I believe it is a spark problem, since testing today I tested for spark, without the carb or fuel tank. The results were the same. With a new spark plug grounded, a strong spark. Then with the spark plug torqued, no spark at all. All switch wires disconnected, and contact points cleaned. Prior to testing I checked primary lead and coil grounds using an ohmeter. The snowblower is a Toro CCR 2000E, model 38186, S/N 2000151 . Prior to the last tests, I did clean the carb using a commercial carb cleaner bath. Although as stated, the last test was without the carb installed. My next course of action was to disassemble crankcase, first removing flywheel checking for a partial sheared flywheel key. Nothing wrong with key found. If nothing else this will provide the opportunity to thoroughly decarbon.

Thanks to those who followed up! Here is the story. The mercury dealer informed me that they sell the ingition key as a set (ignition, doors & trunk) ~$250. I checked and several after market car parts stores carried it (~$35 to 65); Because I could not turn the key, the only way to remove the old lock is to drill out the "sidebar" in the lock so the key can be turned and the lock released from the steering colum. I called a lock smith who came to the house and did the work. Because I had a chip in the key, the lock smith had to re-key the new lock so that my old key would work the new lock. Cost: $160 for the locksmith and $45 for the lock. The

I just bought 2 'remotes/fobs' through Amazon for my 4Runner. The price for 2, which came with easy instructions on how to program them, was $33.53. I also bought 2 keys, which were $8.68 each. The keys needed to be cut and programmed. The local dealer would not return my call; I suspect because I had bought the keys elsewhere. The price of keys and remotes for your car may differ, but the keys that I got for that price were OEM. I found a local locksmith who could do it, and not all can, as the machine that they plug into your car to program is very expensive. There was only one locksmith in my county in Maine who could do it. He charged me $100.00 to do the cutting and programming for the 2 keys. Another locksmith who could do it gave me a price of $90.00 EACH. I didn't find my locksmith mentioned on the site on the paperwork that came with the keys, which was www.autolocksmithfinder.com. I Googled 'auto lock locksmith in Maine' and found others, including the one I used, that way. As mentioned above, it will be much less expensive than the dealer's price.

My '88 Mazda (replacement single key about two bucks) was bought over three years ago - from an auto insurance appraiser, who had some plastic stickers that looked like bullet holes on one back corner, and offered to take them off, but I said to leave them there, that they weren't hurting anything. About 6 months later, I was in a smash that twisted one rear wheel a bit, and it took more than I'd paid to repair it, but my friend the body shop guy said that, at about 125,000 mi., it had some good mileage in it, so I fixed it - my contribution to energy waste and global pollution and warming, I guess, as repairs take a small amount of material and a lot of work. It's a standard transmission, so when a signal light goes yellow in the city, if traffic is normal, I push the clutch and turn off the key. The bigger cars go past at speed ... then a couple of hundred feet from the intersection, on come the red lights at the back! Can't people with automatics drive far enough ahead ... and think what they're doing enough to take their foot off of the throttle when the signal lights turn yellow?? My friend the body shop guy, though a few years younger than I, has been over afew hills and around a few corners in his lifetime and I doubt whether he can be taken for a ride easily when it comes to business ... as his business looks prosperous(and he has a vacation location at Lake Havasu). Some stuff in Canada is dearer than in the U.S. ole joyful