Small Engine Repair in Parksville, BC
A mower that will not start. A generator that quits as soon as it takes a load. A pressure washer that only runs on choke. Most auto shops will not look at any of it, and the usual advice is to go buy a new one.
FTP Services repairs small engines and light equipment at 1130 Fair Rd in Parksville. Mowers, generators, pressure washers, pumps, chainsaws, trimmers, tillers and log splitters. We find out what is actually wrong, tell you what it will cost before any work starts, and tell you straight if the machine is not worth fixing.
Signs Your Small Engine Needs Repair
Small engines rarely fail all at once. Most give you a season of warning first. Watch for:
Will Not Start: Pulls over or cranks but never fires, often after sitting for a few months.
Starts Then Dies: Fires up, runs for a minute or two, then quits.
Only Runs on Choke: Stalls as soon as the choke comes off, which usually points at a gummed-up carburetor.
Surging or Hunting: Revs up and down on its own instead of holding a steady speed.
No Power Under Load: Runs fine sitting still, then bogs down in thick grass or when the generator takes a load.
Smoke From the Exhaust: Blue or black smoke, or an engine that keeps going through oil.
Shaking or Rattling: Vibration that was not there last season, often a dull or unbalanced blade or something that has worked loose.
Fuel Leaks or Fuel Smell: Cracked fuel lines, a weeping carburetor, or the smell of gas around a machine that has been sitting.
Why Small Engines Quit on Vancouver Island
Fuel is the first reason. Most of this equipment sits for months between uses, and gas starts breaking down in about 30 days, faster with ethanol in it. What it leaves behind varnishes the carburetor jets shut. Most of the dead small engines that come through the door have a fuel problem, not a finished engine.
The second is storm season. When trees come down on the lines, parts of Parksville, Coombs, Errington and Bowser can sit without power for a day or more. A generator that has sat for eleven months with old fuel in the carburetor is the machine most likely to let you down the night you need it.
The third is the coast itself. Damp air and salt are hard on fuel systems, cables and electrical connections, especially on equipment kept in an unheated shed or under a tarp.
How We Diagnose and Repair Small Engines
There is no scan tool for a lawn mower. Somebody has to actually look at the machine.
STEP 1
Ask how it failed and look the whole machine over. What it was doing when it quit, and how long it sat before that, tells us where to start.
STEP 2
Check the basics in order: fuel, spark, air and compression. Most problems show up here without tearing anything apart.
STEP 3
Tell you what we found and what it will cost before any work starts. If the repair costs more than the machine is worth, this is when you hear it.
STEP 4
Do the repair. Most often that means cleaning the carburetor, replacing the plug, filters and old fuel lines, and changing the oil.
STEP 5
Run it properly before it goes home. A generator gets run under load, not just started and shut off.
Fix It or Replace It?
A lot of machines get hauled to the scrap bin that only needed a carburetor cleaned, a new plug and fresh fuel. If the engine itself is sound, the repair usually costs far less than a replacement machine.
Some are not worth it, and we will say so. A cheap push mower with a scored cylinder, a seized engine, or a machine where the parts cost more than a new one. We are not going to charge you three hundred dollars to fix a two hundred dollar mower. You hear that before the work starts, not after.
Light Equipment, Welding and the Parts Nobody Stocks
Small Engine Questions We Get Asked
What small engines do you work on?
Push and ride-on mowers, portable and standby generators, pressure washers, water pumps, chainsaws, brush cutters, trimmers, rototillers, log splitters, snowblowers, compactors and tampers. If yours is not on the list, call or text and ask.
My mower or generator will not start. Is it worth fixing?
Usually, yes. Most engines that will not start after sitting have a fuel problem, not a mechanical one. We look at it first and tell you what it needs. If it is not worth repairing, we tell you before any work is done.
Should I get my generator serviced before storm season?
Yes, and September is better than the first outage in November. A service covers fresh oil, plug, filters, a carburetor clean and a fuel system check, then we run it under load to make sure it holds.
Do you work on light equipment as well?
Yes. Mini excavators, skid steers, compact tractors and their attachments, including hydraulic and welding repairs.
Can you fix a cracked deck or a broken bracket?
Yes. Welding and fabrication is done in-house, so a broken part that is no longer available can often be repaired or built.
How do I stop it happening again?
Do not store it with old gas in it. Run the tank dry or use fuel stabilizer, change the oil once a season, and keep the air filter clean.
More on this in our post on what we take in and what usually goes wrong
Straight Answer, Straight Price
Every job starts with a free estimate. If we find something else while we are in there, we call you before we touch it. The number we quote is the number you pay, and if a repair can safely wait, we will tell you that instead of selling it to you today.
Straight forward, honest, old school. That is how the shop has run since 2012.
Call or text 250-720-9841, or drop by 1130 Fair Rd in Parksville.