OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Trimmers and Brushcutters McCulloch Trimmers & Brushcutters McCuloch Eager Beaver 200 recoil spring

After the pull cord went limp on my Eager Beaver 200 I removed the recoil starter cover and the recoil spring came out with the cord holder. The spring is OK but I cant get the thing back in with a new pull cord. Does anyone know if there is a preferred way to get the spring back into the housing. I have tried a number of different ways but no luck. There are just too many coils to make the spring easy to hand and wind back up tightly enough to fit into the housing.
From a sticker on the engine the model appears to be a 400026A if this is any help.

Hi There Cliff, try this guy..you need paypal though as in Usa, takes about 14days to oz...

see if your model is listed

http://cgi.ebay.com/PART-SPRING-MCC...915QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

toroman

I have bought parts from that eBay seller, with no problems at all.


gmax

Cliff,

What I usually do is clean the starter spring and then wind it up by hand. Then use a pair of long nose pliers to hold the spring while I put it into position into the housing.

You can buy tool that will tension the spring but you still need the long nose pliers to hold it while you put it position.

Toroman/gmax/Bruce

Thanks for all the replies.
As someone who has a mechanical trade background and who either trains apprentices or works with instrumentation and control technicians for a living this thing has really bugged me.
I see a mechanical requirement being to put tension on a cord/spring mechanism in a small space (whipper snipper cord/spring housing) which is vastly different to a mower which has about the same mechanical requirements as a whipper snipper but over a larger area meaning the spring in a whipper snipper has to be tensioned to a much greater extent than than in a mower to achieve the mechanical requirements.
Due to time constraints (grass growing because of rain) I have had to do the unthinkable (for me) I took the housing and spring to the local mower specialist and payed money to have the new cord installed and the spring reinstalled. I couldn't talk to the mechanic as to how he tensioned spring as he wasn't there but all is now OK. I don't begrudge the business for charging me money as the fee was very reasonable.
My solution.
I'm going to pull apart one of my spare whipper snipper motors and sort the starter spring tensioning situation out till have sorted how to do it.
Let you know how I go

Hi Cliff,

Here is a picture of the spring tensioner that I was talking about.

Thanks Bruce
Just checking in as no time to do anything mower etc orientated. Family and work life just too busy.
I can certainly see how the tool work work though