Rather than getting a dial, I decided to try this the old fashioned way. I took the head off and cleaned everything really well. The old gasket looks brand new. I think that maybe the last time it was replaced, it wasn't cranked down tight enough afterwards. I adjusted the ignition timing as instructed above, and adjusted the coil housing. Everything looks like it lines up as it's supposed to. I put it all back together and cranked it down good and tight.
I decided that rather than wearing myself trying to get this thing to run, that I'd try using an 11/16 socket on my power drill and let the drill do the work. It worked like a charm... except when it started, I got excited and let off the trigger without removing the drill. There was an odd sound.
What happened next happened very fast but felt like an eternity.
The motor revved up to full throttle. The nut unscrewed and the flywheel came off. It fell a few inches to the pavement and shot sparks in every direction, then took off across my car port. When it ran into the brick wall, it didn't stop like I suspected it would. Instead, it shot up in the air like a bottle rocket, still producing sparks off of the brick wall. Finally, it landed with a thud and continued to spin in place until it finally lost it's momentum and fell over.
It took me at least 10 seconds to realize what I had just witnessed. I was still holding the drill with my jaw agape. As terrifying as it was, it was also kind of awesome, until I fully realized what had happened. I felt a sharp pain in my right knee. The flywheel had at some point struck my leg and taken some skin off on it's way to the ground, but it didn't look too bad. I was more worried about the flywheel.
I picked up the flywheel and the first thing I noticed is that the magnets are no longer inside. They were laying on the other side of the carport, no doubt slung when during one of the collisions. The shaft key also sheared in half. Aside from that it actually looks to be in decent shape.
I'm not sure if it can be fixed or not. I can see where the magnets used to be mounted, but I'll have to figure out which way they face (North or south, etc) so I can reattach them. I will also have to try to get them put back on in a way that allows them to have the same gap as before. Can this be done?
I learned a valuable lesson today. I don't know if this is a normal way to start a motor, or if it's ill-advised, but next time I'll just pull it until it starts or my arm is too tired. I have a feeling it will be an expensive mistake in the end. Either way, I don't think my drill will be used as an engine starter in the future.
So, does anyone have any tips or advice for reattaching the magnets to the flywheel? Can that even be done?
Thanks in advance!
