Craftsman Pull Cord Problem

[MowBetterBlues]

Hi all --

Up until an hour ago, I've never taken screwdriver to lawnmower. So in lieu of knowing the terminology, I'll have to rely on pictures.

My Craftsman 944 started fine this morning, but after a second start -- which, in retrospect, felt odd when I pulled it -- I noticed the pull cord dangling about six inches loose.

The issue seems to be a metal clamp attached firmly to the cord:

There's maybe another inch or so the cord can be pulled out beyond this point. The piece of metal is firmly attached to the cord. (I can't easily slide it up or down even with a hand tool...)

And the problem is that when the cord is retracted, that piece of metal won't go through the hole -- it hits up against the casing.

Is it possible I pulled this piece through the hole? I've tried unsuccessfully to wedge it back in.

Anyway, any thoughts, solutions or even terminology to help fix this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[ILENGINE]

Its more possible that the medal cord stop wedged against the rope guide on the upper mower handle and slid it down the pull rope. just remove the medal tab from the cord and it should retract fully. It doesn't need to be there anyway.

 

[MowBetterBlues]

Excellent -- thank you. I think that's exactly how it got yanked down the cord.

And now that I've ripped it off, cord slides as before. (Took way more prying on that rotten piece of metal than I would have forced without someone telling me in advance that I wouldn't later regret it.)

Thanks again!