2 Stroke Engine – Will Not Start

If you have 2 stroke engine that will not start, you may have one or more of the following problems:

Fuel System

• Improper starting technique (see previous post)
• Stale fuel
• Dirty air filter
• Dirty fuel filter
• Inoperable choke/primer
• Water contamination
• Flooded with fuel
• Broken/cracked fuel hoses
• Carburetor requires repair/service

Ignition System

• Weak spark
• Fouled spark plug
• Faulty stop switch
• Faulty wiring
• Misadjusted armature/coil air gap
• Defective coil/armature

Exhaust System

• Stopped up exhaust screen
• Stopped up exhaust port

Compression

• Low top end compression
• Low bottom end compression

Timing

• Improperly adjusted armature/coil air gap
• Damaged flywheel/flywheel key (rare, but possible)