Bendix will not climb

[Bullie]

I have a 1984 9.9 Sea King. One of the issues I am trying to repair is that the bendix does not reliably climb to engage the flywheel. I can pull the cord several times before it spirals around and, if it does engage, it is at the end of the pull with little cord remaining on the spool. The spool rewinds fine. I have been meshing the teeth together and then pulling. It works fine for the repair phase, but will be a pain in the neck at the lake.