Paul H, got your message from yesterdays digest - I think your engine
might have been just warm enough for a compression start, like a
diesel. You may have had a hot spot in one cylinder that tried to
ignite the incoming fuel charge and caused the engine to kick over
without the spark energized.
I had an even stranger thing happen when I was a kid. I had my dad's
old rotary power mower engine (single cylinder Briggs and Stratton)
partially apart and clamped in a vice in the basement. The carb and
muffler were removed, the spark plug was out, and most of the
shrouding was off. I stuck the lawnmower blade on the shaft and
started spinning the blade by hand, to check if I was getting a spark
at the end of the plug wire. All of a sudden I heard a hollow POP
and saw a tongue of flame shoot out of the spark plug hole! The
blade kicked a bit also. I guess there was some residual fuel
mixture in the cylinder which was ignited by the spark at the end of
the plug wire. Dad looked at me quizzically from across the room,
shook his head, and went back to what he was doing.
It's a wonder I still have all my fingers, but I have to thank my
parents for giving me the freedom to do idiotic things as a child.
This explains why I drive eccentric vehicles today, instead of Ford
Tempos or other mainstream stuff.
Safety Fast, PK
Paul D. Kile
kile_paul@aphub.aerojetpd.com
(916) 355-5162
GenCorp Aerojet
POB 13222
Dept 5784 Building 20019
Sacramento, California 95813-6000
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