small engine - hydraulic lock?

[George]

Stihl string trimmer, 2-cycle. It's been fading, and hard to start when hot. I thought I'd check the compression when hot. (It was 50-ish). Then, I thought I'd squirt some oil in the cylinder, and see what effect it would have on compression. (Not much.) ...

But, now it's really hard to turn over, when the plug is in. Oops. Just two little squirts of oil. It spins easily with the plug out. Hydraulic lock?

I dried out the crankcase, and put it upside down to drain the cylinder. Everything seems dry, but cranking is still hard. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks, George

[digitalmaster]

hydraulic lock is caused by having a liquid(incompressible) in the cylinder.2 squirts of oil will not do it.besides if you spin it without the plug any appreciable volume of liquid will be ejected through the hole. perhaps the oil freed up a stuck ring and what you are feeling is the proper amount of compression???

[John Lawrence]

[George]

That took care of it. Thank you.

George

[John Lawrence]