Stihl MS 201 Manual page 13

Condition
Starter rope is difficult to pull or
rewinds very slowly
12
Cause
Starter mechanism is very dirty
At very low outside temperatures:
Lubricating oil on rewind spring
becomes viscous (spring windings
stick together) or moisture has got
onto the rewind spring (spring
windings frozen together)
Remedy
Thoroughly clean complete starter
mechanism
Coat rewind spring with a small
amount of standard solvent-based
degreasant (containing no
chlorinated or halogenated
hydrocarbons), then pull rope
carefully several times until normal
action is restored
MS 201, MS 201 C, MS 201 T, MS 201 TC