On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 09:44:30 -0500, "Bill Darby"
wrote:

My neighbour asked me to see if I could get his Sears snow blower
going. Had a good mild day so I went at it in two feet of snow in his
back yard. First, there is plenty of gas but no spark to speak of just
a tingle when I complete the cct between the plug wire and ground.
Seems as if there might be a short to ground or magneto problems.

Are there any really common faults to look for?

Remove the big nut (or starter clutch) that holds the flywheel on. Look at
the Woodruff Key (that positions the flywheel to the crankshaft) See if it is
sheared or even partially sheared. If it is, the timing will be off. The key
is a soft Zinc alloy and functions as a shear pin in case of sudden stoppage.
DO NOT replace it with a hard metal key. Note: it is not necessary to remove
the flywheel to do this check although it will to replace the key.

Hope this helps

Roger in Vegas.