If you own gas powered equipment sooner or later you will experience breaking a pull cord two pulls in to starting your project. Depending on the weather this may be the excuse you need to head back inside and relax. Just in case you really do need to finish that chore you intended on starting, learn how to fix your recoil starter and get back to work!
Required Tools:
– Screw Driver – Pull Chord and Handle
Steps:
1: Use the screw driver and the appropriate attachment to remove the bolts21 that hold the recoil starter housing4 onto the engine
If you want to get “Into the Weeds” on the components and how they work go here.
2: Use the screw driver and the appropriate attachment to remove the retaining bolt15 that holds the starter pulley9 on the housing4
-Be careful when removing this peace. The pulley contains all the other components of the starter and things have a tendency of falling out during this step. Don’t worry I’ll show you how to put everything back together.
3: If there is enough cord left to make at least two revolutions for the starter pulley9 you can reuse the cord and skip to step: 6
4: Replace the cord by passing it through the hole of in starter assemblyA and then through the pulleyB
– If you the rope is frayed or you are having trouble fishing it all the way through you can use a needle and thread trick
5: Tie a figure eight knot in the cord and pull tight
6: If you are lucky the recoil spring11 stayed in, if it fell out put it back in at this time
7: Before bolting the pulley back onto the starter assembly wrap the cord around the pulley. You want to wrap the cord as much as possible without binding the pulley in the assembly.
– The amount of wraps you put on the pulley can have a large impact on how easily you can start up the motor when you are done. You want to get at least two (2) revolutions per pull.
9: Replace the bolt15 that held the pulley9 onto the starter housing4 and perform a test pull to make sure everything operates smoothly and the recoil spring11 is pulling the cord back into the housing
– You want to make sure that nothing is binding, the pulley moves freely and smoothly, and the cord returns completely into the starter housing
10: Now replace the handle17
- Cut the cord so there is 3-4 inches of extra cord on the outside of the recoil assembly and put it through the handle
- Pull 2 inches of cord out of the assembly so there is tension on the spring and tie a figure eight knot the same way as step 5
- Trim the excess cord form the knot
- The handle should now be held tightly against the starter assembly from the tension of the recoil spring
11: Put the recoil assembly back on the engine reversing the process you used the remove it in step 1
Part Index:
