Does Flywheel Key Need Replaced? (pic included)

Progress Report: Put in new flywheel key & put everything back together. Tried to start it w/ the key & just got a click. Pulled rope, & it seemed like I had a compression problem like I had before. Maybe pulling & turning the flywheel threw something off; I don't know. So I adjusted the valves again, then pulled the rope. No start, but the compression problem seemed to be solved. Sprayed some starting fluid into the air intake, pulled again, & it started! ? Only ran for a few secs. before it died, but that's definitely progress. Sprayed some more starting fluid, pulled again, & it started again. Same thing as before, though: only ran for a few secs. So I guess now it's something to do w/ the carb., maybe. Guess I need a new battery, too.
 
A small bit of advanced timing should not cause an issue with starting, however having run it like that would cause the engine to run hotter than it was supposed to. Good call to replace it. Good luck.
 
Remember to change the fuel line before you fix everything. You can suck same stuff right back into the carb. Clean the fuel tank as well.
 
Feeling a little dumb, but had the fuel valve right under the gas tank turned the wrong way. Just started & ran it for about a minute. It does seem unlikely that a flywheel key that was only stressed & not sheared off would keep an engine from starting. Maybe that plus all the crud caked under the flywheel, all over the magnets & coil, were enough together to kill it.
 
MonkeyCam said:
Feeling a little dumb, but had the fuel valve right under the gas tank turned the wrong way. Just started & ran it for about a minute. It does seem unlikely that a flywheel key that was only stressed & not sheared off would keep an engine from starting. Maybe that plus all the crud caked under the flywheel, all over the magnets & coil, were enough together to kill it.
Click to expand...

Unless they were iron filings it will make no difference, clean , dirty, rusty.
Magnetic flux passes through all of it virtually unaffected.
 
Correct. We used to run Briggs offset flywheel keys when setting up for racing. Not that were racing here but you get the idea. I've also done away with the key and just loctited the flywheel on to get precise timing. Loctite and let dry.

Matt :o)
 
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