Reply To: Magneto Cam and Timming Tool Question

[Gary H.]

Before pulling off the carburetor, look and see if fuel is in glass sediment bowl if you have one on carburetor.  If so, did you clean the porous filter in sediment bowl so fuel goes into float bowl?   You may be able to remove just the float bowl to see if float, needle and seat are working correctly and the float is adjusted properly. Does the choke assembly and butterfly open and close.   At full throttle, the throat main butterfly should be in a horizontal position to allow air in and full draw of fuel into engine.  You may have to remove carburetor to check the float but everything else you should be able to see very easily.  Make sure you removed rag or paper towel in reed plate cover on engine where carburetor bolts to engine. Don’t ask how I know this. Ha Ha
It could possibly be the reed valves or maybe crankshaft seals or bushings. If there is a big enough leak around the crankshaft, it will not create enough suction to draw fuel into engine.     I usually spin the flywheel slowly with spark plug installed and listen to the sounds the engine makes. On a compression stroke you hear a hiss sound.  On an intake stroke you hear a sound of the best way I can describe it is a low frog croak.  This is the sound of air being drawn into the motor past the reed valves.  This is what I would check and others may have suggestions that are different. Take all options and decide how to proceed.  Good luck. It will be running soon!