how hard to replace pull starter rope?

[hoosiergose]

I have a 15 HP Mariner 2 stroke that is at least 20 years old.
I just bought it and it runs great. They only thing is the pull rope needs to be replaced. I want to do that before I take it out on the lake.
Is this hard to do or should I let a Mercury repair tech do this?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: how hard to replace pull starter rope?

Starter cords are actually an easy item to replace. It requires a few hand tools, some basic skills, a new recoil rope (Available at most motorcycle dealers) and some patience.

The rope should be under $5 and if you DIY that's it OR pay a tech for an hour of labor for a 10 minute job.

Welcome to iboats!

 

[Texasmark]

Re: how hard to replace pull starter rope?

I have done it on lawnmowers. Biggest problem is getting the spring tension set aka number of turns of the spring with the rope completely stored. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right. You want the rope to store completely, but not too much as it makes it hard to pull.

Mark

 

[hoosiergose]

Re: how hard to replace pull starter rope?

Thanks Bob and Tex for the help and valuable input.
another question...
Can I assume that if the rope should break or pull mechanism fail while out on the lake, as long as I have the necessary
tools to remove the pull start mechanism, I can manually wrap an improvised starter rope to restart the motor?
Is that a correct assumption?

 

[Texasmark]

Re: how hard to replace pull starter rope?

Thanks Bob and Tex for the help and valuable input.
another question...
Can I assume that if the rope should break or pull mechanism fail while out on the lake, as long as I have the necessary
tools to remove the pull start mechanism, I can manually wrap an improvised starter rope to restart the motor?
Is that a correct assumption?

I had a 70 hp Chrysler and a 115 hp 6 cyl Merc Electric start engines with pull ropes under the cowl. I had to use the one on the Chrysler once and I was surprised. It fired right up. So answer is yes as long as you have tabs on top of the flywheel, or in the flywheel where you can stick the rope and wind it up. Course you will have to remove the manual start. On electric start engines there is no manual start to remove.

Mark