Skip to main content
Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

BSA / Vlliers recoil starter question

Enter a word or two to search the forum section and click the Search Forum button.

The attached copy of a page from the manual shows a circular "clip" (7) anchored by a "peg" (6)  to the rope pulley . I dismantled one of these starters today to remove years of solidified oil and grease and cant really se what that clip does . It is in place but doesn't seem to hold or locate anything and the starter operates correctly. Other than being held in place by the peg the clip sits in a shallow groove in the pulley . One end has a small right angle tang and the other is straight.

Over the years I must have fitted new ropes and springs to many of this pattern starter and it's either been obvious what the clip does or it hasn't bothered me !

Just curious!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yqchhv4y8qyj7bp/BSA%20%2CVilliers%20F12%2C15%…

Forums

hortimech Wed, 04/01/2017

Been a long time since I had my hands on one of those starters, but I think you will find the clip holds the peg  in, not the other way around. As I said, its been a long time, but isn't the hole where the peg lives, where you feed the rope in when changing it ?

wristpin Wed, 04/01/2017

Interesting observation but the attached pics seem to suggest otherwise as the peg is on the opposite side to the rope anchor hole. I've got another similar starter on a spare engine so I will take it off and see whether there's a clue there. 

Second thoughts. I've reassembled this starter and its back on the engine but it occurs to me that when fitting a new rope the peg should be removed and the rope positioned tight against the centre boss and then the peg replaced. this fits your theory of the clip retaining the peg but there's no mention of it in the text of my first post.