1961 ERude Fisherman Pull cord

[MGC]

I pulled the starter cord out of my motor tonight, 5 miles from my car
Lucky for me I was in the Erie Canal and close to the road.

How hard is it to replace the cord? Are there instructions somewhere? I have never been good at replacing starter cords. Can I rewind it, do I need a new pre-wound unit?
I'm the guy that does the repair and has two inches of extra cord hanging out loose. My chainsaw is a joke. :redface: So, good solid directions are required.

Will appreciate advice from a seasoned veteran!

 

[Sea18Horse]

Re: 1961 ERude Fisherman Pull cord

Not a veteran and haven't had an opportunity to delve into one yet but here is a good write-up on recoil starters from Duckworks magazine. Obsolete outboards, recoil starters. Someone should be along to illuminate any pitfalls you might fall into. Good luck!

Cheers....................Todd

 

[MGC]

Re: 1961 ERude Fisherman Pull cord

That is a very good link. Thank you. I'll need to give it a try. I'm not sure that I agree with the recommendation to use nylon rope though? Won't that stretch too much?

 

[F_R]

Re: 1961 ERude Fisherman Pull cord

Well, I am a "veteran", and have done a few thousand of them.

I just read the Duckworks article. It is pretty good, but I'd like to add my 2c.

If the rope broke, plan on replacing the spring. When the rope breaks, the pulley goes flying back and the backlash wrecks the spring. You might be able to strighten it, but it will probably break in the future from being bent back and forth.

Put the outer eye over the pin in the housing and then wrap the spring in like coiling up a garden hose. Smear some light grease on the spring before installing the pulley. Also lube the pulley spindle.

Once you get the pulley installed, wind it up counter-clockwise as far as it will go, then back it off one turn and stick your nail into the hole in the pulley, which will keep it from rewinding. (Did I mention, find a nail and have it handy before starting?)

Once you have it preloaded and secured with the nail, you have all day to install the rope. Fuse the ends with a match, tie a simple overhand knot in one end, and stick the other end through the hole in the pulley, making sure it goes behind the stress-relieving pin. Then continue feeding it out through the opening in the housing. Hang on to it while you remove the nail and let it slowly rewind. Let it take up as much rope as it will hold. Then pull it out as far as necessary to align the arrow and estimate the amount of rope that will keep the arrow sligned when the handle is installed, cut it off and install the handle.

Examine the original rope and buy a new piece of the same construction type. It won't stretch enough to even notice.

 

[MGC]

Re: 1961 ERude Fisherman Pull cord

Great to hear from experienced folks. This is appreciated! I called a nearby shop today to see if they had the pull cord and they made the exact same point clear, that the spring should be changed. At that point I decided to let them do the whole thing. I have a chainsaw at home that has an extra couple inches of pull string hanging out of it and thinking about that, the spring and the likelihood that I would screw this up I decided to hand the bloody thing over. I'll have it back tomorrow. Looking at your post and that you have done thousands of these I'm thinking that was a good decision. I picked up the carb rebuild kit while I was there. That seems like something I will be able to do without losing an eye
Thanks.