Abstract: A recoil starter is provided which prevents malfunction, such as disengagement of a claw, after the engine is started repeatedly even if the starter is not made of a material of high intensity. A spring can be wound substantially precisely circularly. It is quite easy to mount a friction plate to the starter. Furthermore, this subassembly does not loosen after long-term usage. A rope guide can be easily mounted to the starter case, thus reducing the fabrication cost. The recoil starter can be placed and locked in position relative to a fan cover with high accuracy. When the ratchet is in its protruded position, the pivotal point of the ratchet is located radially inside a pulley around the position where the pulley engages the ratchet. A ratchet support portion is formed radially outside the pulley on the reel. The ratchet forms a beam supported at its both ends. The beam acts against a force exerted by the pulley due to a resistance produced when the engine is started.

Abstract: A recoil starter casing is made from a plate. The plate has a polygonal top face and a plurality of rectangular side faces integral with and extending from respective edges of the top face. Each of the side faces includes a recess in its edge, and a pair of projections at opposite ends of the recess. A plurality of air inlets are formed in the side faces. The side faces are bent from the top face along the respective edges of the top face. A fan cover has slots. The projections are inserted into the corresponding slots. The free ends of the projections are then bent so as to secure the starter casing to the fan cover. The inside of the starter casing is cooled through the air inlets and the recesses or air vents.

Abstract: An improvement in a starter of the type having a housing to be attached to an internal combustion engine and structure on the housing for rotating a crank shaft on the internal combustion engine to which the housing is attached. The improvement resides in structure for intermittently operating a decompression mechanism on the internal combustion engine to which the housing is attached as an incident of the crank shaft rotating structure being operated.