how do you know if you have a blown engine I have to put my finger over the carb to get my truck to start Could this be a sign that my engine is on it's way out thanks cr250

More likely, you are not properly priming your engine before starting. Typical signs of a dying or dead engine are: It gets harder and harder to tune...especially when the engine gets warm. Due to the lack of compression, the mixture leans out and simply won't suck the mixture through the carb properly. This can make it seem like it is always lean - and it can also run very hot. The further it is gone, the less improvement tuning will make. Also, you will notice that there is less "pop" when you crank it over and less power in general.

so you are saying that the lack of priming is causing my hard starting

There are a number of things that will affect how hard or easy it will be to start your truck, like a bad plug or bad gas. When you block the carb with your finger and start up your truck, you are creating pressure for the fuel to move up to the engine. That takes the place of useing the primer button. Some guys do this because not all vehicles have a primer button. The LST tank just so happens to come with one. Just watch the fuel level when you do use it, just like when you block the carb. Too much fuel will cause it to flood and lock up. If you do decide to use the primer, pump it just untill it reaches the carb, but not into the carb. It should be able to move the fuel the rest of the way.

If the primer doesn't push the fuel up, or the pressure available doesn't pull the fuel to the engine, you may have an air leak. The other side to the primer buttons, are that they can also be the source of air leaks[]. You can remove the primer and plug the hole. That will solve the problem if your primer is leaking air[8D]

came to find out my hard starting was from a weak battery in my glow plug heater i guess my 0ther problem has that i was primeing it engine to much and floodig the engine as i am gettng to know my truck i am spending more time driving an less time trying to figure out what is wrong thanks again all