.honda.com/models/model-detail/gx160

|publisher=Honda

}}

A sidevalve configuration is used instead by some engines, owing to its simplicity for both manufacture and basic maintenance.{{citation needed|date=July 2019|reason=Please provide a recent example}} Some engines in recent years, for example the Honda GC series, now use an overhead cam configuration.{{cite web |title=GC160 4-Stroke Engine- Features, Specs, and Model Info |url=https://engines.honda.com/models/model-detail/gc-horizontal |website=www.honda.com |access-date=21 July 2019}}

Small engines can have the crankshaft oriented either horizontally or vertically, according to the intended application. Vertical axis engines were originally developed for rotary lawnmowers, but the size of this large market has encouraged a supply of cheap engines and they are now also used for other purposes such as generators.

The four largest manufacturers of small engines for power equipment in 2019 were Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Kawasaki and Kohler. Other major players include: Kubota, Yamaha and Liquid Combustion Technology.{{cite web|title=Small Engine Industry Comprehensive Study|url=https://lawnmanual.com/lawn-mower-small-engine-industry-study/|website=Lawn Manual|access-date=18 June 2022}}

The repairing of small engines in a vocational occupation. While often touted as a separate job by commercial education institutions, it may also be a skill someone uses as part of a larger job, such as an automotive or agricultural mechanic. Various safety precautions need to be taken when working on small engines.{{cite web |title=Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of small Gasoline Engines and Rotary Lawn Mowers |url=http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lmfaq.htm |website=www.repairfaq.org |access-date=10 August 2019}}

== Emissions ==

Small engines, because of their simple designs and lack of emission control systems used on larger engines, emit disproportionately large amounts of air pollution, particularly volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide. It is estimated that over 10% of US carbon monoxide pollution in 2011 was from small engines.{{Cite web |last1=Banks |first1=Jamie L |last2=McConnell |first2=Robert |date=April 16, 2015 |title=National Emissions from Lawn and Garden Equipment |url=https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/banks.pdf |publisher=Environmental Protection Agency |via=2016 International Emissions Inventory Conference, San Diego}}

In response to this, some jurisdictions, notably the US state of California, have imposed increasingly strict emissions regulations for small engines. In 2021, California effectively banned the sale of small engines used in garden equipment from January 1, 2024.{{Cite web |title=2021 Amendments to the Small Off-Road Engine Regulations {{!}} California Air Resources Board |url=https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/small-road-engines-sore/2021-amendments-small-road-engine-regulations |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=ww2.arb.ca.gov}}

The major alternative to small engines is the use of electric motors powered by rechargeable batteries.

• Motorcycle engine
• Non-road engine

{{Commons category|Small engines}}

{{Reflist}}

Category:Internal combustion engine