It is supposed to do that. Without the compression release a lot more effort would be required to start the engine. Once running, the feature does not come into play.

Thank you canguy! I just did a little research and found more info on the ACR component. Let me ask one more question. As part of the valve cleaning/lapping, should I grind a bit off the valve stems to allow for a bit more clearance between the valve stem and lifter? Thanks again for the advice! Mark

Set the valves to the manufacturers specifications. If the clearance is excessive, the acr will be defeated causing the engine to kick back while starting. The handle will be jerked out of your fingers, believe me this will smart. You will also experience poor performance.

Thanks. According to this site: http://outdoorpowerinfo.com/engine_specs/tecumseh_valve_gaps.asp Both intake and exhaust valve clearance should be between .004 - .008. Using a feeler guage I measured .006 on intake and .009 on exhaust. I assume I should lap the exhaust value to remove another .001 from the clearance? Thanks for the info canguy!

Looks like others have this peculiar innovative feature on their motors too! My champion 9375 starting Amp generator is brand new and only ran for several hours then quit. It only runs very rough and backfires out both intake and the exhaust now. I checked oil, spark, fuel, switched to LPG, that all fine and it's level. With those in place yet not running, and with it being new out of the box, I started thinking maybe the factory may have not tightened up the lifters locking nuts. That's when I noticed the extra little lift on the exhaust valve right before the end of the compression stroke and started looking for info. Lifters are adjusted fine (.006 intake and .008 exhaust) ... I'm stumped now...