how to fix lawn mower pull cord

How to Fix Lawn Mower Pull Cord

Tractor Ignition Switch

Spring is here! Time to take that old push mower out of your garage and craft a beautiful lawn. You move the mower onto your drive and into your yard and get ready for action. You reach down to start it and... the pull cord is broken. This is not so rare of an issue and can be caused by weather damage or heavy use. Below I have outlined some nice tips for how to fix your lawn mower pull cord:

1. Turn off your lawn mower and wait for the blades to stop moving. Look at the starter to see how it is mounted onto the mower. If it is mounted by screws, you need a screw driver, and if it is mounted by bolts you need a socket wrench. Use the appropriate tool to take off the screws or bolts from where the pull cord is mounted.

2. Put the starter on a clear surface and turn it over to remove the nut. Then pick up the center cap from the assembly.

3. Now you'll want to get rid of the old starter rope's remains. Some of the cord will probably still be stuck inside the assembly. Be sure to take this out.

4. Measure the new cord to make sure it matches the specs of your lawn mower and stretch it around the starter assembly a few times until you have figured out where to cut it, then cut it to size.

5. Now simply put the new rop into its hole in the lawn mower and tie it to secure it.

6. Now put the cap back on and use your tool to tighten either the screw or nut. Twist the cap counter-clockwise and wrap the pull cord. You should twist the cap until it starts to resist and when you hear it resist you should switch direction and turn it clockwise one turn.

7. Now just put the loose end of the rope through the handle. Knot the pull cord to the starter grip. If you need new starter grips, you can find them at Briggs & Stratton's lawn mower parts online store, Amazon, or Kmart. There are other places as well, but doing a Google search those were the first online store results I found.

8. Finall, just put the starter assembly back on and use a tool to tighten the screws (or bolts). Test it out and get mowin'!

For more information I have found some excellent articles that might help. This Replacing the Starter Rope article is excellent as well as the videos an articles found here on eHow and askville.