ACR question
 

Can the ACR parts be installed wrong?

I have a hard starter, when the key is turned it starts to turn over as expected, but will pause for a bit then turn over, sometimes it will turn over several revolutions and pause again. When I first got it I assumed it was a busted ACR spring, but when I pulled the head and turned it over by hand the exhaust value was "bumping" up so I assumed the ACR was working. Is there anything else that would cause the revolution to pause for a couple of seconds then turn for a few and pause again?

Weak starter.

poor ground connections, bad battery connections, weak battery, undersized cables, dirty connections on the starter solenoid, etc.

I pulled the spark plug and tried turning the key, it spins like crazy! So it appears that I do have a compression issue. I will try another starter/generator on Saturday.

Don't forget that with no load on the starter (no spark plug) the engine spins freely, greatly reducing the amps drawn by the starter. Just like any electric motor, it draws more amps the more work it is asked to do. Let's say it needs 5 amps to spin the motor with no load (no spark plug) it might need 30 or even 50 amps to turn it over with the plug installed. Your wiring may be capable of the 5 amps but not capable of the higher current. Check that stuff first.

It’s possible that the combination of bad connections and misadjusted points could be causing the spark to be advanced a little as well. Check that as well