[JeffnTexas]

My Craftsman 6hp 22" bigwheel refuses to go to work. I hold down the deadman bar and try to pull the start rope, but I get no resistance most of the time. I can 'tease' it by moving the rope back and forth some, but it feels like the little doolollies that normally come out of the side of the pulley to 'catch' and turn the engine are not coming out. Is the problem those little 'arms' or is it a switch somewhere? The start rope will freely pull all the way to the end and recoil back the way it is supposed to, but it won't turn the engine except every once in a while. I can't get two good pulls in a row.
Stubborn.

[MOWERMAN2468]

Yes, It Is More Than Likely That The Starter "dogs" Are Out Of Place Due To A Cracked "dog Housing Pulley Cover", You Will Have To Remove The Blower Housing, (top Of Engine) , And Visually Inspect The Rewind Starter Assembly. You Do Not Want To Let A Shop Talk You Into Ordering A Whole New Assembly Due To The High Price Of Such Part. Just Purchase The Internal "guts" That You Need.
P.s.
Wear Safety Glasses When Attempting This Repair As The Spring Can Come Out Very Quickly And Strike You In The Eye!! Please Use Caution.

[JeffnTexas]

MowerMan, I sure appreciate your advice. Prior to your answer, I took it apart and checked it all over. Nothing broken. And, yeah, a repair shop wants to replace the whole top assembly when nothing seems broken. For what it cost to repair, I figure I can live with manually making the dogs engage when I start it up.
I just don't understand just one little thing. What causes the dogs to pop out at the correct time? If I put a little drag on the center of the pully assembly and give a little tug on the pull rope, the dogs pop out and catch just fine. But they won't do it by themselves. It looks like there must be something that indicates that the pulley is going in the 'start' direction (clockwise from the top) to make the dogs come out, and then the springs pull them back in when the engine starts.
I have looked in a million places without a good answer. If you know, it sure would be appreciated.

Yes, It Is More Than Likely That The Starter "dogs" Are Out Of Place Due To A Cracked "dog Housing Pulley Cover", You Will Have To Remove The Blower Housing, (top Of Engine) , And Visually Inspect The Rewind Starter Assembly. You Do Not Want To Let A Shop Talk You Into Ordering A Whole New Assembly Due To The High Price Of Such Part. Just Purchase The Internal "guts" That You Need.
P.s.
Wear Safety Glasses When Attempting This Repair As The Spring Can Come Out Very Quickly And Strike You In The Eye!!! Please Use Caution.

[MOWERMAN2468]

Jeff ,
There is a cam lobe type mechanism in the top that is engaged by the pulling of the rope that pushes the dogs out and into the starting position.

[JeffnTexas]

Thanks MowerMan! I appreciate it very much. Next chance I get I'm going to pull the assembly and look for that cam. I have a feeling that it may have dropped out during some previous exploration! I guess you should always question yourself why you have parts left over after working on something...