How to Fix a Pull Start on a Snowblower
Most snow blowers use a small engine with a horizontal shaft (typically built by either Briggs & Stratton or Tecumseh) to power the snow blower. With the exception of some of the largest units, these engines are started with a rope pull starter. The most common problem that the pull starter could encounter would be if the rope breaks (due to normal wear and tear or exposure to weather). Fixing the rope pull starter can be done in a few minutes with basic hand tools. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- New starter rope with handle
- Wide-jaw locking pliers
- Needlenose pliers
- Socket set
- Phillips screwdriver
- Cigarette lighter or matches
Instructions
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1
Remove the engine cover (if your snow blower is equipped with one). Loosen the screws holding the engine cover in place with a Phillips screwdriver, and lift the cover off of the engine.
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2
Disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug by pulling on the rubber boot that covers the tip of the spark plug.
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3
Loosen the three bolts that hold the starter shroud onto the engine. Pull off the starter shroud and place it upside-down on a work table.
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4
Hold the starter shroud with one hand, and rotate the pulley in the center of the shroud counterclockwise with the other hand until it stops turning. Clamp the pulley in place using a pair of wide-jaw locking pliers.
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5
Grasp the knot in the knot hole near the center of the pulley with a pair of needlenose pliers, and pull out the section of broken rope.
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6
Insert the open end of the new rope (with the handle on the opposite end) into the hole in the shroud. Guide the rope into the pulley and toward the knot hole. When the rope appears in the knot hole, grasp it with the needlenose pliers, and pull out about a foot of slack.
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7
Tie a knot in the end of the rope. Singe the remaining end of the rope with a lighter or match to prevent fraying.
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8
Pull on the rope from outside the shroud until the knot seats firmly in the knot hole.
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9
Release the wide-jaw locking pliers, allowing the rope to recoil around the spring-loaded pulley.
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10
Replace the starter shroud onto the engine, and tighten the three bolts to secure it in place.
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11
Reconnect the spark plug wire to the spark plug.
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12
Replace the engine cover (if you removed one in Step 1).
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1
Tips & Warnings
For longer life, always use rope designed to be used in small engine pull starters.
To prevent the engine from firing accidentally, always disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug.
References
- Photo Credit cleaning driveway image by samantha grandy from Fotolia.com
