The Pull the Cord on my Lawn Mower Won’t Move

Are you trying to pull the cord to start your lawn mower and it just won’t budge? You try to yank on it and it is just stuck?

It could be something very simple that is causing this problem or something a little more in-depth.

The first thing you want to do is make sure that you are pulling down on the Safety Brake Cable. If the brake is engaged, it makes it much harder to pull the starter rope.

If that doesn’t do the trick, remove the spark plug boot from the spark plug and check to see if a stick or rock is not bound up in the blade.

Still a problem? Remove the dipstick, wipe it off and then re-check the oil level. If it is very low or you don’t see any on the dipstick, the engine could be seized up due to a lack of oil.

The other possibility but it is not likely is that the pull starter itself is bad. You will have to remove it to test it.

If you need help with your pull cord on your lawn mower, visit our Locations page for a lawn mower repair shop near you.