You need to have the engine (both crankcase and cylinder) clear of fuel when you begin, for the ritual approach to work. You can clear it by removing the spark plug and pulling it over 20 times with the throttle and choke wide open, using the rewind starter. Then install the spark plug, connect it, and apply the ritual (do make sure the ignition is on when you do this last part, of course).
Note that the engine will not start with the choke closed: it will only burp for less than half a second. Then you half-open the choke and try to really start it.
Two things to worry about: first, the plug has to be good. 2 strokes ruin their spark plugs fairly quickly, due to the plug operating at too low a temperature for proper self-cleaning except at full throttle. You should expect to replace your spark plug about every ten hours, unless your engine is rather easy to start. The main symptom of a dirty plug is hard starting, and cleaning the plug has only a marginal effect on this. The second thing to worry about is the possibility that the mixture adjustment screws have been abused. If they have ever been done up tightly, they are finished and need to be replaced. You can check this visually by removing them (one at a time - don't risk putting them back in the wrong holes) and examining the taper on their tips. Any microscopic sign of distortion means they are ruined: misshapen mixture screws do not adjust smoothly, and are likely to be incapable of successful adjustment.
Do not adjust the mixture screws on the fly while trying to start the engine. They can only be adjusted sensibly with the engine running. If it won't start by following the ritual with the mixture screws at say 1.25 turns, you are doing something wrong or there is something wrong with the machine. Any time you have pulled the cord ten times with the choke closed trying to get it to burp, don't go any further without clearing the engine of excess fuel again. It won't start once you've fouled it with fuel.
Incidentally I was once cursed with a little chainsaw that was hard to start. I even took it to a dealer, who said it was perfect and I should just cope. I gave the little saw away instead. It made the most beautiful 14,000 rpm 2 stroke sound I've ever heard once it was running, but life's too short to bother with an engine that's hard to start.
Last edited by grumpy; 24/02/10 03:08 AM.
