"Had a hard time starting my T
"Had a hard time starting my Tohatsu 6 hp 4 cylinder today. (It's been cool and damp where I live and I haven't used the engine in about two months.) At the moment the engine caught, I heard a snap from where the starter rope goes into the engine. Ran the engine for half an hour or so, not realizing the sound I heard was the rope, since it retracted back into the engine normally. After the engine had been off for an hour or so, I needed to start it again. When I yanked on the rope this time it snapped in my hand. I noticed what looked like melted plastic along the last foot or so of the broken cord. I'm thinking the rope may have broken earlier and happened to come in contact with some hot part of the engine while I was running it for half an hour. My question: does anyone change the starter rope annually? I bought the engine new and it's in its fourth year with the same rope it came with. The engine came with a spare rope, which I did have with me, but when I lifted the cover off, it looked like too complicated a job to attempt out there on the water."
"Had a hard time starting my Tohatsu 6 hp 4 cylinder today. (It's been cool and damp where I live and I haven't used the engine in about two months.) At the moment the engine caught, I heard a snap from where the starter rope goes into the engine. Ran the engine for half an hour or so, not realizing the sound I heard was the rope, since it retracted back into the engine normally. After the engine had been off for an hour or so, I needed to start it again. When I yanked on the rope this time it snapped in my hand. I noticed what looked like melted plastic along the last foot or so of the broken cord. I'm thinking the rope may have broken earlier and happened to come in contact with some hot part of the engine while I was running it for half an hour. My question: does anyone change the starter rope annually? I bought the engine new and it's in its fourth year with the same rope it came with. The engine came with a spare rope, which I did have with me, but when I lifted the cover off, it looked like too complicated a job to attempt out there on the water."