we were talking about the pull start and sealing the pull start housing up so water can't get inside it, not the rear brake drum. but i pulled the plug on my rear brake drum along time ago because water was always in there. it might be better to leave your rear brake drum plug in if your going to be riding through water and mud and remove the plug if your going to be trail riding. also, when your done riding, wash out the rear brake drum and blow air through it. my pull start housing is all sealed up now. i'll test it in some water when i can find some deep stuff to ride in. i'll simply pull the cord out and see if it's wet, if it's not then i'll just seal up the cord and handle again. later - dana

 

If you never intend to use the recoil starter by making rendering it useless with some type of sealer, why worry about the water.

 

It will not be useless. Just give it a tug and the silicone seal will break.

Water and dirt in the pull start assemble will eventually end up in your engine. There is a seal in there that will wear out with time, water, and dirt.

 

i was worried about water getting into the engine, possibly through a seal inside the pull starter. also, if the pull starter is sealed, then water, sand, mud and crap in general cannot get in and mess up the pull starter either. have you ever tried to use a pull starter that hasn't been used in awhile? after riding in deep water(over the wheels), stuff gets inside the pull starter and yes it drains but some crap stays in there. what happens is when you pull the handle out, it usually stays out. so that's why i thought(and did) sealing up the pull starter was a smart thing to do. and i still can use it if i want to. silicone caulking is not like crazy glue, you can rip that stuff apart especially if it's sealing your pull start cord. it probably takes more effort to turn your engine over pulling the pull start then breaking the seal where the cord is sealed up. later - dana