Re: Crank Problem
Obviously with no compression the engine will spin quickly even with a bad battery. A 90 HP engine is not exactly easy to rope start so depending on how strong you are, your statement about rope starting is relatively meaningless. The engine is not tight so you need to look at battery cable connections -- both ends and make sure they are shiny clean and tight. Disassemble them -- don't just look at them. Then try it. If it still turns hard, you may have a bad starter. Put a voltmeter on the battery. It should measure about 12.6 volts - no load. Now hit the starter. If voltage drops below 10.5 volts, its time to look at the starter (provided you have a known good battery and its fully charged). By the way -- jumper cables do no good if the other end of the battery cables or the cable ends are corroded, loose, or just bad. You can also use a single jumper cable to test the system. Connect one end of a jumper cable to the positive battery terminal. Touch the other end directly to the large terminal on the starter. If it spins normally, you have a bad solenoid or positive battery cable, or a bad cable between the solenoid and the starter. If it still doesn't work, add the second jumper cable between the negative terminal on the battery and a solid ground (paint free) on the engine. Now try again. If it works normally you have bad ground cable or connection.
