Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): 2 Cycle Mower, piston rings, combustion chamber

Question
Hi Michael,
I have a 1995 Lawn Boy Mower with a 2 Cycle engine on it. I found it at the side of the road hoping to get it started. When I picked it up the owner was outside and he said that his son put strait gasoline instead of 2 Cycle engine mix. I brought the mower home and tried turning the engine over. It turned but vary little! So I took off the spark plug and the intake and tried turing the engine over and the engine infact did. I put all the parts that were removed back on and the engine did the same as before. Is the engine seized? If it is what can I do to fix it? I have the mower model and serial number here they are: Model#: 10227 Serial#: 6904197

Answer
Hi Mike,

If the engine was run without oil in the fuel, then it most likely suffered piston, rings and cylinder damage from lack of lubrication and overheating. It probably seized and stalled on the last owner but now can still turn over. It's normal for an engine to turn over easier with out the spark plug installed.  To find out for sure if there is serious damage done internally, you would need to do a compression test or remove the head and inspect the combustion chamber.

Good Luck,
Michael