# Toro CCR3650GTS shaft locked



## whitegreg (Jan 18, 2020)

New to the forum.

My Dad has a Toro CCR 3650 GTS. Model 38518 w/electric start.
Started it up a few weeks ago....ran for a minute or so...backfired and stalled.
Found the recoil starter would not pull out more than a couple of inches.
Thought it might be hydro-locked. Took the spark plug out....same thing.

Was able to free the shaft with some shaking. The recoil starter is OK.
What happened? Connecting rod broke? Wrist pin broke?
It is a B&S two-stroke engine.

I don't have a lot of time to spend on it. Should I put it on CL for $25?
The unit is 15 years old...purchased new in 2005.

Thanks....


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## Freezn (Mar 1, 2014)

Hold on to that Toro 3650. Those are fantastic machines. Tons of torque. They don't make 2 cycle snowblower, so you have a diamond in the rough.

Sounds like the piston may have lightly "fused" to the cylinder wall. Sometimes if the machine sits too long the piston will slightly rust to cylinder wall. Usually a couple squirts of Mystery Oil down the spark plug hole left overnight will free things up. Just make sure you start the season with fresh 2-stroke gas/oil mixed at 50:1 I let my brother borrow my Toro 3650 12 years ago and haven't seen it since.. he loves that machine! :wink2:


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## penna stogey (Nov 25, 2019)

Welcome to the SBF from Gettysburg!!


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Welcome to the forum! 

I wouldn't want to just (effectively) trash the machine, at least not without some investigating. 

Will the engine move if not using the recoil starter? With the spark plug removed (so you aren't fighting compression), you could keep the handle squeezed (use a zip-tie, etc), and then see if you can rotate the paddles in either direction, by-hand. At a minimum, pull the spark plug wire, for safety. Not quite sure what you mean by "freeing up the shaft with some shaking." 

If you broke a connecting rod, I'd expect you should be able to rotate the engine at least a little bit in one direction or the other. If it's completely seized, of course, it wouldn't want to move at all. Presumably it was running with proper oil-mixed gas? Sometimes people have freed up engines using a big wrench on the crankshaft, and working it back and forth, after adding something like penetrating oil to the cylinder. 

They use the same R-Tek engine as the 2450, I believe, just set to a higher RPM. My 221 also uses the same one. So there could be a chance at getting a cheap machine as an engine-donor. The 221 is the successor to the 3650, I really like mine, I wouldn't want to just give it up.


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## whitegreg (Jan 18, 2020)

I had taken the belt cover off and put pliers right on the output shaft.
Initially, it would turn back-and-forth about 1/8 of a turn.
With tilting the whole blower side-to-side and forward-and-backward and shaking, I finally got the shaft to turn freely thru 360 degrees.
However, there was NOTHING in the way of compression. The spark plug was in place and tight during this.
Later the shaft was locked again.

I agree that these old two-stroke blowers are gems....so light!
It is truly amazing how much work these small engines do for 25 cents worth of gasoline.


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## RedOctobyr (Mar 2, 2014)

Bummer, that does sound like a broken connecting rod. A new connecting rod probably isn't very expensive, but there's the risk of other internal engine damage from the failed rod. Hopefully it didn't punch a hole in the crankcase. Maybe you could find a rough-condition 2450 or something, and use it for the engine. Even in the off-season, perhaps,


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