Pull Cord goes in slowly ATC90

[atc90]

the starter cord on my ATC90 goes in a little bit at a time i have to give it little pulls so it can go baack in it was sitting in the rain for awhile is there a way of fixing this maybe lubricating it thank you

[ratvespa]

you might have to rewind it, and as more preload the coil spring in there. I should do a write up on it if no one else has done it. it's not terribly hard to do, it's just a little tricky. when ever I rewind the cords I also lube up all the pivot points.

one thing you can do is unbolt the pullstart, then untie the knot at the pull handle while holding the insides to keep them from spinning, then once it is untied, you can rotate the inners one or 2 turns to preload the spring some more, then refeed the rope through the hole and tie it back to the handle.

[Frankencelery]

I agree. Putting a couple extra turns on that spring should do it for you. You'll probably have to cut the knot off though, it's usually very difficult to untie.

[atc90]

ok so as soon as i unbolt the pullstart will anything pop out? after that im just gonna open the pull start and untie the handle from the rope then feed it more rope? thanks

[black02ktm]

Nothing will pop out, there is an E-clip that hold it all together.

1) unbolt and remove pull starter
2) cut the knot off while holding the inner part so that it doesn't just suck the end of the rope in as soon as you cut it
3) with your other hand and some needle nose pliers, grab the rope between the spool and the guide and pull it out
4) hold the end of the rope against the spool and turn the spool 1 or 2 revolutions clockwise to tighten the spring, the rope should slip between the edge of the spool and the housing.
5) feed the end of the rope back through the guide and reinstall your handle

CAUTION: now that you have tightened the spring be careful not to use all of the length of the pull starter. Since you tightened the spring it will be wound more tightly at the end of travel and be more likely to break the bent over end off the spring. Replacing the spring is another can of worms.

[black02ktm]

Can someone help me out with my terminology? I don't think spool and guide are correct, but I couldn't think of a better description.

[Jeepermc]

It was out in the rain.......I'll bet the rope swelled....

[atc90]

thanks blacko2 for breaking it down for me, i understand now thanks .and jeeprmc what do you mean by " the rope being swelled" the rope does feel kinda wet from rain,

[Jeepermc]

Well..depending on the size and type of rope that is on there...(I'm sure it isn't factory) it can soak up water and then not fit through the hole very well anymore....which makes it real difficult for the recoil to pull it back in...

[TrailerRider]

Water soaked into the rope and made it slightly bigger in diameter. I have had this happen to many pull starts. First thing I do to it is spray some WD40 in the rope hole and pull it back and forth (little by little) and it usually comes free. In the event it is still sticky I usually pull the housing apart and grease it up really well. But usually the WD40 thing works best for me. Something to try that is a quick option again that works for me. I am betting the housing is a bit gummed up from the water and grime or rust. Try it and let us know.

[greenhuman]

Before you do anything, spray some WD40 or put a few drops of oil under the flat washer and circlip and give the handle a few pulls to get it in there.
This section dries out and stiffens up.

[Frankencelery]

Yeah, I didn't know about the wet rope. That may be the real cause. Don't mess with the spring until you get the rope dried out. Remove the pullstarter and bring it in the house if you have to.