Had the boat on the lake and the motor was running fine at first. Started it a half dozen times and ran around, and it was working fine. Then all of a sudden it just wouldn't start. Ran the battery dead trying to start it, pulled the rope for a half hour, and it didn't even get going.
I have tested for spark, rebuilt the carb (needed it anyway), and I don't believe fuel is an issue. If I crank it for 10-15 seconds, it will backfire out the exhaust.
From what I have found on this site, it looks like maybe the flywheel key has sheared or become loose? The problem came on all of a sudden, so I think this makes sense.
So question is, can I somehow check this without pulling the flywheel off? As far as I know, the flywheel has never been pulled on this motor.
I have tested for spark, rebuilt the carb (needed it anyway), and I don't believe fuel is an issue. If I crank it for 10-15 seconds, it will backfire out the exhaust.
From what I have found on this site, it looks like maybe the flywheel key has sheared or become loose? The problem came on all of a sudden, so I think this makes sense.
So question is, can I somehow check this without pulling the flywheel off? As far as I know, the flywheel has never been pulled on this motor.