How to Troubleshoot a Homelite 196CC Engine

Turn off the engine and allow it several minutes to cool before attempting any troubleshooting.

Check the spark plug on the right side of the Homelite 196cc engine. This spark plug is connected to the motor via a single black ignition wire that connects to the back of the spark plug. Ensure this wire is in place. Reinsert it into the rear of the Homelite's spark plug if necessary.

Observe the end of the spark plug if the engine is not starting at all. Ensure there is no brown or white corrosion here or any visible wear. If there is, the spark plug has likely become faulty and requires replacement. Pull the ignition wire out of the rear of the existing plug and insert it into the back of a replacement spark plug.

Find the large circular flywheel on the top of the Homelite's engine block. Remove its iron cover by loosening and removing the bolts holding it in place with counterclockwise turns with your socket wrench.

Check the outer fins on the Homelite 196cc's flywheel and ensure there are no burrs. These burrs can interrupt the flywheel's operation and potentially cause engine failure after starting. File away these burrs using a hand file, and then set the flywheel's cover back into place and secure it by reattaching its bolts with the socket wrench.

Find the Homelite 196cc's carburetor midway up the left side of the engine block. The carburetor has a small, distinctive bowl on its bottom, and on the underside of this bowl is a nut. Place a pan under the nut.

Loosen the nut using your socket wrench if the engine has been sputtering and cutting off after starting. This procedure will allow excess fluids to drain from out of the bowl and into your pan. Wait for the bowl to finish draining completely.

Tighten the nut back into the Homelite's carburetor bowl using your socket wrench.