Re: 1976 Evinrude manual starter question

[Don]

Yeah, that bolt needs to be tight. Are you sure the locating tab in the bottom of the housing is properly located into the hole in the manifold mount? Perhaps the housing got bent during installation causing some binding. The other thing I have noticed, especially on the early models like yours is those springs tend to get real rusty. Everything tends to bind, and it recoils slowly. BUT, you seem to indicate that the starter worked OK before you pulled it off. In any event, I would certainly loosen the starter anchor bolt a few turns, then squirt some fogging oil/gear lube in between the plastic pulley and the rewind spring.
Post some pictures if problems persist.
Finally, don’t be afraid to just wrap the rewind rope one more time around the pulley to add a bit more tension.