Rope will not retract. - Poulan Ght225 25cc Gas Hedge Trimmer

Retractable things - hoses and cables and even the mower recoil starter rope are invariably powered by a clockspring.

One end is anchored to the stationary casing and usually the centre is anchored to the rotating part. The spring is pretensioned by an amount sufficient to retract the hose, rope or cable all the way and then pulling out the rope, etc. will further tension the spring. The spring end is usually the part that breaks or the anchor.

The spring should be treated with respect as it is usually a great deal longer than expected and should you dismantle a troublesome unit it is very important to keep a firm hold on it because if they are allowed to unravel it is violent and there is a couple of sharp ends...

When a retractable unit ages it often becomes sluggish and it usually helps to wash and dry the spring and lubricate with a few drops of light machine oil or some graphite dust.

Normally these small engines use a clock spring to retract the rope.
Remove the cover on the top and you should find the spring either broken or the tab where the spring end has broken off or jumped out of the mount.
You will need to pre-load the spring with enough tension to retract the rope.
Remove the pull handle from the rope, load the spring and then wrap the rope around the pully holding the pully and spring in the loaded position. place the end of the rope through the hole and tie up the handle. The rope should pull and retract without being installed on the engine.
Best explained here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmo6oYOJJ4U

you have a sticky one way clutch... this is on top of the engines crankshaft

take the crank rope cover off and in between rope reel and cover there is a wind up spring either its broke or has come out of its slots.

maybe you didn't wind up the spring enough

There are two or three screws that hold the retract assembly on to the engine cover. Take these off, and pull the retract off. First, try to turn the pulley on the inside in the direction that the rope would turn it if you you were pulling it out. Will it rewind? If not, there is a screw on the top of this assembly, that's covered up with a sticker. you'll need to remove this screw, and pull the pulley out. There will be a spring on the inside of this. check the spring to see if it's broken. If not, and it's just come loose, put it back into the slot that holds it, and wind it up enough to get it back together. turn the spring in the direction that the rope would pull it out, until it won't go any more. Hold it, and reinsert the rope, tie a couple of good knots in the end, trim the excess, and let it retract the rope into the assembly. Put the assembly back on your engine, and you're good to go.

Either you have a broken rewind spring, or the starter mechanism is dirty to the point where the force of the recoil spring is not sufficient to pull the rope back in.
WEAR SAFETY GLASSES while disassembling your starter mechanism to see what the problem is. Upon reassembly, it is a good idea to lube the post in the starter housing (the one the pulley slides over) with some graphite or teflon lube.

with the cover in your hand pull the cord out with a pair of needle nose pliers or a little screw driver and where the cord go through the case and before the wheel. pull 5 to 10 inches out and wrap the cord around the wheel turning the wheel but not winding the cord on., do 3 or 4 wraps then pull the handle to get all the cord out and let it retract. if not enough rewind just repeat with 2 wraps

inside the rope pull housing is a flat spring,it may have come loose from its anchor, its an easy fix...unscrew the 3 screws on housing, lift off housing, and the rope pull is inside the casing, you will then see if its broken, or just come off anchor, 10 minute job if its just loose......

The key is that the spring has to be under tension when winding the rope. For such a simple device these things can be a real pain in the a**. I have fixed a lot of them but they can be so frustrating anymore I just take it to the shop and pay about $15 to have it fixed. This is one of those jobs the shop usually loses money on because it's not a whole lot easier even if you know exactly how to do it.

Please rate if this helps-