Reply To: 1980S Evinrude 7.5 re-coil problems

[Don]

OK, first tell us how this issue occurred…Did you have the starter apart? Did you replace the rope? If you replaced the rope, the rope knot is probably binding on the vertical aluminum rope guide.
That knot has got to be “just so” or it will interfere with the rope guide. I don’t think the safety interlock would keep the rope from retracting properly, but perhaps.
There is a little plastic bushing that seats the plastic rope pulley drum into the lower housing, these often get damaged/misinstalled during reassembly also:
http://www.marineengine.com/parts/johnson-evinrude-parts.php?year=1980&hp=7.5&model=E8RCSS&manufacturer=Evinrude&section=Rewind+Starter-7.5
Item#2
Sometimes the black upper housing does not get seated into the aluminum guide during reassembly: items #14 and 7, this can cause the drum to bind also…