Honda EU20i - Replace Pull Cord??

Richard10002

Richard10002

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The pull cord on my Honda EU20i has frayed a few times and it is now a bit too short to cut it and tie a new knot.... so I need to replace the cord.

I've watched a youtube video, and read through an alternative description:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WAuEW8decY

https://halcyontimes.wordpress.com/honda-eu2000i-starter-rope-replacement/

Whilst I'm fairly handy at this kind of thing, it looks a bit daunting as its quite a strip down, and putting it back together seems a bit fiddly.

Has anybody done it?

Is it as straightforward as it looks?

What do I need to be careful of?

Would you take it to a dealer if it needed doing again?

There is a dealer in Crewe, so not far away from Manchester and, given that I bought it second hand in 2011, it might be worth a look over by an expert?

Many Thanks
 
I haven't had to replace the cord on my eu20i, but have done it numerous times on lawn mowers (my Dad ran a lawnmower repair business) and outboards. It looked fairly straight forward in the the video, but some thing that was glossed over was getting the tension in the spring. He simply pulled the cord out and locked it off with a screwdriver, removed the old cord and replaced it. If the cord has broken, the spring will have unwound completely, so will need a few more turns to tension the spring before putting it all back together. There's not normally space between the cover and pulley to wrap extra turns, so it needs to be done before threading the end through the guide hole. Once you think you have sufficient tension, before tying the handle on the end, tie a simple slip not in the end to act as a stopper knot, so you can release the jamming screw driver and test that the cord all winds up. Once happy put the handle on. It can sometimes be a pain to get it off if you need to take it off to add more tension.
 
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I've managed to bat the problem into the long grass by cutting the cord, tying another knot, and it's just long enough to get it started.

I've also found this video which shows the cause of the repeated fraying, so I've ordered some 6.4mm 2-1 heatshrink, and will see if this stops it happening again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vln5J6D-d8

Sending it to Pete, or a dealer, will mean being without it for a while so I've now got time to sort out an alternative for a couple of weeks, when the time comes - or if I cock things up completely if I have a go myself :) or :(

I'm not frightened of replacing the cord, more the fact that it's buried quite deep, and needs quite a bit of dismantling.
 
Have been looking at these Honda ones - given your cord issues would you recommend one for on board use ? Plenty of storage space in lazarette . How much is a secondhand one in 2011 ? Or are their better ones now?
 
They are probably the best generator in that size range you can buy. However, although quieter than most, still emit quite a bit of noise. I would never consider using mine as a power source for the boat unless it was for a specific need to run power tools. I suspect it would soon drive you mad and cause you to fall out with your neighbours if you started it up on a quiet anchorage. I can't remember the weight, but they are quite heavy to lug around.

I only use mine for short periods when I need to run higher powered tools at our off grid holiday home. And in my garage that is remote from my home without a power supply. The rest of the time we rely on solar.
 
ashtead said:
Have been looking at these Honda ones - given your cord issues would you recommend one for on board use ? Plenty of storage space in lazarette . How much is a secondhand one in 2011 ? Or are their better ones now?
Click to expand...

Sold our 20i after 4 years on ebay for about what we paid for it such was the demand. Brilliant bit of kit.

Pete
 
ashtead said:
Have been looking at these Honda ones - given your cord issues would you recommend one for on board use ? Plenty of storage space in lazarette . How much is a secondhand one in 2011 ? Or are their better ones now?
Click to expand...

Yes. The cord issue cause seems to be identified and will be solved with some heat shrink, (I hope). I think I paid about £700 in 2011, and it hasn’t missed a beat that hasn’t been easily resolved, until the cord thing.

Lots of people on narrow boats use generators, so it isn’t as frowned upon as in a quiet anchorage.
 
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