stihl 036 pro recoil start issues

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newoldschool2

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hello all, I have been a member for awhile but for some reason I cant get into my old account.

I was using my 036 pro the other weekend and the starter rope is very slow to retract back into the housing. I did order a new spring just in case but I figured I would post up and see if there are any other suggestions. I have not opened it up yet and this will be my first attempt at repairing a recoil start. any advice is much appriciated
 
The only advice I have is don't let the new one unwind until it's in place. They're not fun to try and wind back up.

If you pull your recoil off and remove the center spool you may see some damage to your pull rope that would slow things down. Your spring could have lost some tension. You can add more preload to it when you re-assemble. Youtube is your friend here. Or you could just need a new spring.
 
Take the entire recoil assembly apart and clean it. Let the spring unwind and relax so you can scrub it too... careful to not bend it. Spray it with a light lubricant when dry to prevent rust. The spring is easy to wind back up if you hold it tight as you go. I use a pair of needle nose pliers to hold it together when dropping it back in place.
 
Good advice. The spring will accumulate dirt on it. Clean the dirt and any rust that has accumulated. Then follow instructions above. If I can't rewind the spring back in the cover I drive a finishing nail through the hole in the end of the spring into a plank or 2 x 4 and another inside the loop about one inch apart. Then wind the spring. Make sure you have it smaller than the recessed area it must fit into. I use a pair of needle nose vise grip pliers to hold it while placing it in the cover. Tom
 
thank you for the advice on the recoil spring. I look forward to giving it a shot. there is nothing more annoying that a string that wont return
 
Never seen a broken recoil spring on a Stihl. I’d take apart, clean and lube, and leave spring alone.

If you must take spring out, I have only had luck winding the spring back in from the outside in.


If you rewind it into the cover from the outside in is the only way, but if the spring holder is to deep to do this I use the method described above. When you get the spring back and the handle will return as it should be make sure the spring is not bottoming out when the cord is pulled all the way out. If it is you will either break the spring or ruin the end of the spring. Tom
 
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Notice the many circles. And, the long nose ViceGrip. Roofing nails are 7/8” (ish).

Geezer has weak fingers.
 
Clean the darn thing! Search youtube for "how to rewind recoil spring". There's a good video showing how to use the spool its self to do it. Pretty easy way.

Have a good weekend!
 
Take the entire recoil assembly apart and clean it. Let the spring unwind and relax so you can scrub it too... careful to not bend it. Spray it with a light lubricant when dry to prevent rust. The spring is easy to wind back up if you hold it tight as you go. I use a pair of needle nose pliers to hold it together when dropping it back in place.
I ran into this last week with an 028 Super. Same problem, same fix worked. I had to replace the pull cord as well because the owner eventually broke that in frustration. In time, lots of gunk gets into that pull cord housing. Eventually, it can get so bad that the coil can't work right either. One time I recall finding muddobber nests built inside with eggs ready to hatch.
 
well it has taken awhile to get some time to work on the 036. yesterday I pulled it apart and cleaned the recoil starter up. I did wind up putting in a new spring and it is back to the way it should be. thank you for everyone that weighed in with the helpful advice. Now if I can just get time to work on my MS660 project
 
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