Re: 1969 20 hp mercury can not reset recoil spring
Oh boy, recoils are sooooo much fun. First thing is you need to do is remove the actual rope, from the recoil housing. Once you have the rope out, you can then wind the recoil spring back up. I haven't actually done a recoil on your particular motor, so there may be easier ways. I usually wind the spring up, untill you can start to feel good tension. I then give it three or four winds more. Now while holding the housing, (on some there is a manner of locking the housing in place, either with a pin, screwdriver, etc) you feed the rope back into the housing, then allow the recoil to take up the rope (make sure the handels on...so it can't pull it back again). Test it to make sure you can pull it out, with out much effort, and that the rope retracts nice and smooth, not to quick, or too slow. Be carefull in winding up the spring, too many winds and it may break, not enough and it won't pull the rope back in.