Paul DEMPSEYHow to Repair Briggs and Stratton Engines, 4th Ed.

To be frank, I bought this one because it was in a Kindle version, relatively inexpensive, and I was getting frustrated at not being able to diagnose a carburation-related running problem on my 2000 White lawn tractor. Meanwhile the grass was growing taller, and I was getting desperate. Also, I didn't want to shell out big bucks to replace the mower.I'm an old hand at keeping Briggs & Stratton engines going for years, but still a backyard mechanic. I had read the prior reviews of this book, and the review that made the most sense was the one that recommended getting the specific Briggs & Stratton repair manual for a specific engine series (which I did not have), and getting this book also. They complement each other well.Strengths:1. Provides clear explanations of how various systems work, diagnostic procedures for determining what the specific problem is, and when you need special tools.2. Illustrations are helpful to understand the explanations.3. Warns of common mistakes to avoid (some I've made myself before) and their likely consequences.4. Covers a wide range of engine history and when major changes were made.Weaknesses:1. Does not have the specific diagrams for the engine model I have (and that's why the official Briggs & Stratton repair manual is also needed).2. Diagrams in the Kindle version are sometimes too small to view clearly on my iPad (but better on a laptop)All in all, I found this book as a very useful small investment to help save money and buy the right parts to fix the problem. By the way, I got the mower running again, and am a happy camper. The specific Briggs & Stratton repair manual gave me the details I needed on my specific engine, but was short on explanations for understanding some of the basics and problem diagnosis. The B&S manual has less info on theoretical understanding and how-to, which I find to be strengths to Dempsey's book in the 4th edition.

This repair book just added to My questions on how to repair an old Lawnmower, full details on how to DIY.

I was surprised that the manuals where in such good shape

I have a small engine shop and bought this book for quick reference just to many spec to remember them all if you are a weekend diy or a advanced mechanic if the motor you are working on is in this book you will have all the information you need torque specs and how to adjust many things great book lots of information worth the price you pay

This provides a LOT of information about Briggs and Stratton engines -- all of them -- and most were bigger than my little 4.5 push mower. I felt if I waded through the information, followed all the sidebars, and obtained a good grasp of small engine basics I MIGHT be able to infer the information I needed to make a very basic repair (cleaning the carburetor). Instead I ended up following a youtube video. I think this manual would be great for someone who repairs a lot of different Briggs and Stratton engines but if you're looking for a step-by-step How-To for a specific mower this is not for you. Also, the illustrations were not great if you're trying to look at it on your Kindle.

This is an older book but still has a lot of relevant information.I had a lot of questions about how,when, and why one would want to rebuild a Briggs and Stratton engine.This book answered all my questions.One thing I wanted to know was can a person simply replace a piston and rings without a rebore as a rebuild?I also wanted to know if a person can do a rebore at home using a hone.Along with many other questions that I had, this book clarifies everything along with explanations and procedures.Everything is explained in clear language with diagrams and pictures.

Does not give specific model info

great assist when rebuilding my 1973 B&S