List of tools needed for small engine repair

The tire inflator gauge will enable you to always have your tire pressure spot on. Ensure you get one with a gauge reading of at least PSI or 8 bars.

A grinder is quite useful, especially when working on metal cutting works or exhaust lines. If possible, buy a straight and degree angle grinder. You can use the straight grinder for exhaust works, brake system maintenance as well as cutting disks for different purposes. The degree grinder, on the other hand, is ideal to use on wheel hubs, valve covers, wheels, and rims. Grinders are very versatile tools. They perform multiple tasks from sharpening, polishing, sanding, routing out mortars, cutting pavers, stucco and tiles, and grinding metals.

A multimeter is a crucial tool for electrical troubleshooting and diagnosis. It enables you to measure amperage, resistance, and voltage. Ensure that the multimeter can read amps. This is useful in checking fuses and batteries, just to mention a few.

It also helps mechanics to check if they have a hot wire and the amount of juice flowing through it. A fleer gauge is a gauge that consists of several thin blades that measure clearances or small gaps.

This tool gives measurements in inches and millimeters. It gives the mechanic an idea of the wideness of a gap by filling the gap with blades of known thickness value. They are ideal for use in places where other measuring tools such as calipers and measuring tapes cannot fit.

A torque wrench looks similar to a simple ratchet, but it is not the same. It enables one to tighten bolts at the exact torque specified by the vehicle manufacturer. This is very important when dealing with operations inside the transmission gear or car engine.

A toque wrench is an ideal tool to use when tightening spark plugs. Consider a toque wrench that reads in both Nm. A mechanic needs a combination of both automotive tools and equipment for efficient and excellent work. The equipment below makes work easier for the mechanic during their daily working routine. Having an air-compressed system enables you to perform heavy-duty jobs with minimal effort.

An air compressor enables mechanics to run pneumatic tools and some auto lifts. Get an air compressor that is easy to use and portable for convenience purposes. The best air compressors range between 60 and gallons. Other things to look at when buying an air compressor are horsepower, requires pistons, PSI, and cubic feet per minute.

You will mostly be needed to raise a vehicle, especially when repairing the wheels. There are also other car maintenance tasks that need the vehicle to be lifted.

A jack stand or a floor jack assists you in the lifting of the car. Never opt for a cheap jack or jack stand at the expense of quality since poor quality jacks can cause injuries. Pole jacks are useful in supporting axles and other parts of raised vehicles. Transmission of fluid and changing oil is a common task for auto mechanics. An oil drain enables mechanics to catch and store fluids and oil from lifted vehicles.

This keeps the floor free from oil. They also help in the storage of old oil, which can later be recycled to be used for asphalt, heating oil, and many other ways. Most tasks in an auto repair shop will involve charging or dead batteries. You can only handle these tasks if you have a good jumper and battery charger. The battery charger will come with an operation manual that you should go through and understand before use.

An engine crane is a must-have piece of equipment if you want to do any works on the car engine. It enables one to remove the car engine without using too much effort. Consider buying an engine hoist that can support the maximum weight of the vehicles you will be servicing. A hydraulic lift is a machine that uses hydraulic apparatus to move or lift objects using a farce created after exerting pressure in a liquid piston.

You can either buy a two-post or a four-post hydraulic lift. A two-post hydraulic lift will raise a car vehicle higher in a low ceiling garage while a four-post lift takes more room than the former. Four post hydraulic lifts make it easier to position and load the vehicle.

A grease gun is a common piece of equipment in a garage or an auto repair shop used for lubrication. Its purpose is to apply lubricant via an aperture to a given point mainly on a nipple or grease fitting. There are different types of grease guns. There are electric grease guns, air-powered grease guns, and hand-powered grease guns. The air-powered and electric grease guns are easier to use compared to the hand-powered ones.

One of the complex components of a vehicle is the automatic transmission. It has several moving parts under hydraulic and electronic control, and thus fluid is vital to its operation. Most automobiles depend on the Automatic Transmission Fluid for lubrication of the transmission and activating different clutches which assist in the changing of gears. This fluid needs to be changed from one time to another, and an ATF changer will help you in this.

A strut compressor is useful when dealing with suspension systems or replacing the strut. This equipment will make your auto repair shop more profitable by adding your service capabilities. Strut compressors are however dangerous to operate. Ensure that you are well conversant with it and handle it with care during the operation. Workbench vice, also known as bench vices attach directly to the workbench to hold a workpiece firmly during operations such as drilling, planning, and sawing.

It has two jaws where one jaw is fixed while the other is movable using a cam, lever, or screw. For general household tasks consider a bench vice of 4 to 5 inches. This equipment will help you to offer services such as measuring wheel orientation by inspecting caster, camber, and toe and checking tire trends for signs of poor alignment.

Most car manufacturers recommend checking the wheel alignment after every 10, miles. A wheel balancer is used to balance the weight of a wheel and tire assembly so that a vehicle travels evenly at high speeds.

Every time you mount a wheel for the first time in a vehicle, you have to balance it. As an auto mechanic, you need to ensure the weight of a vehicle is evenly distributed on each tire and wheel, and this is why you need a wheel balancer. Diagnostic tools range from compact, small devices to large, sophisticated, stationary equipment.

Repairing smaller engines might require the use of both; however, compact, portable devices are more beneficial for mechanics who travel. Smaller diagnostic devices include tools used for detecting bad engine parts and tuning engines, such as compression gauges, ammeters, voltmeters and computerized engine analyzers.

Some repairs require the use of a mechanical jack used for heavy lifting. Jacks are especially important for accessing parts of the engine that extend underneath a vehicle. Small mechanical jacks are portable and compact, whereas large hydraulic jacks are stabilized and best used in a shop atmosphere. You know, the essentials like screw drivers, hammer, wrenches, ratchet and socket sets.

This is our ultimate guide to small engine repair tools. An unbalanced blade will play havoc on your mower deck. In my home shop I have the cheap aluminum blade balancer and at the business we have the magnetic blade balancer mounted on the wall. Shop Lawn Mower Blade Balancers. Lawn Mower Blade Sharpener, Grinder or file. Shop Lawn Mower Blade Grinders. Shop Flat Files. Chances are you socket set came with a spark plug socket. Shop Spark Plug Wrenches.

If you change the spark plugs in your car chances are you already have one of these. Shop Spark Plug Gauges. Spark Tester or Ignition Tester.

Is it a fuel issue or an electrical issue? Shop Ignition Testers. Small engines require accuracy. Shop Feeler Gauges. Shop Tachometers. Shop Carburetor Pressure Gauges. Bearings are made up of metal inside of metal. Metal rubbing on metal wears out the bearings.

A device used to measure the rotation speed of an object like an engine shaft in the car is called tachometer and is usually restricted to electrical or mechanical instruments. This device indicates revolutions per minute or RPM performed by an object.

Some specialty tools are needed to remove and install the small engine parts such as valve springs , piston, liner and etc.

While removing the exhaust and intake valves, one should compress the tiny coil spring or springs holding each valve. Once the height of the spring is reduced, a 2-piece collar can be released. The 2-piece collar is near the groove, located at the top of the valve stem. Then lift off the spring container, and by sliding the valve down the valve guide, you can remove the valve from the cylinder head easily. For installing piston rings, which are new on the piston, the piston ring must be expanded, so that it can slide onto the piston.

Since piston rings are delicate, and without having a ring expander, there is a high possibility that one can break the delicate piston ring.

After placing the new rings onto the piston, one needs to have piston or ring assembly to put it back into the cylinder. For doing that, one should compress the piston rings on the piston. After that, the whole process is easy. This tool is best used for installing as well as removing the carburetor seal. It is an easy tool to use, and when needed, it can easily remove the seal.