Broken Pull Start Rope = Trouble

[moonlk]

The knot came undone on my PC800 yesterday out in the middle of nowhere so we wrapped a rope around the primary and got it fired up. Rode it for about 20 miles then about a mile from home the engine quit. Towed it the rest of the way home and got it in the shop. I remember reading a post about a month go where someone had a rope break and it got wrapped around the flywheel and took out the ignition. So I pulled the recoil off and sure enough the rope was pulled all the way out of the recoil and was wrapped around the flywheel. Has this happened to anyone else? What do I need to look for in the way of broken parts? Do I just need to put on a new rope and it will fire right up?

 

[catrider800]

I had this happen on my 09' 800. Started it up with a rope around the primary which got me home and it ran fine all the way back. Took it apart and got the rope out of the flywheel, tried starting it up and it wouldn't start. Checked the plugs and found it did not have spark. Found the rope wrapping around the flywheel had pushed the pickup coils away from the flywheel so they weren't close enough to sense the metal tabs on the flywheel. Took a flat bar and bent them back and it fired right up. I would bet this may be your issue as well as long as the rope didn't damage anything on the stator.

 

[moonlk]

I was thinking the same thing. Does anyone have the spec for clearance of the pickups?

 

[catrider800]

If I remember correctly they did not give me a spec for measurement, just got it close without touching and it was fine.

 

[moonlk]

I looked in the service manual and there is no spec given so I will try that adjustment. Thanks.

 

[Coldfinger]

I've had to adjust the pickup coil gaps on my street bike and there is a spec of .5-.9mm. I'm looking at the service manual right now. If you don't find anything else, I'd put it in that range, like shoot for .7mm.

 

[stusnow]

My trick is to tie a knot just down from the pull handle. This will keep it from getting sucked into recoil if that happens again

 

[mightymoko]

I've used a business card before worked good.

 

[moonlk]

Got it fixed. The gap was opened up by the rope pulling through. Thanks for the advice.

 

[izzni]

Had this happen on a Polaris 800. Instead of taking out the ignition it takes out the belt that drives the water pump and oil pump. Good times...

 

[diggerdown]

When you do a knot, make a figure 8 knot and take a torch and melt it together. You can glue them too. always makes for a bad day when one comes un-done.

 

[matt159]

This thread saved me a bunch of time... THANK YOU! Similar scenario for me. Rope broke at handle. Got sled started & made it back to the trailer. Replaced the recoil rope, but sled wouldn't start. No spark. Both timing sensors were pushed back some. Seemed strange that it ran fine all the way back and just wouldn't restart... but started on 1st pull after gently bending the sensors back... 7 months later.

Wish I had found this thread before I read the one that suggested "turn the kill switch off & pull over 30 times." The BMP 900 pulls over really hard in Iowa. :face-icon-small-dis

This gap was about the thickness of 2 to 3 credit cards... too much apparently.

 

[Sxrlar]

Thanks for this thread, same thing just happened to my brothers 14 M8000.