QuestionWe have a Craftman 5/24 snowthrower and the pull cord can out. How do we put it back in/ Does the spring get mounted clock-wise or counter-clock wise before installing the cord? Thank you for your help in advance.
AnswerHi Tom,
Remove the recoil shroud and take a look at the assembly.
You might have a broken spring or just a rope that has slipped out of the reel.
The spring usually breaks at one of the end tabs. If so, you will need to get a replacement spring and carefully wind that in, before re-assembling the rope reel. You might wish to replace the rope also, if it shows signs of wear. Below is my proceedure for replacing a broken recoil rope.
You will need to remove the entire cooling shroud. There should be 4 bolts on the sides. You might need to remove the fuel tank also. Pre-wind the recoil reel by hand [about 6 turns, to set the spring tension] and clamp it with Vise-Grip pliers. Remove the old rope. Thread the new rope through the shroud housing eyelet and to the reel hub. Let
the reel re-wind itself until it is full. If there is not enough spring tension you can wind it a couple of turns more by slipping the rope around between the reel and shroud. Re-clamp the reel. Cut the rope to length and thread it though the handle. At all knots, burn and melt the rope with a lighter to prevent untying. Re-assemble.
Let me know how you make out.
Michael
