Another Pic of Old Craftsman, Weed Eater Models I had success with âÂÂBUT WORKâÂÂ! 1. I must â SAY AGAINâÂÂ, they take Time and Interest. I would look for ring movement in the piston vs trying to rotate. 2. Try to feel for piston ringâÂÂs compression with your finger or dowl feeling for drag, rotating slow w/o oil before too much time is spent. 3. This old models which have only had bad fuel lines and carb problems are personally all I plan to touch (in my volunteering mode) vs compression teardown issues. They are normally plentiful at Estate/Garage Sales. My20 + yr old blower was 15.00 with a demo that it worked. 4. Replacing fuel line can almost become a teardown until you learn the tricks of fishing, feeding and pulling line. This was a 70âÂÂs Hobby before moving to Computer Applications/Cad and Comp Repairs as a Hobby to keep my job. Call them Hobbies vs Jobs and they become More Fun vs Nightmares. LOL

***"Also when I turn the flywheel slow counterclockwise it makes a sound like "phphphphssss" almost like a soda bottle when it is opened slowly. Sounds like something is draining."** Is this happening when the spark plugs are removed from the engine?? If yes....is the "phphphphssss" coming from the fuel pump??? ............................................. To define "UP" & "DOWN" as relating to piston movement, learn this: When a piston is moving TOWARD the cylinder head, the direction of movement is referred to as UPWARD, or UP. When the piston is moving AWAY FROM the cylinder head, it is referred to as DOWNWARD or DOWN. This applies to all reciprocating engines regardless of the engine configuration. Just remember that the terms are for one specific cylinder at a time, no matter the total number of cylinders the engine has, or which direction they may be pointing (clock position). ...................................................... With both cylinder heads removed, turn the flywheel while watching either of the pistons. As you turn the flywheel, is this piston moving in its cylinder (meaning: traveling upward or downward). Turn the flywheel until it reaches the point of "abrupt stop". Now, watch the same piston while you turn the flywheel in the opposite direction. Does this piston move in the opposite direction JUST AS SOON AS YOU TURN THE OPPOSITE WAY? or does it seem that the flywheel rotates a few degrees before the piston begins to move in the cylinder? Continue turning the flywheel until it abruptly stops again. Now, watch the same piston as you turn the flywheel again in the direction you first turned it. Does the piston begin to move in the opposite direction immediately? or does the flywheel seem to rotate a few degrees before the piston begins to move? Go to the second cylinder and repeat the steps above for that cylinder. What we are doing in this "test" is determining whether the piston, connecting rod, and crankshaft are still intact (I only mean they are still connected together as an assembly). Due to the "1.25 turn" you cite, I expect you to find that one of the pistons will have a "dead zone" of movement in its travel. This is when the flywheel rotates a few degrees without the piston moving. The "dead zone" of movement will be at the max UP and max DOWN positions. If you find this to be true, the connecting rod is very likely "burned up" from loss of lubrication due to the oil being thinned out by gasoline contamination. If you find the "dead zone" of piston travel, you will want to compare the piston travel distance of one cylinder to the other. Using a ruler or other device, record the depth (position of piston at its max DOWN point and at its max UP point) of each piston and cylinder. Measure from the top edge of the cylinder to the top of piston. Do this for both cylinders and compare the depth figures. The cylinder having the lower value (shorter travel) will be the affected cylinder. If you detect a "dead zone" of piston travel on BOTH CYLINDERS, that means BOTH connecting rods are likely burned up. In this case do the following. Turn the fly wheel until one of the pistons reaches the max UP point for that piston. When it is at max UP, measure distance from top of cylinder to top of piston (or mark the cylinder at the top edge of piston with a crayon or pencil) Next,turn the flywheel in the opposite direction until the piston "just begins to move". When this piston begins to move, stop turning the flywheel. Using a non metallic tool (hammer HANDLE, piece of broom handle, or a dowel), push downward on this piston (hold the flywheel stationary when doing this). The piston will move in the cylinder and then stop. Measure the distance the piston moved in the cylinder and record that. Repeat the steps on the opposite cylinder. .......................................................... While each piston is in its DOWN position, inspect the cylinder walls. Are the cylinder walls nice and shiny, and smooth with a glossy surface appearance? Or are they full of rough, scratchy looking grooves that run up and down the cylinder walls? Do the above "tests" and report back with your findings. .............................................. To respond to the post by johntommybob about the possibility of the starter causing the engine to "abruptly stop" when it is being turned. Consider that the drive pinion gear on the starter is very small and has few teeth compared to the engine flywheel ring gear. This means that the armature (rotor) of the starter must turn many revolutions in order to turn the flywheel one revolution. Conversely, when turning the flywheel by hand, one revolution (or 1.25 revolution) of the flywheel would cause the starter drive pinion gear to rotate many revolutions. If the "binding" or "abrupt stop" cited in this case were due to a locked up starter, I would think that the flywheel would be "un-turnable" at all. AND it would require that the starter drive pinion gear be "stuck into" the ring gear as well. Since the starter might be burned up (remember the smoke), it would not hurt to go ahead and take the starter off the engine anyway. I just don't expect to find the starter as the cause of the "abrupt stop" symptom seen here.

Update....the engine is running!!! My son and I had faced a setback earlier in the week when one of the head bolts sheared after the second round of torquing to 36 ft-lbs. That was a bummer, but a couple days later we got the bolt out with an easyout. We put all the parts of the rider back together (with a new needle/beam torque wrench) and fired it up with some carb cleaner, and it started up fairly quickly!!! As expected, we did have the smoking of burning off of oil, but after 20 minutes or so, that seem to diminish to nothing. Seem to have a little bit of burning oil smell still, but I am hoping that is just some residual oil burning off the frame or muffler shields - those parts around the muffler seem to get very hot. Only remaining issue was a backfire after turning it off. It happened half the time after shutting it down, even when I would let it idle for 15 seconds before turning it off. But I can probably live with the backfiring. I would welcome any input on this problem, but I can do some research on the internet about this seemingly separate issue. Thanks so much for walking my son and I through our first fix of this magnitude....usually we only fix fuel problems. It was a really satisfying experience, and I am really grateful for your advice along the way....I was truly amazed. Again, thanks so much.

I have the same issue... so, it is the laptop, charger, or electricity at home? my laptop is almost new it has around 1 year or so, and I noticed that in the multiple plugger on my bed room that was not working, I turned off and on the multiple plugger and worked the charger again. I also turned off and on the general power at home and all the pluggers that were not working start working again, but after 2 days are no longer working again, I turned off and on the general power again and this time didn't work the pluggers... So, now I'm working on the dining room that it is working the plugger (for now)... but as the others post, some plugs don't work for my laptop. I just tested the same that other previous post and when I charge my cellphone in the other plug of the double plugger, the charger works.... So, I guess I need to call the electrician.