Chainsaw Repair

Chain - Grinders - Filing - Wood Milling - Tools - Welding - Machinist - Mowers - Tillers => Tool Shed => Topic started by: davbell22602 on December 05, 2012, 10:19:21 am

Title: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: davbell22602 on December 05, 2012, 10:19:21 am
Is there special tool for reinstalling a recoil spring on chainsaws when it comes out on the starter housing?
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: 660magnum on December 05, 2012, 10:44:35 am
I've rewound a few in my time. Frustrating to say the least. Sometimes wished I had a couple more hands?

The more recent ones I've rewound were Homelite, Stihl, & Husqvarna. There really wasn't any difference in the way they were made. I've gotten pretty good at it in spite of arthritis in my fingers. The biggest thing for me has been understanding just how the spring fastens at each end and particularly the spring to pulley connection.

Figuring out a simple way to get the cord wound on the pulley is as big a challenge as the spring itself.

Choosing a double braid Dacron polyester cord that is just big enough to not pull through itself in the pulley yet give you enough wraps is just as important as the other factors.

Doing it a lot helps . . . . .
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: davbell22602 on December 05, 2012, 11:22:29 am
The spring came out on a PO and I cant get keep it  small enough to fit back on the recoil housing. I'd buy another spring but its NLA.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: 660magnum on December 05, 2012, 11:42:15 am
I have seen people tie a string around the spring to hold it together until they get the pulley in place. Then they cut the string knot on the outside.

So far I've been able to hold the spring in the cavity long enough to get the pulley installed. I have to spread my fingers?

I get the spring/pulley installed and secure, - then I install the cord.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: davbell22602 on December 05, 2012, 11:52:02 am
I guess I need to keep working at it on putting the spring back the starter housing.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: 660magnum on December 05, 2012, 12:34:49 pm
In the past, getting the spring safely in the housing has been one of my most dreaded tasks.

It is difficult to accomplish this if you only do one every five years as a home owner or hobbyist.

You also can get a bad cut from a spring suddenly jumping out of the pocket so be careful.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: Cut4fun on December 05, 2012, 02:06:15 pm
Some kind of nifty recoil spring winding tool I have never seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRdQ-Di4sts



spring winding manually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTcL3_3leTk


Just rope replacement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0sjmFOAf8I
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: davbell22602 on December 05, 2012, 02:43:14 pm
Here's what that EZ Coil spring tool sells for.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/E-Z-COIL-SPRING-RECOIL-WINDER-TOOL-SMALL-ENGINE-MOWER-CHAINSAW-MOTOR-BOAT-REPAIR-/280742865257?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item415d942969&vxp=mtr
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: Cut4fun . on December 05, 2012, 03:27:25 pm
Ouch  :o but 97 sold on the listing
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: davbell22602 on December 05, 2012, 03:45:04 pm
I think I'm gonna buy one after christmas.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: Al Smith on December 07, 2012, 09:59:25 am
Oh you can wind them up it's just a learned thing .You start from the outside though not the inside .It just takes practice is all .
Geeze if you bought every gadget and gizmo on the market you'd have a hundred dollar saw and a thousand dollars worth of thigamajigs to work on it .

I mean look at the amount of people who bought a case splitter and might split a set once a year .While at the same time a heat gun and a deep freeze will get the same results .

Then a year or two passes then another reason to split a set of cases and can't remember what they did with the case splitter .
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: davbell22602 on December 07, 2012, 10:15:25 am
Quote
You start from the outside though not the inside

You lost me. I always start from the inside then keep pulling the spring tighter as I go then I loose what I got when I try to install the spring on the starter housing.

Its no biggie if I buy that tool. I know it will get some use out of it. I got 2 big n tall tool chests full of tools.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: 660magnum on December 07, 2012, 10:43:02 am
The starter spring is wound inside the pocket for the spring. It is started on the outside of the pocket and is slowly packed into the pocket.

Then the starter pulley is placed onto the pocket to capture the spring.

The spring is wound tight as the cord is kept in the little slot in the side of the pulley.

As the spring gets completely tight, the cord is removed from the little slot and allowed to wind onto the pulley as the spring is allowed to unwind.

As the pulley is getting full, you cut the cord and attach the handle. The ends of the Dacron polyester cord must be heated and pushed against a piece of steel to make a flat solid end on the cord or it will fuzz up into a mess.

Use a cord big enough to where it will not pull through itself on the pulley.

No tools are needed except a match and knife to cut the cord.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: Al Smith on December 07, 2012, 04:59:59 pm
You can wind a spring with two hands but if you just had about three more thumbs it would go much better .Stihl winds up about as easy as any of them .The worst is McCulloch ten series right hand start .

You need to wind that rope pulley full but only about one turn passed fully retracted else you take a chance of either breaking the spring or pulling the bend out of it .Then you get to do it all over again plus learn how to rebend the hook .
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: HawaiiAl on December 16, 2012, 05:48:24 pm
Have one of the coil spring tools from flea bay. the best thing I ever bought,after you use it the first time youl wonder why you did it any other way.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: davbell22602 on December 16, 2012, 06:06:41 pm
Have one of the coil spring tools from flea bay. the best thing I ever bought,after you use it the first time youl wonder why you did it any other way.

Thanks for review on that recoil tool on ebay.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: Cut4fun . on December 16, 2012, 07:15:09 pm
Have one of the coil spring tools from flea bay.

Are you the guy thats does the wooden tables in Hawaii?    If so start a thread and post up your work.   Beautiful stuff.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: 3000 FPS on December 17, 2012, 03:55:38 pm
  Here is one I made when working on a Poulan 260.  Stick the center of the spring on the peg and start winding.

(http://chainsawrepair.createaforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1350.0;attach=1961;image)
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: farmboy on April 07, 2013, 06:35:33 am
When I install a new spring I save the wire or retainer that comes on new one.  Drive a 6 or 8 penny nail in bench top deep enough where the head keeps spring from coming off nail.  I cut down a bad 272 Husky starter pulley a little smaller than wound spring.  Hook outer end on nail, hook inner in starter pulley and wind.  When wound drop saved retainer over spring release slowly.  I've used this method 8-10 times works good for me.
Shep
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: farmboy on April 16, 2013, 09:01:33 am
Made another one yesterday out of a bad 44 Husky pulley to rewind spring on an MS440 Stihl.  Ground the plastic bottom lip down to same size as top lip.  Made an improvement on this one welded a short piece of 1/4" round stock in the metal center for a T handle.  Works so much eaiser gonna add one to the bigger Husky one.
Shep
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: 660magnum on April 16, 2013, 10:16:54 am
For me, the more time consuming problem, is getting the rewind spring contained within the pocket from which it operates and the starter assembly assembled.

With the starter unit assembled, I typically tension the cord one loop at a time - winding the spring while getting the rope or cord on the pulley.

If you are only doing one spring or the cord every year or so, it takes a little thought to get your winding directions sorted out.
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: Cut4fun . on December 21, 2019, 09:26:31 am
Steve posted this newer plastic version. https://sawzillaparts.com/proline-starter-rewind-spring-tool-for-stihl-husqvarna-echo-homelite-chainsaw/
Title: Re: Recoil Spring Tool
Post by: pete on December 24, 2019, 07:39:58 pm
great little video never seen anything like it