Remote small-engine diagnostics

It won't start. We'll tell you why — and whether it's worth fixing.

Film the symptom for 30 seconds — the crank that won't catch, the surge, the smoke, the death rattle. Get back a written diagnosis from someone who's torn these machines down: what's wrong, the fix, what parts cost, and an honest fix-or-toss verdict.

Mowers & Riders · Snowblowers · Leaf Blowers · Generators · Outboards · Trimmers · Chainsaws
What we cover

Pull cord or key switch — if it has a small engine, we know it.

Mowers

Push or self-propelled — won't start, surging, dying under load, smoking, one-season-old and already sputtering.

Riding Mowers

Lawn tractors & zero-turns — won't crank, won't engage, cutting uneven, dies on hills.

Snowblowers

Died in the first storm. Auger won't turn. Ran fine in March, dead in November.

Generators

Runs but no power. Hunting idle. Won't start exactly when you need it most.

Outboards

No spark, no prime, overheating at the dock, dies off idle.

Blowers & more

Leaf blowers, ice augers, trimmers, chainsaws, pressure washers, tillers — anything two-stroke or four.

How it works

Three steps. No shop queue, no bench fee.

01

Film the symptom

A 30-second phone video: the starting attempt, the noise, the smoke. We'll tell you exactly what to capture — sound matters as much as picture.

02

We diagnose it

A written read on what's actually wrong — fuel, spark, compression, carb, or something dumber (it's often something dumber). Not a parts-cannon guess.

03

Fix it — or don't

The repair, the parts, the cost, and the honest call: fix it yourself, take it to a shop, or stop pouring money into a machine that's done.

Pricing

Flat fees. No bench minimum.

Fix-or-Toss Verdict

$19 flat
  • Got a shop quote? Machine acting up?
  • Repair cost vs. real replacement math
  • What that model is actually worth fixing
  • The questions to ask the shop first
Get the verdict →

Fleet Tune-Up Plan

$39 flat
  • Up to 4 machines — mower, blower, trimmer, saw
  • Per-machine maintenance plan for the season
  • What to service, when, with which parts
  • Storage & fuel plan so spring starts first pull
Plan my fleet →
House specialty

Toro TimeMaster & TurfMaster: our home turf.

The 30-inch Toro walk-behinds are their own world — a huge deck, their own drive system, their own personality, and a big community of owners who love them and fight with them in equal measure. We've owned them, torn them down, and lived in the owner forums for years.

If your TimeMaster or TurfMaster won't start, surges, eats belts, or the blade brake is acting up, you're not describing a mystery to us — you're describing a Tuesday. Send the video and the serial; you'll get an answer from someone who knows exactly which machine you're standing over.

Parts, handled

Need the part? We'll find it and ship it to you.

Chasing the right carb kit, belt, or shear pin across six parts diagrams is its own miserable job — and ordering the almost-right one costs you another week. If your diagnosis calls for parts, we'll do the hunting: confirm the exact part number for your model and serial, source it, and have it shipped straight to your door.

You approve the price before anything is ordered — the part cost plus a flat sourcing fee, visible up front. No markup games, no "while we're in there."

And we're building the Small Engine Rx parts library: verified part numbers and commercial-grade upgrades for the machines we know best, starting with steel pulley kits for the Toro 30″ line. More machines, more parts, as the library grows.

Why remote works

The shop charges $60 to look at it. We charge $25 to tell you the truth.

Most small-engine problems announce themselves — in the sound of the crank, the color of the smoke, the way it dies. A good 30-second video carries more diagnostic signal than a machine sitting silent in a shop queue for two weeks in peak season.

We don't do the repairs, and the diagnosis never depends on what parts cost — we get paid the same whether the answer is a $4 spark plug or a new machine. Our only product is the correct answer. Sometimes that answer is a plug and a YouTube link. Sometimes it's "that auger gearbox costs more than the machine — here's what to buy instead." Either way, you know before you spend. And if parts are the answer, we'll find them and send them to you — so you never pay for the almost-right one twice.