On Jul 5, 12:36*pm, "James H." wrote:
On Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:28:35 -0500, wrote:
When you hit the object you probably broke the shear pin but didn't
move the flywheel far enough, at first, to keep the engine from running.. *
However, it ran poorly because the timing was off. *After a little time
unbalanced the flywheel moved further out of place preventing it from
running at all. *

Now that makes sense! I remember now, that there was a lot of oil and smoke
too. I'll bet you're 100% right so I'll take it apart from the top and look
for that flywheel pin and report back to the team!

The 'not starting' is almost assuredly a sheared pin. I worked for
part of year in my old man's fix-it shop. Overhauled one Briggs on a
tiller. Fired it up, ran good, next morning - no start. After a
couple hours fooling with it, I pulled the flywheel to find the key
only half shorn but it was enough to keep it from starting. It
probably was shorn when I shut it off the previous evening.

Yes, it is possible for it to have started with a partially shorn key
and then completed the shearing later.

Harry K