# Did I just mess up my engine timing?



## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

5/24 536.884800 it's almost 20yrs old
After I got the carb working good I gave a hard pull on the start cord and it broke... again. So while recoil was off I gave a cleaning to my magnets and coil plus checked the gap by spinning the flywheel a few times, when I put the recoil back on and gave a pull it popped like timing was off. This machine always started easy. Did I change timing by spinning flywheel? How do I check timing? Do I have to take recoil off? I am a little confused here why timing would change by spinning engine. Help


----------



## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

I don't see how anything you did during the recoil maintenance changed any timing. 
Was the timing off prior to this causing the recoil to about break your wrist?


----------



## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

I don't think so, I broke recoil by pulling to hard to fast, I forgot I was pulling on that machine which requires finesse when starting. What else could it be but timing? That machine starts on first pull usually.
It did seem funny that when spinning flywheel I felt no compression but thought it had not rotated enough times. There is compression now when pulling cord.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

When turning the flywheel a few times you may have flooded it if the choke was closed. ??

Other then the key shearing or the keyway getting damaged there really isn't a way to get the timing off. The "coil" just bolts in one place so the flywheel to crankshaft key and keyway are the only places it can get out of sync.


----------



## micah68kj (Oct 8, 2011)

If the key has even a small amount of damage it will throw the timing off. Double check the condition of your key.


----------



## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

Could the key get damaged by pulling the starter to hard, I never heard the the engine pop or try to start when I broke the recoil.
How do I check the key, is it on the flywheel end?
I may wind up pulling the head off and getting it to TDC on the compression stroke then make sure the magnet & coil are lined up... I'm no mechanic but I play one on TV!!


----------



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

nycredneck said:


> Could the key get damaged by pulling the starter to hard, I never heard the the engine pop or try to start when I broke the recoil.
> How do I check the key, is it on the flywheel end?
> I may wind up pulling the head off and getting it to TDC on the compression stroke then make sure the magnet & coil are lined up... I'm no mechanic but I play one on TV!!


no need to overthink what you have going on. you will need to pull the fw to inspect the key. as mentioned, the coil has its one position as far as timing goes in relation to the magnets, ( not sure if gap between coil and fw can be set ) timing is set by when the points " break" or open.


----------



## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

I thought as the magnet passes the coil it creates the spark.


----------



## dbert (Aug 25, 2013)

nycredneck said:


> I thought as the magnet passes the coil it creates the spark.


Yours is new enough it does not have points to worry about.


----------



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

nycredneck said:


> I thought as the magnet passes the coil it creates the spark.


im not sure if im saying this right, but the magnets passing the coil makes the energy to create the spark. when the points open ( break) is when that energy ( spark) is released. i.e engine timing.


----------



## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

Copy that.


----------



## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

nycredneck said:


> Copy that.


lol....are you my scalehouse operator ?? every email i send , the response is "copy that ".


----------



## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

nwcove said:


> lol....are you my scalehouse operator ?? every email i send , the response is "copy that ".


I talk on a portable radio at work all day long, to long actually.


----------



## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

nycredneck said:


> I thought as the magnet passes the coil it creates the spark.


Does your unit have points and a condenser, or is it strictly a solid state ignition?


----------



## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

skutflut said:


> Does your unit have points and a condenser, or is it strictly a solid state ignition?


No points or condenser, I am old enough to remember changing those on cars. I can't wait to get back on this machine Saturday.


----------



## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

nycredneck said:


> Could the key get damaged by pulling the starter to hard, I never heard the the engine pop or try to start when I broke the recoil.
> How do I check the key, is it on the flywheel end?
> I may wind up pulling the head off and getting it to TDC on the compression stroke then make sure the magnet & coil are lined up... I'm no mechanic but I play one on TV!!


You shouldn't have to pull the head to find tdc. Get a new pencil, insert it in the plug hole, and mark the high point and low point on the pencil (bdc and tdc) . Then you can watch for tdc when both valves are closed and the tdc mark on the pencil is visible. Trick is to know exactly how many degrees before tdc the spark is supposed to happen.


----------



## nycredneck (Dec 29, 2013)

skutflut said:


> You shouldn't have to pull the head to find tdc. Get a new pencil, insert it in the plug hole, ant mark the high point and low point on the pencil (bdc and tdc) . Then you can watch for tdc when both valves are closed and the tdc mark on the pencil is visible. Trick is to know exactly how many degrees before tdc the spark is supposed to happen.


Thanks thats a good tip. Hopefully I will get to it soon and find out more.


----------

