Left the cowl off to break in my yak 54 with a 1.20 ax in it ,now when i put the cowl back on i cant get my thumb over the carb to prime it!! Any secrets of what to do ?

You can prime the engine by puttting your finger over the exhaust of the muffler, if you can get to it.

Yes, do the muffler. That's how I do mine all the time. You can also get a cork to put in the carb. Flip it with the cork in, remove and start. The little plastic caps from a glow driver work well for this. Just put a dowel in the end so you can grab it and put the cap round end down in the carb.

David

Sure didnt know you could do it with the muffler ,but when i think about it i cant help but say"duh" thanks guys!

My only problem is the 17x6APC scratches the inside of my arm when I flip it through.

Had the same problem with my OS BGX-3500 on a Midwest Extra. Finger over the muffler works well, or as stated earlier, a cork the right diameter to fit inside the carb. also works.