Ask Me Help Desk - Craftsman Weed Eater Starter Rope Replacement

I have a Craftsman Weed Eater. Model 358797101. The start rope finally broke after 7 years of use.
I have contacted managemyhome.com site NO manual for this model. And no information on how to replace this starter rope.
I also need to know where to buy this Kit.

Thanks.

Hi,
It would appear from the attached picture that you must remove 2 #68 screws and 4 #66 screws to gain access to the starter. Once separating the housings, you need to remove screw #69 and plate #70; these keep the pulley in place. Carefully dislodge the pulley without dislodging the spring; you will be sorry if you do, by possibly rocking it back and forth. All screws will require a 5/32" Allen head wrench (a 4mm will work also as they are interchangeable.)
Once out you will need to remove screw #60; cannot say if it is Allen head or Phillips as either is possible. You will need 32 to 33" of #3.5 rope with both ends cauterized (burnt to prevent unravelling.) Insert rope through the hole in the pulley and into the grooved space where it wraps in the pulley. Use a thin screwdriver if necessary to get out from the grooved area and out through the grommet in the housing through the bottom of the grip and ou the top so that you can tie a knot to fasten it to the grip. You will need to ease it through until you have just enough to wrap in the curlique area where the #60 screw fastened it down; which you now need to do and pinch it down with that screw taking care not to overtighten and strip. To be honest I cannot tell you quite how it fastens from the picture; there are two possibilities. One is that it wraps fully around the toothed center of the pulley and the other that there is a "J" shaped groove it fits in. I would guess the second as the screw is rarely present with the first as the end of the rope would be held by the down pinched to the pulley by the loop of the rope just before it goes through the hole and into the winding groove.
Once the rope is fastened, then turn the pulley in the direction necessary to have it wind in the groove in a clockwise directio to remove as much slack as possible and ease it back into the housing. It will probably require some back and forth rocking to get it to seat correctly in relation to the spring. Do NOT force and ruin the spring.
Now to pretension the spring; you must ease a closed loop of rope up around the side of the pulley while holding it in place with a couple fingers lightly to keep it from unseating from the spring. I say lightly as the pulley must be able to turn but not unseat! Then carefully grasp the loop and carefully turn it and the pulley two full turns clockwise, still keeping the pulley from rising up and unseating. Grasp the grip to ease the loop back into its prorep placement and allow the pulley to take up the slack carefully. Everything should be holding in place so that you can install plate #70 and screw #69 to secure the pulley to the housing.
Now you must secure the housings together and the flexshaft may not immediately mesh with the engine's adapter. It will generally stop with about an inch gap and you should slowly pull the starter through to mesh the pawls of the flywheel to the pulley and slowly spin the cutting (string) head to mesh the shaft with the adapter (I use the side of my foot) all the while gently holding the housings toward each other. When all things align, they will seat rather effortlessly.
Then all that remains is to install the #66 and #68 screws to finish.
You only need about 18" of the rope to crank a properly maintained machine; that is, you should NEVER pull a starter through until it runs out of rope to pull. That breaks starters!
This basic procedure with some relevant variations will repair almost any two cycle starter; be it on trimmer, chainsaw, blower or something else less common. I have done probably in excess of 10,000 in my thirty odd years of repairing them.
Peace,
Clarke

Quote:

Originally Posted by crigby

Hi,
It would appear from the attached picture that you must remove 2 #68 screws and 4 #66 screws to gain access to the starter. Once separating the housings, you need to remove screw #69 and plate #70; these keep the pulley in place. Carefully dislodge the pulley without dislodging the spring; you will be sorry if you do, by possibly rocking it back and forth. All screws will require a 5/32" Allen head wrench (a 4mm will work also as they are interchangeable.)
Once out you will need to remove screw #60; cannot say if it is Allen head or Phillips as either is possible. You will need 32 to 33" of #3.5 rope with both ends cauterized (burnt to prevent unravelling.) Insert rope through the hole in the pulley and into the grooved space where it wraps in the pulley. Use a thin screwdriver if necessary to get out from the grooved area and out through the grommet in the housing through the bottom of the grip and ou the top so that you can tie a knot to fasten it to the grip. You will need to ease it through until you have just enough to wrap in the curlique area where the #60 screw fastened it down; which you now need to do and pinch it down with that screw taking care not to overtighten and strip. To be honest I cannot tell you quite how it fastens from the picture; there are two possibilities. One is that it wraps fully around the toothed center of the pulley and the other that there is a "J" shaped groove it fits in. I would guess the second as the screw is rarely present with the first as the end of the rope would be held by the down pinched to the pulley by the loop of the rope just before it goes through the hole and into the winding groove.
Once the rope is fastened, then turn the pulley in the direction necessary to have it wind in the groove in a clockwise directio to remove as much slack as possible and ease it back into the housing. It will probably require some back and forth rocking to get it to seat correctly in relation to the spring. Do NOT force and ruin the spring.
Now to pretension the spring; you must ease a closed loop of rope up around the side of the pulley while holding it in place with a couple fingers lightly to keep it from unseating from the spring. I say lightly as the pulley must be able to turn but not unseat! Then carefully grasp the loop and carefully turn it and the pulley two full turns clockwise, still keeping the pulley from rising up and unseating. Grasp the grip to ease the loop back into its prorep placement and allow the pulley to take up the slack carefully. Everything should be holding in place so that you can install plate #70 and screw #69 to secure the pulley to the housing.
Now you must secure the housings together and the flexshaft may not immediately mesh with the engine's adapter. It will generally stop with about an inch gap and you should slowly pull the starter through to mesh the pawls of the flywheel to the pulley and slowly spin the cutting (string) head to mesh the shaft with the adapter (I use the side of my foot) all the while gently holding the housings toward each other. when all things align, they will seat rather effortlessly.
Then all that remains is to install the #66 and #68 screws to finish.
You only need about 18" of the rope to crank a properly maintained machine; that is, you should NEVER pull a starter through until it runs out of rope to pull. That breaks starters!!
This basic procedure with some relevant variations will repair almost any two cycle starter; be it on trimmer, chainsaw, blower or something else less common. I have done probably in excess of 10,000 in my thirty odd years of repairing them.
Peace,
Clarke

Sincere thanks. Excellent support.:)