'01 Grizzly 600 recoil starter rope not retracting???

[atomicjoe23]

I have an '01 Grizzly 600 and the recoil starter stopped releasing. . .no big deal I think, so I pulled it apart and the spring for the ratchet pawl is decimated and the retaining nut that attaches the friction plate to the starter drum/sheave had come undone.

I ordered a new spring, put everything back together, and re-installed the recoil starter and it still won't release. . .I didn't know the exact orientation of the parts since the retaining nut had come off (I'm using lock tight once I know it's fixed), but I have a service manual (which doesn't do a very good job of illustrating part orientation) and I tried it with the pawl in two different orientations with the same results both times. . .I pull on the starter rope and then it won't retract. . .

. . .has anyone else ever had this problem?

If so, what did you do to fix it?

I've kinda exhausted what I know to do. . .I've even stoned the pawl smooth thinking that maybe the slightly rolled edges were preventing the pawl from swinging into the release position. . .anyway, that seems to be the problem. . .the pawl is locking out and not releasing.

Thanks!

[cobra39]

Did you preload the spring?

[atomicjoe23]

Which spring. . .the flat recoil spring, yes. . .

. . .the problem isn't the spring, the assembly is mechanically locking. . .it isn't a matter of lacking spring power to retract the rope, it wants to retract the rope, but it isn't being allowed to.

[atomicjoe23]

I should have posted up sooner, but I ended up getting the recoil starter to work again. . .although now I can't remember what I did to get it working again!

I think I did some file fitting, but I can't remember what else.