Don't pull the starter rope out for winter storage

Leave the starter rope fully recoiled — pulling it out a few inches adds tension to the spring, not relief.

I get why people do it. The logic sounds right: “there’s a spring under load in there, let it relax.” But the recoil spring is at its most relaxed state when the rope is fully retracted. That’s its natural resting position. When you pull the rope, you wind the spring tighter. Pulling it out a few inches and leaving it that way just holds the spring under more tension all winter.

These springs are designed to sit fully recoiled for the life of the engine. It’s not under abnormal stress. If you want to actually relieve the spring, you’d have to disassemble the starter housing — and nobody does that for seasonal storage.

Worry about the fuel, not the spring. That’s where real winter damage comes from.