# HELP! I've really messed up!



## bdavis (Jul 10, 2007)

I'm a newbie here and hope someone can help. I've been all over the internet and found nothing about this problem.

My son gave me a Weedeater leaf blower (FL1500) that would not start. 

Thinking I could maybe salvage it before he tossed it in the trash I removed the carb and tank. Blew out the lines and cleaned the gas tank filter.

I've rebuilt a number of old Brit car engines but not being familiar with 2 stroke engines I thought I'd like a look inside so I took off the 'top' of the blower. (This part is plastic and forms one side of the crank case.) I also removed and replaced the muffler. (My first encounter with springs to hold one on.)

Nothing looked unusual inside the crank case and I closed it back up and replaced the carb and spark plug.

Then when I tried to give the starting rope a pull there was a tremendous amount of resistance. Like compression with valves closed. Nothing like the 'soft' feel it had before I opened it up for that look.

For the life of me I can't imagine what I've done that would cause this. 
Any ideas or help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks , Bill


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

*Just a thought*

Did you get the gasket on the crankcase cover back on? If not then the cover may be in contact with the crankshaft causing the binding.


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## bdavis (Jul 10, 2007)

Thanks 30yearTech...
The 'gasket' is something like a rubber O ring and was never removed from the cover. All went together gently. Nothing binding there.

In fact while the crank case was open I could put the spark plug back in it's hole (or cover it with my finger) and still have so much compression that just pulling it through a cycle was difficult. 
Or, conversly, without anything in or covering the spark plug hole I can pull the starter rope easily.


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

If you have gotten any fluid in the cylinder especially oil that will make the compression very high and the rope will be hard to pull.


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## bdavis (Jul 10, 2007)

No oil was put into the cylinder. I did put a small syringe of straight gasoline into it once or twice but I would think that (along with compressed air) should have washed out much of the oil in there.

Do these engines 'fire' as the two magnets in the fly pass the coil? I notice that the piston is near BDC when the magnets in the flywheel are near the coil.

Thanks again 30yearTech. Still bumfuzzled! Bill


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## hankster (Jan 1, 1998)

Sounds like that is the problem... sheared flywheel key. Pull the flywheel and see.


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## bdavis (Jul 10, 2007)

Thanks Hankster... It will be a couple of days before I can get back to it but I'll try your suggestion.

So am I correct in assuming that the piston should be at TDC (or there abouts) when the two magnets in the flywheel pass the coil??

Bill


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## bdavis (Jul 10, 2007)

You hit the nail on the head, Hankster. 
I pulled the flywheel and... no key! Well, there had been something of the sort but it had sheered and the metal was missing. The "key" on these things is apparently cast into the aluminum flywheel and slips into the slot in the crank. 

My solution was to cut a slot into the flywheel exactly where the key had 'stood'. And using a thick piece of copper wire I hammered it into a taper and filed it down to fit snugly into both crank and flywheel. 

A down and dirty test using a squirt of straight gasoline into the cylinder (even without the carb bolted on) and a sharp tug on the rope proved... It's ALIVE! - It's ALIVE!

I'm sure some would find fault that I didn't use something softer to make a key from. Something that would sheer more easily in the future should it need to... but I didn't. At least it was saved from the land fill this time.

Thanks, fellows, for your help!

What did we ever do without the internet?
Kind regards, Bill


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## hankster (Jan 1, 1998)

Good you found the problem. The cast in keys do no more then position the flywheel during assembly.... they do nothing to hold it in place once assembled. You could have just "eye balled" the flywheel in position and then tightened it down. A "hard" key is actually worse as if it Spins again the hard key can tear up the crank causing much more damage then just a flywheel.


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