general question re; clutch removal and installation

[david newbie]

Back when I was even MORE of a newbie I took my saw ( Husky 450) to a mechanic friend to remove the clutch. It seems to me he suggested I should always remove the recoil starter to avoid damage to the starter mechanism? Did I understand that correctly, is that really a THING? Thanks for the education

 

[pioneerguy600]

Your starter pawls would not be engaged when just breaking the clutch free so I would see no need to remove the starter recoil myself.

 

[Old2stroke]

Back when I was even MORE of a newbie I took my saw ( Husky 450) to a mechanic friend to remove the clutch. It seems to me he suggested I should always remove the recoil starter to avoid damage to the starter mechanism? Did I understand that correctly, is that really a THING? Thanks for the education

No problem when taking the clutch off, but some saws will engage the pawls when tightening it back on. If in doubt, pull the starter rope out a few inches and hold it while you rotate the clutch (not the drum) in both directions and see if it tries to pull the rope back in.

 

[david newbie]

No problem when taking the clutch off, but some saws will engage the pawls when tightening it back on. If in doubt, pull the starter rope out a few inches and hold it while you rotate the clutch (not the drum) in both directions and see if it tries to pull the rope back in.

I tried your method on a husk for the 350 I had to remove the clutch on. You are correct. There was no problem when I took the clutch off, but I tried your trick, putting it back on and it was definitely engaging the dogs and pulling on the rope so I remove the recoil, thank you I would hate to break that mechanism