How to Repair the Starter String in a Lawn Mower

Undo the three or four 1/4-inch bolts holding the recoil starter to the motor with a socket wrench, and lay the unit upside down on your work bench.

Cut the cord just below the starter handle with a pair of side cutters and unwind the cord from around the pulley. Grip the knot protruding from the pulley flange with a pair of pliers, and pull the worn rope out of the starter.

Feed a new rope through the starter handle. Tie a figure-eight knot around the end of the cord protruding through the back of the handle, and cut the rope off about an inch from the knot. Hold the handle in one hand and give the rope a couple of sharp tugs to tighten the knot.

Unwind the pulley about half a turn counterclockwise against the recoil spring tension, until the hole on the in the pulley flange lines up with the ferule on the side of the housing. Hold the pulley with your thumb and feed the new cord through the ferule and up through the hole in the pulley flange.

Tie an overhand knot on the end of the cord. Pull on the rope protruding from the ferule, and give it a couple of sharp tugs to tighten the overhand knot on the pulley. Ease the rope to allow the pulley to wind back clockwise about half a turn until it stops.

Trim the cord off about 3/8 inches from the knot and seal the end by melting it with a lighter or match to prevent it from unraveling.

Hook a bent paper clip around the cord between the ferule and the pulley. Pull the cord upward to form a loop between the pulley and the inner edge of the housing, until the starter handle rest against the side of the housing. Unwind the pulley a little to line up the notch on upper outer edge of the pulley, about an inch before it reaches the ferule.

Insert the pulley end of the rope into the notch on the edge of the pulley from the bottom. Wind the pulley two turns counterclockwise against the recoil spring tension, until the rope hooked into the notch is just past the ferule. Tug the starter handle to free the rope from the notch; ease tension on the rope to allow the pulley to unwind and draw the handle toward the side of the housing.

Check that the rope has pulled the starter handle all the way in to the side of the recoil housing; if there is still some slack, repeat the above step and tension the pulley counterclockwise another turn before tugging the rope free of the notch on the side of the pulley; this should draw the handle all the way in against the side of the housing.

Secure the recoil starter to the engine with the bolts removed earlier, and test start the mower to compete the installation.