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Hello All,

I picked up this old B&S edger a couple weeks ago. I went to start it today and the damn starter rope ripped in two. So I went about taking off the outside cover pictured here in the vise to go about replacing it. I'd try to identify it but after scraping and cleaning a lot of the crud off I can't find any ID anywhere. Stickers are all gone or painted over, and I can't find any serial numbers anywhere. After an an internet search I'm pretty sure it's a B&S, maybe a 2.5hp model.
While trying to get the rope fed back through on the reel, of course the spring unreeled itself out and now I have to figure out how to get it back in. After an hour of messing with it, I figured I better ask the masses if they know how to do it.




For reference, the cover looks a lot like this when in place (not mine pictured):


Any idea how to do it? Or exactly what model this is, should I ever need any parts?

Thanks!

For model/serial follow arrows:

I don't think Briggs and Stratton used stickers for ID numbers back in the old days. Look close on the sheet metal; there are small, stamped numbers on there somewhere. In this case, I don't think you really need them but you will want them for future reference if you need parts, etc.

In the second photo, I can't make out what I'm seeing. Have you removed anything, such as the spool that holds the rope? There should be a hub with a square hole that slides over that clutch mechanism that attaches to the crankshaft and holds the flywheel on.

• If the spring is broken, replace it.
• Install the spring under the spool that holds the rope. Install the spool in the blower housing. Don't try to rewind it.
• Cut a new rope to length and install the handle on the rope. Leave the rope out for now.
• Wind the spool in the direction the rope will pull it until the hole for the rope in the spool lines up with where the rope comes through the blower housing. (This will take several turns until you get enough tension for the spring to rewind the rope completely.)
• Thread the rope through the housing and hole in the spool and tie a knot in the end. Release the spool and let the spring pull the rope into the blower housing.

As he said use the pulley to pull the spring into the housing, I made a tool using an old starter clutch hub. Once in keep rotating the pulley until it reaches the end of it's travel. Now comes the tricky part. Back the pulley off 1 turn then align the hole with the rope guide.

Pretty much like this model:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyrf0bcqy7U

Looks like your machine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjRcuAiDY00

Unless he has a method to hold the pulley and spring in the housing, it may not be worth the time and effort. If you will notice that the pulley hold downs are missing. Just winding in a spring and hoping the starter clutch will hold it in place will quickly result in a broken spring.

Rivets the hold downs are there at the 12 and 5:30 positions with the white low friction sleeves on them standing straight up. OP needs to reinstall the pulley and bent the hold downs back into place and then slide the spring in through the slot on the side of the starter housing and hooking into the slot on the side of the starter pulley and wind the spring in by turning the pulley. I made a winding tool years ago with a I believe is a 3/4 inch square piece of wood. Has served me great over the years.

Thanks IL for correcting me again. I missed them.

Rivets said:

Thanks IL for correcting me again. I missed them.

Click to expand...

The angle of the picture makes it look like they are broke off. Have to blow the picture up to see them.

Wow, it hasn't even been a full day and look at all these replies! Thanks a lot you guys. :thumbsup:

Yes, the hold downs for the pulley are bent up to allow removal of the pulley. I can confirm there are two holes for the end of the spring to fit into. I'll go back over your replies to see if it makes sense to me after looking at it again. I'll update this tomorrow.

Well after trying to get creative and trying different ways to get the spring wound tight enough to fit AND get it to snag correctly in the cover, I got frustrated and figured I'd try and do it by hand again. After getting it wound tight enough to fit, I was able to fit enough slack through the slot in the cover and still have the diameter of the coiled spring small enough to get in its cavity. I made sure to have a pair of pliers handy to hold the middle of the pulley to keep it from undoing it's tension, but ended up letting it go at the wrong time so it let go and the pulley unhooked and fell off. But the spring stayed put in it's little cavity, so I was able to pull the middle coil out, hook it back on the pulley and wind it back up.

Then it promptly did it again after I'd run the string through! I'm taking a break, I'll do it again later. This time I know I can get it. Other than that, she could probably use another belt and an oil change. I just replaced the spark plug for what it's worth; someone had installed an incorrect one that was way too tall, making it impossible to kill the damn thing without unhooking the spark plug wire.

You need to put one end of the uncoiled spring into the opening toward the inside of the housing, and set it in the notch on the pulley. Then position the pulley into it's postion in the housing and then wind the spring in, until it pulls all of the way in, and the other end of the spring sets in the notch in the housing.

Then bend the tabs partly back down to hold the pulley in place, try not to bend the tabs too much or they will break off.

Now that you can set the thing down for a minute, get your rope ready, melt the ends with a lighter, and form a solid pointed tip, so it will easily go into the hole, and into the hole in the pulley.

Next, wind/turn the pulley as far as you can go, until the spring won't compress any more, then let it turn back until both holes are lined up, and insert your rope, until you can see and grab the rope when it appears in the pulley's opening, and grab it with some tweezers or pliers, and pull it through and knot it.

Then you just let the pulley rotate with the spring slowly and pull the rope in.

Before you put the starter back on, look at the starter clutch, it may need to be taken apart and cleaned. Just take off the cover and lift off the square center, and clean everything real good, a squirt of wd40 and a clean rag.

Just don't lose the ball bearings.

Fish said:

Before you put the starter back on, look at the starter clutch, it may need to be taken apart and cleaned. Just take off the cover and lift off the square center, and clean everything real good, a squirt of wd40 and a clean rag.

Just don't lose the ball bearings.

Click to expand...

At the end of one of the other linked videos, the Canadian guy recommends using ATF instead of motor oil or WD40. That stuff is so thin, I can't imagine it would hold up very well, especially here in hot-*** Texas.

The ball bearings are supposed to be installed dry. If there is oil on them they get sticky and not work correctly. The only place there should be any oil is three drops inside the square part on the internal sponge to lube the crankshaft extension that goes inside it.

I just spray something light and wipe it out with a clean cloth., and might buff/polish the shaft.