I'd take the blade off, just leaving the crank shaft exposed and try to
start it. you may have flooded it when you had it turned over so air it out
and change the plug. With the blade off, if you can start it, I think you
can tell if the crank is bent
"Noozer" wrote in message
news:Tsjae.1109690$8l.249104@pd7tw1no...
...now it's buggered up.

Today, I pulled my mower out for the first time this year. I changed the
oil and air filter, cleaned the plug, topped it up with new gas, swapped
the old blade off for my dethatching attaachment. She started first pull
and ran BEAUTIFULLY!!!

Great I though... Day was going well. Things were getting done. Got about
two-thirds of my yard dethatched and I hit a 2"-3" rock. OUCH! Mower
shaking around making a knocking noise. NOT GOOD!

I stopped the machine, pulled the plug wire and started checking it out.
Blade & springs seems tight and straight. Shaft seems straight. No loose
bits that I can see. So I start it up again and it's knocking and shaking.
Off it goes quickly.

So I pull off the detatcher and put on the old blade, just to see if I
bent the detatcher. Now she doesn't fire at all. CRAP! Could just be
flooded or maybe the key finally gave way, or the timing it out enough to
keep it from firing.

At this point I'm hoping that all I've done is shear off the "key" and it
will be an easy fix... except I don't know where it's located and I don't
even know if that's the problem. To make matters worse, I don't know the
make of engine. ARGH!

Mower is a 5.5 horsepower Sears "Eager-1" with 20" blade. Takes a Champion
RJ19LM sparkplug.

So... any advise anyone? Where should I start?