Earl's Yard Services
Affordably Priced
To suit your budget
541.292.9595
earlsyardservices@gmail.com
Earl's Yard ServicesBlogsmall engine
02 Nov 2025
0 Comments By Earl Gibson Small Engines , ,

Breathe Easy, Power Up: The Air Filter Trick for Small Engine Performance đź’¨

When your small engine equipment—your mower, generator, or snow blower—starts feeling sluggish, running rough, or burning through fuel faster than usual, your mind might jump to complex issues like a carburetor overhaul or a pricey repair.

Stop right there.

The single cheapest, fastest, and most impactful piece of maintenance you can perform to restore peak power is simply replacing the air filter. It’s the engine’s lungs, and if they’re clogged, your machine is literally being choked.

READ MORE
01 Nov 2025
0 Comments By Earl Gibson Small Engines ,

Winterizing 2-Stroke Tools: Your 5-Step Checklist for Storage ❄️

As the last leaves drop and the cold sets in, it’s time to retire your weed trimmers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws for the season. For two-stroke (2-cycle) engines, proper winterization isn’t just good practice—it’s non-negotiable for engine longevity.

Why the urgency? Unlike four-stroke engines, two-strokes use oil mixed directly with gasoline. If that fuel/oil mixture sits for months, the gasoline evaporates, leaving behind a thick, gummy oil residue that is a death sentence for small carburetors.

Follow this simple 5-step checklist to ensure your equipment fires up effortlessly next spring.

READ MORE
31 Oct 2025
0 Comments By Earl Gibson Small Engines , ,

Oil Change Rule: Match SAE Viscosity to the Weather

If you own a small engine—be it a trusty lawnmower, a powerful pressure washer, or a reliable generator—you know the key to longevity is proper maintenance. While keeping the fuel fresh is important, the lifeblood of your engine is the motor oil.

Walk into any hardware or auto parts store, and the wall of oil bottles can be overwhelming. The most crucial decision you’ll face is choosing the correct SAE viscosity. Getting this right is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your machine.

READ MORE
30 Oct 2025
Stihl FS130 brush cutter 1
0 Comments By Earl Gibson Small Engines , ,

Fuel System Fix: Renewing Your Weed Trimmer’s Lines and Filter 🌿

Your string trimmer, or “weed whacker,” is a workhorse, but its tiny two-stroke engine is extremely sensitive to fuel delivery issues. Over time, the clear lines inside and outside the fuel tank become brittle, crack, or—most commonly—get stiffened and dissolved by ethanol in modern gasoline.

If your trimmer runs for a few seconds and then dies, bogs down under load, or if you see cracked lines near the primer bulb, it’s time for a vital, budget-friendly repair: replacing the fuel line and filter. This simple fix often revives a seemingly dead trimmer!

READ MORE
29 Oct 2025
0 Comments By Earl Gibson Small Engines ,

🔥 Understanding & Preventing Carbon Buildup in 2-Stroke Engines

That powerful, high-pitched whine of a 2-stroke engine—whether it’s on a chainsaw, trimmer, or leaf blower—is unmistakable. But that unique engine design, which burns oil mixed with fuel, has a primary enemy: carbon buildup.

Carbon deposits are the black, sooty, sticky residue left over from the incomplete combustion of fuel and oil. Over time, these deposits choke off vital parts of your engine, leading to frustrating performance issues.

Here is a deep dive into what causes carbon buildup and, more importantly, how you can prevent it and keep your 2-stroke running at peak power.

READ MORE