How do I replace the pull cord on a Craftsman model 358.791580?

After I starting to get into taking it apart as suggested below, I ran into a snag. the center screw holding the hub wouldn't budge. (I broke the end off the screw driver) After removing the front housing and looking at the room where the spindle is, I decided to wind the spool (Tension) until it stopped. I stuck a small screwdriver into the plastic housing and the spindle to hold it there. I pushed out the old knott and used a small strand of wire to loop it through the hole and out to one the side and pulled it back to the top using a pair of long nose needle nose pliers. Now I had both ends. Using a strand out of the old cord about 14", I made a small loop in the end of the wire and crimped the strand in it and pulled it through. (Make sure you have something tied on the end of the strand so you don't have to redo this process.) I wraped the strand several times around the new rope, tied it and pulled it through. I made a knot and pulled it into place. Removed the screw driver to see if I had too much string. Make sure you tie a strand to the pull end and a screw driver. Since it used all the string, I put it through the guide hole and the pull handle and tied a good double knot. Took me less than fifteen minutes and a lot less headaches!!

Gunny Derby
June 2009

One thing that I found worked really well to keep the motor from spinning was to remove the spark plug and fill the cylinder with a small rope. The back pressure on the piston kept the shaft from spinning, and allowed for easy removal of the center torx bolt.

Formerly Frustrated
October 2008

I have the same model, I couldn't find a complete set of directions on the web. So, I put these together after a couple hours of playing around and surfing.

I'll reference the www.Sears.com parts diagram for reference.
There are two diagrams, one diagram showing the shaft/handle and the 2nd diagram showing the motor/etc.

From the first diagram:
1) remove 9 screws (allen head) from the black handle with the throttle trigger. These will be screws #2 and #4 from the handle diagram.

2) The handle #3 will split into two halves.

3) Disconnect the throttle cable from the trigger

4) Disconnect the kill switch connector. there is a connector half way down the wire.

5) the flex shaft #14 will slide out of the clutch assembly.

6) From the 2nd diagram:

7) There is a black "tip" on the clutch drum #49 that the flex shaft was inserted into. Pull this black "tip" off the clutch bell.

8) Remove the screw down the center of the Clutch drum #49 with a narrow, flat head screw driver.

9) You should be looking the clutch assembly #48. This is the tricky part. The clutch assembly is screwed/threaded onto the spacer #38.

You need a "spanner wrench" to remove the clutch and something to keep the motor from turning while unscrewing the clutch assembly. I figured out a way to do it without the tool, I'll describe below.

You can buy a spanner wrench from ebay or from "LIL RED BARN POWER EQUIPMENT SUPPLY, LLC. (540) 433-6811
775 Pleasants Dr Harrisonburg" or Search on "CRAFTSMAN PISTON STOP & CLUTCH REMOVAL TOOL CHAINSAWS"

I didn't want to spend time and money buying a tool I only needed once.

On the housing #46 there is a "fifth hole " on the front side. Stick an allen wrench or screw driver into the hole,
turn the motor by hand until the motor is held in place. This keeps the motor from turning while we unscrew the clutch.

The clutch #48, in the center, has two, half circles on either side of the shaft. From your work bench, Take two screws, about 1/4" dia. stand them up in the clutch half circles. Take a pair of locking,vise gripe pliers and pinch the screws against the clutch.
With the motor not spinning, loosen the clutch with the vise grips.
There was an rotation arrow on my clutch "OFF", counter clockwise.

9.5) The clutch unscrews, lift off the clutch. Getting the clutch off was the biggest mystery.

Now just for the pain in the neck stuff.

10) remove 4 screws # 45 from the front side of the housing.

11) remove 2 screws # 17 from the rear of the housing.

12) remove the housing.

13) Do NOT remove the baffle plate #40

**** Caution - underneath the pulley #42 is a spring-loaded
"Spring-Starter" #43, this thing will unwind faster than you can say "what". Just warning you. ****

14) Using the tiniest fingers around (my wife and kids) Fish and Insert rope through the housing, into the slot in the pulley, wrap rope around the star screw that holds the rope to the pulley.
Tighten the star screw onto the starter rope.

17) reverse the instructions for re-assembly.

Bassbin1000
September 2007

go to www.sears.com and go to parts. type in your model number and then click on appropriate sub group. Next click on show diagram or something like that. It will give you a breakdown on the engine which might help.

cholbach
June 2005