OMC Johnson Evinrude NEW OEM 326877 Rewind Starter Spring 2 3 4 HP 1981-97 0810

OMC Johnson Evinrude Starter Rewind Spring — Part Number 326877

Brand: OMC Johnson Evinrude | Condition: New Old Stock (NOS)

Genuine OMC starter rewind spring, part number 326877, for the recoil starter on Johnson and Evinrude 2, 3 and 4 HP outboards from roughly 1981 through 1997. This is the flat, clock-type coiled spring inside the recoil starter housing that winds the pull rope back in after each pull. It is the single most common failure in a small outboard recoil starter: the spring works through thousands of cycles, fatigues, and eventually snaps — almost always at the anchor hook — and the moment it does, the rope hangs limp and the motor cannot be started. Nothing else in the starter has to fail for the starter to be dead. Replacing the spring is the repair, and it is an afternoon job with basic hand tools once you have the right spring in your hand.

Condition Details

New Old Stock — never installed, never wound into a starter housing. This spring has been sitting in dealer or distributor inventory and is sold exactly as it came off the shelf. That matters more on a spring than on most parts: what you are buying is spring temper and fatigue life, and an unused spring has its full original temper with zero cycles on it. A used spring pulled from a running motor has an unknown number of cycles already spent and is, by definition, closer to breaking. Packaging may show shelf wear, dust, handling creases, faded or discolored printing, old price stickers, or shelf dirt from long-term storage, and the spring may be a dealer repack from bulk rather than a sealed factory bag. The steel may carry light storage patina or surface oil film. None of that affects temper or function. If you want a factory spring with no miles on it and you do not care about the condition of its bag, this is the listing for you.

Specifications

• Part Type: Starter rewind spring / recoil starter spring
• OMC / BRP Part Number: 326877 (also written 0326877)
• Material: Spring steel, flat coiled (clock-type)
• Location: Recoil starter assembly, inside the spring housing
• Function: Retracts the starter rope after each pull
• Diagram Group: Rewind Starter
• Sold As: See photos for exact package contents and quantity
• Condition: New Old Stock

OMC never published dimensional data for this spring — no free length, coil width, thickness or hook dimensions appear in any catalogue or retail listing I could find, and I checked every source that carries the number. If you need a measurement to compare against the broken spring you pulled out, message me and I will put calipers and a rule on it and send you the actual figures.

Superseded & Cross Reference Part Numbers

• OMC 326877
• OMC 0326877 (BRP seven-digit form of the same number)
• Sierra 18-6509 (aftermarket equivalent)

There is no supersession on the OMC number. Worth knowing: the Sierra aftermarket equivalent, 18-6509, is now being shown as discontinued and no longer available by at least one major chandlery, so the aftermarket route to this spring is closing even while the OEM number holds on.

Important — do not confuse this with the earlier spring. OMC used two different rewind springs across the small-horsepower range, and they overlap in horsepower but split by era:

These are different parts and are not interchangeable, which the separate Sierra part numbers confirm. If your motor predates 1981, check 312932 before ordering this one. Note that at least one retailer lists both numbers together on a single page — that grouping is a data error, not an indication that the springs are the same. Go by your engine’s year and model, not by horsepower alone. If you tell me your model and serial number I will help you work out which spring you need, and I will tell you honestly if it is the other one.

Features

• Genuine OMC factory part, not a generic coiled spring cut to approximate length
• Correct temper, thickness and coil geometry for the OMC starter housing
• Unused — full original spring life, zero fatigue cycles
• Fixes the most common failure on a small-outboard recoil starter
• Fits a wide span of 2, 3 and 4 HP Johnson and Evinrude motors across roughly seventeen model years
• The aftermarket equivalent is being discontinued; this is the OEM part
• Inexpensive repair that takes a motor from unstartable back to running

Application

Johnson and Evinrude 2, 3 and 4 HP outboard motors, approximately 1981 through 1997. Confirmed present in the factory Rewind Starter parts group for the following models, which bracket the range on both ends:

• 1981 Evinrude 4 HP — E4BRCICI, E4BRLCIC
• 1985 Evinrude 2 HP — E2RCOC
• 1989 Evinrude 4 HP — E4RCEC
• 1993 Evinrude 3 HP — E3RETB
• 1996 Johnson 3 HP — SJ3REDS
• 1999 Johnson 4 HP — J4RLEEA

Diagram coverage therefore runs from 1981 to at least 1999, and some retail listings extend the lower end of the range to 1 HP. OMC carried the same small recoil starter design across many years with little change, which is why one spring covers so much of the lineup.

Confirm by year as well as horsepower — see the warning above about the earlier 312932 spring, which also fits 2 and 4 HP motors but from the previous era. The surest check is your engine’s Rewind Starter parts diagram: if it calls for 326877 or 0326877, this is your spring.

Why Choose OMC Johnson Evinrude?

A recoil spring is a part where the specification is invisible and the consequences of getting it wrong are immediate. What makes this spring work is its thickness, its width, its free length, the number of coils, the shape of the anchor hooks at each end, and above all its heat treatment — and none of that is something you can judge by looking at it in a bag. A spring that is close but not correct will either not generate enough tension to retract the rope fully, or will be over-stressed at full extension and break early, often taking the plastic spring housing with it when it lets go. OMC designed this spring for a specific starter housing, a specific rope length and a specific pulley diameter. Buying the factory part means the starter behaves the way it did new, and buying it unused means you get the entire service life rather than whatever a previous owner left behind. With the aftermarket equivalent now being discontinued, genuine shelf stock is becoming the sensible way to get this done properly.

Returns

30-day return policy. If this part is not right for your application, open a return request through eBay within 30 days of delivery and I will take care of it. Please confirm fitment by part number and engine year before ordering where you can — I am happy to help you check.

Thank you for looking at this listing. QBS Parts, Inc has been supplying hard-to-find and discontinued marine, industrial and engine parts for years, and we know that when you are mid-job on a boat the part you need is the part you need. Everything we list is inspected before it goes out the door and described as honestly as we can describe it.

If anything about this part is not what you expected, or if you have a question about fitment, measurements, or what is in the package, please contact us first and give us the chance to make it right. We would much rather solve a problem for you directly than have you leave feedback about one. A message gets answered quickly and we will do whatever we reasonably can to sort it out.

QBS Parts, Inc — Gardena, CA