2 stroke kohler timing help

[Nubs]

Yes, the crankcase needs to be sealed 100% in order to pull the right amount of air and fuel from the carb and load the cylinders. a leaking base gasket on one of the jugs can cause it to loose vacuum in that cylinder. if your careful you can spray starting fluid down at the crank seals when its running and if the rpms raise that's a sign the seals are leaking. I would get a good look at that base gasket and if you see fuel/air pushing out it will need to be replaced.

[Chris07]

I'll be sure to check into that. I never thought about that being the cause. I sure appreciate the advise.

[teeko]

Also, if you have a bad seal or gasket, you may actually be running lean, which is why you would need to choke it to start. A lean mixture will wreck your internals pretty fast. Try Growth Products Inc. In MI for parts. They helped me with my kohler 400