Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Ignition timing

Would someone please tell me, in what position will the flywheel magnets be whenever the piston is at TDC, if the flywheel key is right? Will this hold true on all engines?

If I remember correctly, the magnets will be just past the armature (when rotated clockwise). I never check it this way. A sheared flywheel key is normally quite evident by the way the engine cranks, runs, and/or acts when cranking without actually starting. Checking just by the magnet placement on the flywheel is not accurate enough for checking a key. A flywheel key can be partially sheared...or "shifted" just enough to cause trouble, but it will only change the location of the magnets by ten thousandths of an inch. You probably won't be able to measure this accurately by eye. Visual inspection is the best way to go.

you mite find that the magnet location is different on different engines . i also go with the flywheel key, its hard to go wrong that way. i have seen some keys that are made into the flywheel , its called intergrated, if this type key gets sheered you just have to look very close to tell where the key was and try to line it that way ,some times it works, other option is to replace flywheel