Small Engine Technician
What the work is
Maintains, tests and repairs engines of chainsaws, lawnmowers, garden tractors and other equipment with small engines.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Inspects small engines to identify faults and determine necessary repairs
- Performs routine maintenance tasks such as oil changes and filter replacements, and cleans and lubricates engine parts
- Repairs or replaces defective mechanical parts such as pistons, rings, bearings, valves and carburettors
- Uses diagnostic equipment to troubleshoot small engine problems
- Adjusts engine components such as ignition timing and fuel mixture
- Disassembles small engines and examines parts for defects and wear
- Reassembles small engines and tests them to ensure proper functioning
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a farm machinery workshop and a mobile service ute covering grain and cattle properties across a wide district. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A harvester that was dead at dawn is cutting again by the afternoon
- A farmer who has fought a problem for a week finally watches it get fixed
- You work out a fault from the sound alone, before you even open the bonnet
Hard days
- A breakdown in a paddock two hours from the workshop, with a storm coming
- Waiting on a part that is stuck at a depot while the crop waits for no one
- Tired farmers under pressure who need the machine now and cannot afford to wait
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 351437, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.