Hello. I have a 32cc Craftsman weedeater from 1998 that has not ran right for a few seasons now. Four days ago, I got so mad at it that I threw it across the yard. I have since replaced it with a nice Stihl FS90R. However, I wanted to tear this engine apart and really see if anything was wrong internally.

While I got the head off and inspected the cylinder walls, I could not remove the recoil starter. I must have inadvertently unhooked the spring assembly because the rope will not rewind and there is no tension. I assume it is because the driven member of the clutch is blocking the cover. All bolts I can find are off right now. Do I need to remove part or all of the clutch assemly first? Or is there another trick? I do not have the model number handy but I will get it posted later on this evening. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)