Through the various distance education classes offered online, you will study the many details involved in the engines of outdoor power equipment, motorcycles and boats. You will learn how to inspect and test small engines, what kinds of tools you need to perform each task and how to take apart and rebuild engines. Preventative maintenance is covered in most classes as well as lubricating, cooling and ignition systems and repair. Most courses focus on basic two- and four-cycle engine repair and maintenance.
As with most online courses, you will study the topics online and take tests that you must turn in to online instructors. Some schools send you materials through the mail to complement the online work, while others send you tools as part of your tuition. Many online schools provide personal assistance through phone calls or chat rooms where you can ask questions and get help completing assignments. Once you have completed your online coursework, you will receive a certificate of completion. Take your credentialing further with an online test to earn certified technician status through the Equipment & Engine Training Council or the Outdoor Power Equipment Association.
Most of your hands-on training will occur on the job. Your online instructors may require that you to practice on real engines, however. For example, Brigham Young University's small-engine repair course instructs students to obtain a broken or old engine that can be disassembled for one of the tests. Whether instructed to do so or not, it’s wise to work with real tools and real engines as you continue with your distance learning.
As of early 2014, the Brigham Young University course cost $136, and you could buy the book for an additional $66.85; a free DVD came with the tuition. The fee for the Stratford Career Institute went on sale in 2014 for $749, but that tuition included a slew of tools that you’ll need on the job, including a wireless tachometer, a spark tester, a 40-piece screwdriver socket set and a crankcase vacuum tester. At Penn Foster, as of 2014, the small-engine repair school cost $734 if you paid in full and offered slightly higher tuition rates if you made installments.