1954 Johnson 5 1/2 Horse (CD 11) Recoil Problem

[Avery93]

I was trying to start my 5 1/2 horse Johnson and the pull cord came out. I have been working to rewind it but can only get a little more than two turns out of the recoil unit before it is too tight to spin anymore. This leaves me with about 36 inches of pull cord still hanging out the front. I am concerned that this may be a symptom of a broken recoil spring but I don't want to risk taking apart the starter unit until I'm sure. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

 

[gm280]

:welcome: Avery93 to iboats...

I can't say for sure. Take a few pictures of what you are working on and post them. Others will certainly chime in with ideas and suggestions... JMHO

 

[racerone]

There is no magic to that starter.---Just take it apart for inspection.

 

[HighTrim]

Did the rope break? Likely the spring broke. Wear safety glasses when winding in a new spring. Put loop over the pin, then wind it inwards CCW. Put a bit of a bend up on the final loop, then lower the plate down aligning the pin with the loop. That is the only real tricky part. When installing spring though, always keep a hand on the coiled spring, to keep it from jumping out at you.

 

[Avery93]

Thanks for all of the quick responses! I inspected the spring and it is not broken. I went ahead and cleaned the housing and successfully reinstalled the spring. After finishing reassembly, I tried the starter again. I am still at 2 1/4 full revolutions before it won't turn anymore. This is not enough to draw my starter rope back in fully. There is still about three feet hanging out the front of the starter assembly. Ugh! You're thoughts continue to be of help. I really appreciate everyone's time.

 

[F_R]

No Title

OK, you say the spring is not broken. But is it bent from backlash? They just about always do that when the rope breaks. Also, it may be just plain tired from age. Are there kinks all along the length? Nothing to do with the spring, but have you discovered the secret to reassembling the spindle yet?

 

[Avery93]

Good morning! Thanks Supreme Mariner for the tips. This is a picture of what I found after I opened the recoil housing. How does this look to everyone? There were no breaks in the spring when I took it out to inspect it. The procedure that I am using to rewind the starter cord is that I:

1. Wind the starter as many turns as I can until it stops.
2. Run the cord through the hole and tie a figure 8 not.
3. Release the starter and let it draw the cord in.

Unfortunately, I can't get enough turns out of the starter for it to draw the cord back in. I'm only getting about 2 1/4 where I think I need around 6 1/2. This leaves me with a couple of questions:

1. How many turns should I be able to get?
2. If the coil needs to be replaced with one that is not broken or worn from age, where would I find one?

Thanks again for everyone's help.

 

[HighTrim]

Yeah that spring is toast! Time to buy a new one. Obviously not supposed to look like that. It has a kink in it where there should not be one, giving it that extra loop you see.

 

[hardwater fisherman]

The original part number appears to be 41-197. Which was replaced by 0395460 or sierra part number 18-6501.

 

[F_R]

That spring was destroyed by backlash when the rope broke. As we suggested earlier. Trying to straighten it is futile, because it will soon break if you do.

 

[Avery93]

Thank you so much to all who contributed to resolution of this problem. I will order a new one and get it installed. I'm looking forward to getting back on the water!