Reasons Your Chainsaw Pull Cord Won’t Pull and How to Fix

STIHL is famous for offering some of the best quality reliable chainsaws, and most users claim that these chainsaws are easy to pull, but occasionally users notice that their chainsaw pull cord is difficult to pull or won’t pull at all. Different factors can drive users to encounter such a commotion.

The most common reasons behind your chainsaw pull cord won’t pull problem are:

• Damaged Starter Housing
• Faulty or Damaged Pulley System
• Bad or Worn-out Starter Rope
• Broken Starter Spring

Keep reading the following article to learn more about what causes such a commotion and how to fix the trouble with simple DIY ideas.

Reasons Your Chainsaw Pull Cord Won’t Pull & How to Fix It?

Several different reasons can drive your chainsaw pull cord to not pull like usual. For better diagnosis, you should know about all the potential reasons and how to fix them:

Damaged Starter Housing: 

One of the most typical causes that can lead you to experience such trouble is when the starter housing on your chainsaw turns bad or damaged.

A Damaged housing forces things to get snagged (the rope in particular) as you pull the cord on your chainsaw to start it, and it also causes the starter rope to get stuck.

As a result, it fails to retract properly and becomes virtually impossible to start the chainsaw as usual.

– How to Fix a Damaged Starter Housing

Fortunately, fixing a damaged starter housing problem is not that much complicated. You can either replace the starter housing with a new functional one or rebuild the starter.

If you are replacing it, which is the easiest option, make sure to purchase the correct replacement part for your particular chainsaw model.

Even the replacement procedure is pretty simple, just carefully take all the mounting screws and the starter assembly off. Then, take off all the parts attached to the starter housing one by one, including the middle screw.

Bring the new housing and re-attach everything securely before putting the assembly back in place.

Securely place the assembly on your chainsaw and tighten the screws accordingly.

Remember not to overtighten any connection. Otherwise, it will damage the internal parts over time.

If your chainsaw is still under its warranty period, you can get the replacement done from any STIHL-authorized workshop free of cost.

Faulty or Damaged Pulley System:

A faulty or damaged pulley system is another major reason that can cause your chainsaw pull cord failure.

The chainsaw pulley system can turn faulty due to unusual internal wear and tear of any pulley assembly parts or incorrect tension.

The Pulley system on your chainsaw can also damage due to weak contact between the pawl and the spring.

– How to Fix a Faulty or Damaged Pulley System

Fortunately, repairing the pulley system is not costly or difficult either.

First, ensure that the tension is set correctly and working perfectly. Check the parts for any chances of wear and tear to replace the faulty parts.

If you see a weak connection between the pawl and the spring, fix the connection. If required, replace the damaged pawl.

During the thorough inspection, if you find the pulley itself is badly damaged, replace the pulley.

Also, if your chainsaw is still under warranty service, you can get this entire servicing taken care of by the company.

Bad or Worn-out Starter Rope:

Worn-out or frayed starter rope is another typical reason that causes the chainsaw hard pulling or not pulling error.

If you notice or feel that the rope is getting stuck somewhere whenever you pull it to get your chainsaw started, that means something is wrong with the rope.

– How to Fix a Bad or Worn-out Starter Rope

You can easily get rid of the broken or frayed rope by replacing it.

All you have to do is just get access and remove the old rope. Then, bring the new starter rope to measure the length needed.

Cut the new rope accordingly and insert it through the starter pulley hole line. Then, tie a small knot on the rope. Now, insert another end of the rope through the bottom of the handle. Wind up the pulley and finish up by reinstalling the starter cover.

Broken Starter Spring: 

The Starter spring is one of the key components, so if the spring is broken or faulty, you might also encounter a similar problem.

Since the starter springs are a little bit delicate in nature, these springs tend to wobble or break when you apply too much external force to pull the rope.

Once the spring turns bad, you will experience hard pulling whenever you pull the rope. Besides that, these springs will eventually wear off as the chainsaw gets older and is being used aggressively.

– How to Fix a Broken Starter Spring

First, you have to access the starter assembly. Then, carefully take the entire assembly off to inspect the current state of the starter spring and try to rewind the starter spring to fix the issue.

If that does not work, you have to replace the starter spring by following the instruction thoroughly.

But if you are not sure about your technical expertise, contact your nearest STIHL workshop to service your chainsaw. Even if your chainsaw is still new and under the warranty time frame, you will get the whole servicing done free of cost.

Apart from the earlier discussed reasons, one of the obvious reasons is when your chainsaw has been in use for a while and getting gradually older.

Remember, as the tool ages with time, the major components that help to operate it smoothly also deteriorate.

However, keeping regular maintenance of the chainsaw helps to enhance its longevity and overall performance ability. This action also gives you a heads-up when internal parts are not functioning accordingly or deteriorating and you can fix the issues before it can cause any further damages.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Final Verdict

Generally, people do not experience difficulty pulling the pull cord of a fully functional chainsaw, but as your chainsaw gets exposed to an aggressive cutting atmosphere daily and gradually turns older, such issues can arise sometimes.

However, all possible causes behind this trouble are already explained with the potential solutions for each reason. So, next time you encounter a similar problem with your chainsaw, just try those DIY-fixing solutions.