How to Fix Lawn Mower Pull Cord that is Stuck

How to Fix Lawn mower Pull Cord that is Stuck

Today you are going to read the complete How to Fix Lawn Mower Pull Cord that is Stuck [Essential Information Step by Step]. Your lawnmower pull cord is stuck, talk about frustration! You’ve taken out your lawnmower, everything is ready, and you need to mow the yard. The pull cord is stuck! It will not budge a millimeter much less an inch. Your primary goal here will be to figure out why.

There are quite a few conditions that may be affecting your pull cord and making it stick.

How does a Pull Cord Function?

The cord on your lawnmower connects to a hub that in turn spins when you pull the pull cord. This will spin the lawnmower’s blades together with the crankshaft.

When these parts spin, their spinning establishes a magnetic electrical connection that fires your mower’s spark plug and the mower’s carburetor will send fuel into the chamber for combustion.

At this point, the fuel will ignite, turning on the engine of your lawnmower. After each pull on this cord, the recoil spring will rewind the cord back into its original starting position. If everything is functioning properly, the cord recoil action will not be slow, and it most certainly should not stick.

Cord Problems

Let’s examine the most common reasons for a pull cord sticking and what to do about it.

  • A slow-moving cord will point to some type of blockage that is present. There may be some debris lodging in the motor’s top housing.
  • A stuck cord with no movement may indicate a damaged cord, or that the cord is catching on a component within the housing: Perhaps it is tangling up. In a worst-case scenario, the recoil spring may simply be damaged meaning that you will need to replace it.

To identify the problem, remove the motor housing by unscrewing any screws that are holding it in place. Now, you will probably be able to examine the cord and its pulley disc. Also, you can visit How to Fix Plastic Gas Tank on Your Lawn Mower [12 Easy Step].

How to Fix Lawn Mower Pull Cord that is Stuck – The Possible Solutions

Solution 1: Initially, I would check out the automatic brake on my lawnmower. Some manufacturers have their mowers automatically stop the engine for safety purposes.

If your mower is one of these, you will need to press down on the lawnmower’s automatic brake lever, and while holding it down, try pulling the cord. It may be as simple as that.

Solution 2: If you have a mower that does not feature this type of mechanism, the mower blades may be blocked with grass, twigs, stones, plastic, or debris in general. Since the mower’s blade connects right to the starter coil, it will not start if there is any kind of blockage.

In this case, you should remove the spark plug connection, lift the mower at an angle and proceed to carefully clean any grass, roots, plastics, or other debris from the mower blades.  This can be done with a knife, slim rod, screwdriver or a similar tool.

Another possibility is if by chance a debris skirt on the lawn mower is pushed inward and the blade of the mower jams against it. Check for this when looking at the blade underneath your mower.

Solution 3: A Tangled Cord: If the cord appears to tangle, or to cross over itself while recoiling, simply pull the cord out completely and let it rewind very slowly.

If this is not sufficient, then you will need to open the housing cover over the motor and take out the starter so you can loosen any tangles. Since the motor is open, look for breakage in the spring or a spring that has moved out of its correct position. To do this, consult the manufacturer’s instruction manual for engine housing removal.

Solution 4: Recoil Repair: If you need to repair the recoil mechanism, you should be able to do so with a screwdriver or a socket wrench, but again follow the owner’s manual instructions to do so.

Remove the engine starter and look for any tangles along the cord. Try pulling out the cord and rewinding it very slowly, then reset the recoil spring if it is possible or replace it altogether if necessary.

If the entire spring mechanism needs replacement, remove the cord entirely and detach the hub from the starter’s cover. Replace the spring with a new one. Wind the hub. Reinsert the pull cord through the holes in the cover and in the hub.

Now create a secure knot. Rewind the hub slowly. Replace the cover. Your lawnmower pull cord should function without any problem.

Conclusion

If this is your first time dealing with a stuck pull cord, do not worry and do not panic. This is an entirely normal problem that is quite commonplace yet very easily resolved.

The most important thing you need to do is to correctly identify the problem so you can fix it properly. We hope these suggestions and tips will help you arrive at an easy and satisfactory solution.

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