The engines in the only Sanli mowers I know of, are accurate copies of the Honda GXV140. Tappet clearance is 0.15 mm inlet, 0.20 mm exhaust. Their carburetors are Huayi, but seem to be accurate copies of the Keihin that Honda uses. So far, I don't know of anywhere on the engine itself that Honda and Sanli parts are not interchangeable, but this won't necessarily apply to the air cleaner, muffler, top cover/fuel tank, and throttle cable for example, since they have been deliberately made to look quite different from Honda. You should be able to repair that chonda by using the GXV140 workshop manual.
There will be odd places where the Sanli has a component that is of inferior quality, such as the PCV valve disk reported in this thread:
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=52741#Post52741I suggest you just service it exactly as if it were a Honda, Jaffa. If you have any questions as you go along, post them here. I personally tend to see chondas as what we will all be using in the near future, and it is well worth building an archive on them.
There are some servicing differences between OHV and side valve engines. You need to check the tappets regularly (I do it when changing the oil, but unless it is in heavy contractor-style service, once a year is enough), and because the engines are calibrated for minimum emissions, gum formation in the carburetor causes them to run lean. Also, the carburetor insulator gaskets tend to deteriorate if you take the carburetor off, so you must watch their condition carefully or you'll have an air leak and that also will cause lean running. As bigted said, check the speed control cable and linkage adjustment each time you service the engine, to ensure that the choke is closing fully. Keep the air filter clean.
That is about it for servicing I think. They run very much better than a side valve Briggs, and do so for much longer before they wear out. To me, it is worth servicing them fairly carefully to keep them singing so sweetly that they are a pleasure to use.
