Small Engine Maintenance Tips | Vanguard Commercial Power

1. Pay Attention To Parts

Those “Will-Fit” non-original parts may look like original parts. But they often don’t fit exactly the same or deliver the same performance. The manufacturers of “Non-Original” parts don’t really have an investment in the engine. And that means they can use inferior materials or incorporate other changes intended only to reduce cost. Briggs & Stratton and Vanguard Genuine OEM Parts are designed to keep the engines we build – and your customers – running at peak performance at all times.

2. Take the Pain Out of Oil Changes

Though it’s tempting to conduct more routine maintenance than what is required to reduce the risk of equipment failures, changing the oil in your fleet too often can waste resources. Vanguard single-cylinder engines require half as many oil changes than the competition. And our easy-fill cap and integrated oil filter make oil changes faster and simpler to do. That’s easier on you — and real money hitting your bottom line. Remember, too, that when you invest in best-in-class engines, you’ll want to protect them with the best engine oil. Vanguard Engine Oil is a full-synthetic engine oil that is superior to mineral and semi-synthetic small engine oils — resulting in less oil consumption and longer life. And it’s been specifically developed for the intense workloads and extreme conditions in which rental equipment operates.

3. Make Sure Your Engine Can Breathe

Fresh air is key to the performance of small, air-cooled engines, so regularly changing the air filter is critical. Good news — cyclonic air filtration is a standard feature on all Vanguard single-cylinder engines. This doubles the air filter replacement intervals to 600 hours, twice that of the competition.

4. Choose The Right Fuel

Fueling with an ethanol blend is a popular construction industry trend due to the cost-saving and environmental benefits. Choosing a fuel that is optimized for your engine is key to ensuring performance and avoiding engine issues. Lower-level ethanol, typically 10 percent or less, is safe to use in Vanguard engines and most others. Ethanol-free, unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87 or higher is also generally a good fuel choice. Note that Vanguard engines were not designed to run on E-85.

5. Think About Propane

Propane conversions are available for multiple Vanguard engines. Fueling with propane can offer benefits and advantages for your operation. It won’t spill and impact the jobsite environment, it can be stored for long periods of time without going stale, and using propane makes it easy for crews to refuel on the job — boosting productivity time.

6. Be Smart About Storage

If certain machines in your fleet are stored seasonally, never store them with empty fuel tanks — that can shorten the lifespan of your engines. Instead, fill the tank with fresh, treated fuel and run the engine for a few minutes to distribute the treated fuel throughout the fuel system. Be sure to use an alcohol-free fuel stabilizer and ethanol treatment.

7. Inspect Your Spark Plugs

Worn spark plugs can lead to engine misfires, stalling and starting difficulty. Regularly remove and inspect your engine’s spark plugs, and replace them when necessary, to avoid your customers having to deal with these issues on the jobsite.

8. Assess Your Fleet

At the beginning and end of each season, evaluate the performance of each machine. To keep customers’ job sites running smoothly — without unexpected calls to you for assistance — eliminate any issues by improving engine maintenance practices or replacing older engines.

Performing proper small engine maintenance will always be an integral component of ensuring your fleet is primed for productivity. You can trust the power of Vanguard engines to positively impact your business every day by making necessary equipment maintenance faster, easier and less frequent — so your fleet spends more time out on the job making you money.