Changing the starter cord on an outboard motor?

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Lisa Woodburn

Hi. Since sailing season's going strong here in Phoenix, I've submitted MANY questions lately, and love the information that is shared on this website.... Can anyone describe step by step how to change the starter cord on an Evinrude 6 hp (about 6 yrs. old) outboard? I don't have the owner's manual and just wasted a trip to Bookstar for an engine repair book. My old cord's frayed and barely made it back in to get me "home" the other weekend. A salesman at West Marine said to take the cover off, the fly (?) cover off, the old cord off, then to wrap the new one on. Sounded easy enough.... My neighbor in town said to be careful of the spring action or I could get hurt (yikes!). When I opened the motor, there were more screws & gadgets attached to the "fly" cover than I expected (I thought it would be as easy as taking off the air filter cover on a car), so I chickened out. Then I found out the motor shop at the marina was closed this week and my sailing friends have never done this before, either...(Uh oh) Thanks! Don't want to miss the big party on the lake this weekend! Lisa
 
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Brad Williams

starter cord

Ahoy Lisa, Dismantle enough so you can see the round pulley looking gadget that the starter cord goes around. Pull the cord slowly until it's all the way extended (taking out the spark plug may make this easier). You need to see the end of the cord (it will be knoted in a special slot in the pulley wheel and you'll need to be able to both take the old cord off and tie the new one in -- this is an indication of how much dismantling you really have to do. The spring action that your neighbor is speaking about is the recoil of the pulley when you release the cord ( this happens without you thinking about it after each time you pull it to start). You don't want this spring re-winding the cord until you have the old one off and the new one all attached, so find a way to make it stick open -- a set of vice-grips is good for this. Sometimes there is an alignment hole so that a small screwdriver can be jammed into it -- anything to keep the beast in the "all out" position and prevent it's re-winding until you want it to. Attach the new cord, and while applying just a tad of resistance so it doesn't smack back too fast on the re-wind, let the pulley go (release the vice-grips or remove the screwdriver, whatever) and allow the cord to be pulled in slowly and wrap around the pulley. You want too much cord left over. Once you've got it all re-wound, pull it out about 3 or 4 inches, cut it too length, and re-attach the cord's handle so that when it re-winds the 3 or 4 inches, the handle is pulled snug against the mechanism. Sorry for the lack of technical terms -- it's not a complicated thing, you simply have to see how it works and then outsmart it to replace the cord. Good luck. Brad
 
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Lisa Woodburn

Thanks......

for the step by step. New cord is on & Christmas weekend was saved! Happy Holidays! Lisa
 
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