Mower Cord won't pull
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
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What can cause it and what to do. It's usually something minor(like, 99%of the time!), the easiest being a blade blockage, the worst being a dropped or seized piston.
When the pull cord on a mower appears to be stuck, it's not the end of the mower, there are a few things that can cause it to happen. This will teach you how to determine what it is and how to fix it.
We included a quick and pull cord replacement video at the end, in case yours is already broken.
Never changed my lawn mower oil for 10 years, and still working just perfect.❤
That's good to hear. How long they last depends on the environment and the amount of use it gets. They don't have filters, and metal from normal wear is in the oil, so I change mine as part of my winterizing routine.
I am a 70 year old woman who never had to keep up a mower. This is very helpful for me. I have this problem with my mower right now. Thank you I will try this.
I hope one of the suggestions works out. If you can reach under and turn the blade with your hand, the motor is not the reason it won't pull.
I am interested, let me know what you find 🙂
Im still working on the pull cord. I think it is smthg stuck underneath. Have to wait for another pair of hands. Also about 3 before the pull cord got stuck, I was mowing the lawn and noticed the blades were not cutting. I got that second pair of hands to tilt the mower up so I could see if the blade was turning. It was but if looked sluggish and wouldn’t cut anything. Any helpful hints? I’m 62 and this is my first time using a push mower.
@@GuysPlayingWithToolsis😅
Lol
Been away for almost 3 months and returned to lawn about a foot high. Attempted to cut it at its highest setting and it worked for about five minutes then cut out. I tried to start it again and the cord wouldn't budge. First thought was that the motor had seized up. Then I thought 'UA-cam' and sure enough yours was the first site I hit, and it was the first check. The grass had completely blocked the blade from revolving...Pure relief. Thanks for the video.
Glad I could help. It's always a good idea to get a good look before deciding something is "dead"
I didn't have an alternator but I did find Fluffy. I should have known cause she went missing the same time my pressure washer quit working. Removed same and back in business. I now lock my pets in the house when I wash the house. Thanks.
Oh nooo, poor Fluffy. 🤣
(I am assuming, or at least hope, you are joking) 😁
Thank you so much. The grass was cut on the blade. ❤❤❤
It's always great when a big problem turns out to be something little. 👍
I pulled the spark plug out and the chord moved freely. One thing to try before trying to rebuild or replace carb is to just pull a bunch of times with the plug out to clear out where the plug goes. I did this about 20 times until cleared and then put the plug back in and it started up right away. Saved a bunch of time rebuilding or money replacing.
That will clear the cylinder if it's flooded but you might want to consider how it got flooded. When a motor is flooded, its going to usually be either a stuck choke or stuck float in the carb
WOW, never knew that dry grass stuck under my lawn mower will prevent it from working, thanks very much 👍👍👍I appreciate your schooling.
There are a lot of reasons a cord won't pull. I feel almost guilty when I find a mower at the curb of someone's house, and it has a minor problem, like a plastic bag tangled in the blade(I have found 2 of those)
Thanks man👍 I’ve narrowed it down to 2 possibilities for my mower’s engine lock 1-possible flooded Carby or 2- a stuffed spring loaded pully coil👍 Cheers 👍
Pull the plug and it will turn easy it the carb is dumping gas into the motor, if it turns after that, replace the fuel line and clean the carb really good. The pully itself will usually (not always) fail by not retracting . When testing try to move the blade itself, it won't turn if it's the carb but will if it's the pully. Always turn it the direction it turns while running. Good luck!
@@GuysPlayingWithTools Yep I think it might be a fuel problem! Like the blades turn with ease & have enough oil in the reservoir. So I’ll take the plug out tomorrow & hopefully it will pull? Thanks again 👌 I’ll let ya know how I go champ.
@@brett5728 @Brett If the blades turn easy with the plug in but the rope won't pull then it's probably not the carb(unless you see gas all over the place under the carb) one of the hints I look for that the carb is flooding the motor is the oil.... if the oil looks over full and also has an odd color, it's the carb every time.
If all that looks good, check the kill switch cable next, it is attached to a brake on the motor that would make it really hard to pull the cord.
@@GuysPlayingWithTools checked the kill switch & cable it seems ok. Like today once I primed it the pully worked ok twice & then jammed like the motor seized. Hopefully I’ll have some luck tomorrow & get those lawns done.
@@brett5728 🙂 hmmm... not always easy when I am not there to see/ feel it but if you pulled it 3 straight times and the 3rd failed. I would pull the plug and do it again if it pulls normally 5 or 6 times, blame the carb for sure if it acts the same, blame the recoil.
You have my curiosity going, let me know!
Got my cord un-stuck from last summer, mowers running, but I had to say..Thank You!
You just put a smile on my face 😁
thank you so much it worked like a champ after the spark plug boot removed.
Nice and simple easy.
I am glad to hear it! 🙂
Thanks for this one Bill. I watched it all the way through and then went out to my mower and guess what? There was indeed an alternator underneath keeping the engine from turning.
They are everywhere, warn your friends 🤣🤣
I fixed mt low mower with your sugestions. Great tips
That's good to hear. Nothing makes my day more than then knowing a video helped someone. 👍
The alternator made me laugh so hard!😂
If you look close enough, I was laughing at myself when I did that part. 🤣
Thank you! All I did was turn the blade and it started right up.
I love hearing that.
Check the oil level, it's common for too much oil to cause it to be stuck, then few up and run fine. If it's smoking, that's a sign of too much oil too.
This vid I had not seen, fairly simple and easy, also good advice on checking for alternators in the yard!! LOL
You just don't know what you might find. Mini me is happy he didn't exist then. 😳
@@GuysPlayingWithTools LOL, Happy TG.
@@barryewalt3606 You too! I am off and about this week and forgot it was Thanksgiving
@@GuysPlayingWithTools That'll happen.
@@barryewalt3606 🙂
awesome video , thanks for sharing , Hello from Auckland , NZ
Thanks 🙂The greatest part of making videos is hearing from people all over the world.
Thank you! Just saved me time and money.
I love hearing stuff like this. For me, it's what it's all about. 👍
THANK YOU Sir! Great video!
@@nabeelsakhnini4797 Thanks, I tried to have some fun with it 👍
I pulled on mine but it's never stuck 😆 🤣 😂 jk very helpful video I had a bunch of dry grass bocking blade did not know it could harden like that thanks for your time sir
Dry grass would do it. The blade has more leverage than the pull rope.
At least it wasn't an alternator 🤣
My 20332 model Toro self-propelled has a locking feature where you need to ensure the oil cap is on tight. I checked the oil and didn't lock down the dipstick and now the mower cord won't pull. Tightened the oil cap snugly and it started up like a boss
I didn't think of that when I did the video. Thanks for being it on the comments, it will probably help someone! 👍
Lmao " OH look there's an alternator stuck on the blade"
Thanks, I don't know if I do it for myself or people watching, you should see some of the stuff that gets edited out. 🤣
thank you bro! I had a bad alternator!
🤣🤣 Always check for them first
You found my alternator!!!!
I was wondering whose alternator that was. 🤣
Can we do a demonstration on all you just said. Please.
I have pondered a more complete remake of this video for a year, I suppose it's time. 👍
thank you brother fixed my mower
Cool! I love hearing that.
1 out of 15 people have found alternators under their mowers.
I did that video a long time ago, and I still smile at that part. 🤣
Thanks for the tips much Respect
Thanks! If you have suggestions I am always ready and willing to do something different
what about valve adjustment? i repaired a mower yesterday with this same symptom and it was because the valves needed a little tightening.
I usually cut up a soda can and use the thickness of the aluminum for the gap. After I get it started, I tweak it by ear(it usually doesn't need tweaked though. The can is an almost perfect thickness)
@@GuysPlayingWithTools ah ok nice I didn't know about that trick gonna have to remember that one. Thank you sir.
@franciscomolina5362 I picked it up from an old mech when I was a kid. I use soda cans, he used Miller Lite cans, same results LOL
@@GuysPlayingWithTools omw to customers house I was expecting it to be flooded from stuck open float.
Keep up the good work👍
The one thing I am having an issue with is it starts fine when the engine is cold but if you try and start it after the engine is hot that is when the rope won't pull.
A couple of things can cause that. Try taking the plug out and see if it pulls easy, if it does it's hydrolocking so you want to check for overfilled oil and/or rebuild the carb. If it still pulls hard, tighten or replace the kill cable, the engine brake might be dragging. Let me know, I am always interested in how things come out
Thanks for this video ❤
I hope it helps. 👍Too many people feel the stuck cord and think it's doomed when it might be something easy to fix.
I have a 2 stoke tanaka auger and its hard to pull but wasn't any of the things you've mentioned. I looked at everything, its not hydrolock, or the cord mechanism, or fuel in the piston head, or carbon in the exhaust. It runs fine when started and pulled freely when newer.
But all the things you said didn't work.
And it pulls smoothly with the spark plug out
Its a mystery
If it runs but is hard to pull, check the kill cable, it might be old and a bit loose, letting the motor brake drag just enough to make starting it hard.
if nothing blocking blade check oil level, my cord was stuck and blade was hard to turn by hand, oil must have been very low if not dry! oil level isn't easy to check , mostly guessing and i think i put in too much , every few minutes white smoke, don't see how to drain it , oh well its running great otherwise.
It sounds like it might be overfilled
There are a couple ways to get the oil out, the easiest way(that most people use) is to take the full cap off and turn it on its side and let the oil drain into a pan. It's messy if you aren't careful. The white smoke is the giveaway.
This was so helpful, thanks
Thanks! It makes my day when I heari made someones life a little easier. I am always looking for suggestions if you have something you would like to see. Don't forget to subscribe 😁
Very true! In this case I wasn't trying to start it, I was just trying to pull the cord. This one doesn't have any sort of brake that would prevent the cord from pulling. The video was intended to help out people with mowers that appeared to be locked up.
I wasn't able to pull the starter on a Toro mower. The problem seemed to be that the cable that connects the "deadman handle" (or "deadman switch") to the flywheel brake was defective.
That would do it. Depending on the mower and the condition of the brake, it can make it crazy hard to pull
Bail handle
Thank you so much
I am glad to hear it helped. 🙂
My cord will pull alittle bit I changed the oil checked the recoil mechanism and took the spark plug out and tried to pull it it’s still jammed
Leave the plug out and try to turn the blade by hand. With the plug out, you have 0 compression, so it should turn pretty easily. Let me know what you see. 👍
Are toros knowing for a hard to pull start? I just bought one yesterday, and man is hard to pull, but again im coming off of using a 42 year old lawn boy
No, it should pull reasonably easy. Toros use the same motors as most other brands, you can buy a Craftsman, YardMan, Toro, TroyBilt, etc... and still have the same motor.
There are a lot of reasons a good running mower might be hard to pull. To help avoid me sending you down a rabbit hole, I need to know a couple things🙂
Did you buy it new or used?
What is the model number?
With this I can tell you what to look for, what to expect, and how to get it pulling the way it should! 👍
Brand new, model 21462
@@ianb8060 Ah, The Personal Pace. I have heard more than one person complain about starting it but wanted to make sure before I said anything.
The "bail bar" is part of the drive system and it moves around while you are trying to start the motor which does make it feel uncoordinated and hard to pull compared to other mowers. If you had the same Briggs 163cc motor on a different deck, even your old YardMan, it would feel a *lot* easier to pull because you have more leverage and you aren't pushing it "into gear" as you pull it.
Lam.Tot Well.Done
Thanks 🙂
Or, pull plug wire off plug and rotate blade back and forth reinstall plug wire should be good !
I have a brand new Honda push mower that I paid $899 plus tax at Lowes. I hit a decent size stick that fell from a tree and the moment it hit, the engine killed. I went to restart it and noticed that hitting the wood and killing the engine also popped the pull cord! I went and bought another starter recoil assembly and put it on. Sometimes it will start with no problems. Other times I can only pull the string a few inches and it locks up. Other times I can't pull the cord because it's frozen! I learned a trick... Lift up the side and move the blades a little with my hand. That usually does the trick. Sometimes after turning the blades with my hand, the cord is still frozen. So I have to turn it some more. After one or two times rotating the blade a little, the cord will pull and the engine will start right up. Is this a timing thing? How can I fix it? I shouldn't have to rotate the blades in order to start a brand new lawnmower!!! Thanks in advance for your help!!!
Oh dear. Hitting a branch hard enough to pop the pull cord out could have done all sorts of damage... let's take a swing at the top end bits first and hope the internals and crank are ok.
Since the cord broke and you put a new recoil on, and it seems to start after changing the position of the motor(*turning the blade), I would start out by taking the recoil off and looking for any obstruction or oddness. It's possible some small remains of the previous recoil broke off and are under/ inside/around the pull mechanism.
The fact that it stays at all and you didn't mention any unusual shaking makes me think you may have gotten lucky and the recoil itself might just be hanging up
@@GuysPlayingWithTools Yes sir! I got lucky! Like I said, sometimes I don't have to adjust (turn) the blade. I'll pull and it will start on the first pull!!! Other times I'm not so lucky and have to molest the blade. If I don't turn it enough or too much, the string will pull a couple inches and then lock up. Other times I can't pull it a few inches, then there are times I turn it a little and then it will start right up!
I saw some videos where hitting a rock, chunk of concrete, a brick, a branch, etc could cause the timing to go off. The flywheel turns a little and the keyway is off by a few millimeters or a few 16ths. They say to break the nut with an impact wrench and use a wheel puller to get the flywheel off, and rest the flywheel with the keyway in the right place.
I was hoping you would say to turn the blade counter-clockwise until it won't turn anymore and then put the recoil assembly back on... Or clockwise or whatever.... I don't know... I just thought you might have seen this before and would know off the top of your head what to do.
I'm not at home at the moment. I had some free time at work and searched UA-cam for "my Honda lawnmower cord won't pull", and your video came up in the search results. You seemed to know more than the other guys, that's why I messaged you!
Thanks for replying!!!
Should I take it apart and see if there are pieces of the old assembly? Or maybe check the keyway alignment? Thanks!!!
@@eldie3d I don't think it's a keyway problem, when that happens it usually won't stick. It throws the timing of and it won't start but the cord will "usually" pull the same as it did before. (95%of the time).
If it were in my garage I would definitely start by checking the pull mechanism itself. If it runs normally after playing with it to get the cord to pull, I would bet $1.22 that the recoil mechanism has something bent or something rattling around in there.
It's always tough to do this through messages but that is s good starting place.
Hey. Did you ever get this issue with your mower fixed? Because I'd really like to know what you did to fix it, if you did, since unfortunately, I'm currently dealing with a similar issue with my lawn mower.
Another reason could be the values need adjusting?
The springs on these are pretty soft, I have had them start with the intake pushrod laying off to the side(crazy, but it happens). They run REALLY badly that way but the fact they run at all surprises me. Good thought though for sure!
I have thought about reworking this video a few times though, I left out one thing and I have thought about it a hundred times.
This a very common possibility for troubleshooting kick back of the pull rope. (Valve adjustment)
Good point. I will put rope kickback on the list for future videos 🙂
Good video
Thanks!
I think mine is the engine lock. I can always start it the first time but if I stop the mower for any reason I can not restart it. I recently changed the filter and put in more oil. How do I keep it from locking?
Hi Julia, is the cord hard to pull or is it just not starting? From what you said, the first thing I would do is Mahe sure the oil isn't over-full, that can cause hydro-lock
The oil is at the full line. It always starts at the beginning of my mowing but if I stop it can take 2 hours before I can start it again. I have a big yard so I need to stop occasionally. I do think there is some kind of leak because there is oil or gas around the filter. I just changed the filter but it looks dirty after only a few mows.
@Julia M. Lindsey That sounds very very much like a float sticking on the carb. That would allow gas to leak into the piston while it's sitting and then prevent the motor from turning over.
Now the good news, it's an easy fix! I tend to rebuild them but carbs for most mowers can be bought cheap on Amazon and that makes it easy.
Grab my email from my "About" section and send me a pic of the top and side of the mower and I will guide you to the right video and send you a link to a carb on Amazon that will match your mower.
Outside of replacing the carb, the important things to remember are to drain the gas tank and get a carb with a new fuel line, they are usually the main suspects when this happens
Thx
I hope it helps 🙂
What i pulled the cord all the way out and it wont go in all the way
If it's acting normal, but doesn't retract all the way in, the spring may have "jumped". You don't see that often. What kind of mower is it?
Sorry, I just noticed I responded with the wrong account. I have 2 channels 🙂
@@GuysPlayingWithTools no worries i already got it fixed thanks anyway
@@AntonioPerez-sy3oj lol. I saw it on my "haven't replied" list and thought "sure I did", then realized I was logged in wrong when I replied.
Pull starter stuck
Good point. I may not have said it well enough when I covered that part. If it moves a little and retracts, it's *usually* OK. Of course, there is always the exception. 👍
I had just put the carborator back in and now it’s locked
I can just about guarantee that it hydro-locked. Take the plug out and it should pull again. If it's really stiff, pull it a couple times with the plug out to clear the fuel, then...
1.Pull the carb
2. Clean the tank
3. Change the oil(it got a bunch of gas in it)
4. Check the floats on the carb and re-clean it, then put it back on.
It sounds like more work than it really is... you can probably knock it out in 1/2 an hour or so.
Ps... it is almost impossible to pull the cord hard enough to hurt the motor. It's probably fine and just needs those steps to get it back to normal. 🙂
is this a how to video for removing fingers?! Never move the blade by hand if you have not unplugged the sparkplug and made sure it is not touching the wire these small engines can start from just turning the blade by hand!!!!
I hear this now and then, but unless someone is holding the bail bar, there are 2 safeties in place that make sure it could not start
What is wonky
@54bouchard Wonky is something that is kinda wrong, off center, not working exactly right. I travel quite a bit and pick up the local dialect sometimes. 🤣
@@GuysPlayingWithTools thanks
I believe I have hydrolock. I removed the spark plug bit pullcord is still locked. This indicates a different problem?
If you take the plug out and it won't move, it's not hydro-locked. That's when gas leaks into the motor and fills the cylinder from a carb problem, or it got tilted for a long time and oil filled it.
That doesn't mean it's over though. Get under it and see if you can move the blade around any, it's attached directly to the motor so if it moves the motor isn't frozen, and 99% of the time it's going to be a problem with the pull cord mechanism.
If it won't move at all and the motor has been run recently... that's bad news. If it sat for a long time, spray some penetrating oil into the cylinder through the plug hole and let it sit overnight, then try to move the blade.
Let me know how it goes!
@@GuysPlayingWithTools Ok I'll start from the top. It's a Honda generator. The fuel was bad, so I flipped it upside down to drain it and add fresh fuel. I was able to pull it easily the first few times. Then wasn't able to. It made some ping noise while pulling the cord but I didn't use any force.
That sounds like good news. You just described a pull cord recoil going sideways and they are cheap, usually around $15 on Amazon. Pull whatever covers are in the way and only a couple screws hold it on.
@@GuysPlayingWithTools awesome 👌 thx
@@anthonyrochon3907 when you pull the recoil you can try to turn the motor a bit with s big socket but i have faith, it's pretty hard to break a motor pulling the cord.
Let me know how it comes out, you have me curious.
Shear pin?
👍I think you mean the one holding the flywheel alignment. Good point, but flywheels have a big bolt in the center to keep them in the field of play. It wouldn't usually stop the cord from pulling unless it was so bad that it did a big handful of other damage.
Of course if you were to mow an alternator, that might be enough to have the flywheel continue along for a second or 2 after the motor stops, that's a different(way more exciting) video. 🤣
:o
Lol
An alternator? seriously? Lol
I couldn't pass up the easy joke, but I have found all sorts of things tied up around blades . 🤣
Better than a puppy
Yeah, I might have annoyed a few people if I joked about mowing puppies. 🤣
@@GuysPlayingWithTools my New Yard Machine will not catch when I pull the cord. Its new, less than 5 hours and some say to change the? Cant remember, but they are two paddles under the starter recoil.
And no, I haven't read the manual because surely with a push mower, that should be unnecessary.
But I'll check for some safety feature keeping it from catching to avoid messing up my ford alternator?
@@TruthwillPrevail7938 Sorry about the delay, I had to drive from Minnesota to Texas last night. The proper name for the 2 little plastic parts that engage the starter are "pawls". It's a shame that a new mower already has that kind of issue, they really don't make them like they used to.
Definitely double check for alternators before pulling the cord LOL
Two much Talk
Sorry, I don't know sign language, so talking is all I have. 🤣
*too
@@SHONSL 🤣
@@GuysPlayingWithTools
I wasn’t talking about that smart ass. I am referring to instead of standing here talking do something.
My cord will pull alittle bit I changed the oil checked the recoil mechanism and took the spark plug out and tried to pull it it’s still jammed
I replied to the other message, let me know how turning the blade works out 👍
Thank you so much
I am glad it helped! I love hearing from viewers when a video gets them going the right direction.