I've heard of some guys putting a little silicone where the pull cord contacts the housing to eliminate any water from entering but you can break it free if you need...

John

 

I took my recoil off once and there was so much water in it that minnows were swimming inside of it.
The water ruined my Bendix drive and caused my pulse coil to get dirty and act up.
I was lucky the $300 Stator survived.

Now I do the silicon trick with the pull rope handle. (Like mentioned above)

Pull your pull rope out and look at it. If the rope is wet and dirty that means water has worked its way inside at some point.

The recoil is so low on the Atv that it does not take deep water to submerge it.

You right riding boot or a tree branch can easily knock the pull rope handle off position without you noticing before you do that creek crossing.