Replace pull rope? I got the plastic body housing loose but can"t get it off to replace pull rope which broke because the shaft head and clutch won't come off. Any ideas how to get to the area needed to replace the pull / starter rope ?? thanks !! ( For the craftsman 25 c.c linr trimmer) :(

try tapping with a rubber mallet on top cover of PLastic wheel housing there is a clutch inside there that allows for free wheel after starting , sometimes these clutches get stuck dissengauged till you shock(mechanical) em back to engauge
also hairspray applied to pull rope (pulled out) help to prolong these for some time , my girlfriend showed me that one sometime back

I can get you part way there. Remove the spark plug and shove some clean rope in the cylinder to prevent the engine rotating. Take the front housing off to access the clutch assembly, pull off the black plastic cover from the shaft end, and use a torx wrench to loosen the screw in the end of the shaft. After it's loose, the clutch drum will come right off. Unfortunately, I am stuck now trying to get the rest of the clutch assembly off without damaging it.

With the proper tools, it is a moderate level project for the DIY mechanic. You will need T15, T20 and T25 torx drivers. 5/8" spark plug socket, Large lip-joint pliers, phillips head screwdriver, 40" of #3.5 rope and about an hour. Start by removing the shaft from the engine. Take pictures as you go. This will make reassenbly easier. The black housing removes next. This will expose the clutch drum. There is a T15 or T20 screw in the middle of the drum. It removes counter-clockwise. Next is the clutch itself. Remove the sparkplug and lower the piston to the bottom of the cylinder. Push as much of the old rop down into the cylinder as you can, then raise the piston up to "lock the cylinder. Now you can use the pliers to turn the clutch counter-clockwise to remove. Don't lose the little washer that is ontop of the clutch, or the thick washer that is under the clutch. Be careful with the clutch, you don't want to damage or misposition the springs on it. They are pretty difficult to reinstall. Next, remove the airbox cover and disconnect the throttle cable. Remove the remaining screws form the tan plastic housing and take it off. Inside this housing is the recoil pulley. Remove the pulley, install the new rope. Wind the rope on the pulley and pass the loose end thru the eye and tie on the handle. To tension the spring, install the pulley and wind more of the rope around the pulley. Reassmble in reverse order. Make sure to get the clutch tight. Failure to tighten the clutch properly can cause major damage.
Good luck!

Your clutch drum is held on with a Torx head screw which is screwed into the end of the crankshaft. To lock the engine up so crank won't turn, remove the spark plug, rotate the engine so the piston is down and put some clean pull rope or otherwise soft material in cylinder. ...make sure it is something that won't hang up in the ports on the sides. Then when you rotate the crank, it will compress the rope or soft material, locking up the engine to facilitate removal of the Torx screw, The screw will come loose but will probably not come all the way out...that's just the way they made it.

Good luck on finding a manual. You can get the exploded parts drawing off of the sears parts website! I have a 32cc model 358.791580 and the pull rope broke. The pull rope assembly is located inside of the motor housing. I am having trouble removing the clutch assembly since there is no key way or screw holding it to the shaft. Does anyone know if it is threaded on?

hi

remove the clutch.counter clockwise using a pneumatic tool

Take the 4 bolts/screws loose that hold the shaft onto the weed-eater body, You will see the clutch drum, you need a long T20 TORX driver to loosen the screw in the center of the drum shaft. The screw probably won't come all the way out, so just pull the drum off as you loosen it.

Next you will see 3 flat clutch discs.

You may need to remove the spark plug and stuff some starter rope in the combustion chamber to keep the shaft from turning.

Unscrew these one at a time with a pair of large slip joint pliers. Be careful not to bend them and note which way they face. They unscrew clockwise I believe.

Once you have these out of the way, continue taking apart the plastic housing to gain access to the starter rope assembly. There is a spring under the rope reel, so remove the screw holding the reel in place and carefully remove the rope reel and spring.

Replace the rope, put the reel back in place and make sure the sping egages the little tab. Then wind it a few turns until there is moderate tension on the spring.

Feed the rope through the body and tie it to the T-handle. Replace the hold down screw that keeps the rope reel in place.

Test the pull tension before reassembly. It should retract the rope fully without too much tension and should not be loose. Lubricate the rope reel where it rubs against the housing with some light grade oil or lithium grease.

If everything functions, put it back together in reverse order.

Remove the rope from the combustion chamber and make sure there is no debris in it. Install the spark plug. You should be ready to go.

my rope broke to lol. i have bought new roape and have reinstalled it. u have to take top of the mower apart. the plastic cover take it off all the way a few bolts u can see un do them. pull off the plastic cover and take gas cap off so it will come off. next u will see 2 bolts on the fron of the mower on the rope houseing. un do them. next behind the mower 2 more bolts. u will see them it holds the rope houseing unit in place. after u unbolt both it will come of easy. next ull see when u tip it upside down a bolt with flat head bolt. use a socket or falt head undo that. next pull out the pully that the rope gose around. install new rope threw hole in rope houseing and threw the rope pully. ull see a srping on the rope pully. its hard for me to get it to wind all the way back up so all i did was roll up the rope best i could and reinstall the pully. titen flat head bolt back in place and reinstall all bolts and plastic cover. it should work now.

ur going to have to unmount the the motor from the shaft

step 1. Unbolt throttle housing

step 2. now with that out of the way u should see a clamp holding the motor to the shaft, loosen and pull the shaft out, there will be a cable, so make sure u have it lined up so it goes back into place

step 3, look at the back of the motor, u should see screws going into the plastic housing (coming in from back going into plastic)

step 4. once that is off pull the broken part of the cord out

step 5. wind up the starter coil, (it will only wind up one way) its spring loaded so be carful, once it stops back it off 1 full turn

step 6. u will see a hole for the cord in the housing and in the coil, make sure they are lined up

step 7. insert the cord through both holes, tie it as tighttttt as possible, then let the spring do the rest

step 8. put it back together

I have the same issue of clutch removal on a Ryobi 725r. Actually the clutch finally died after many years of use.
Instead of using a screwdriver to hold the piston I recommend using a piece of clothesline rope. It will be easier on the internal components and won't scratch up the cylinder walls or piston. Just be sure to leave a small amount hanging out of the spark plug hole so you can pull it out afterward.