Pulley cord wont go down unable to start on gas trimmer

pull the recoil section of the motor and there will be a small plastic tag that engages inside the pulley
they have a habit of breaking away cost around $6.00 aud and are the same for all trimmer motors.

You will have to disassemble the unit to that point and inspect the recoil pulley (rope coils on it) and the ratchet mechanism under it and the recoil spring that draws the rope back in.

how do change the pull cord on the tb90bc

you will need to remove starter cover & boom assy ,
sounds like either the rewind spring is broken or the pulley has split at the base of pulley or the starter pawls are bent / jamming , check that the centre pivot if this unit uses this type is not binding , pulley should be free , check the pulley is not damaged ?
either way once cover is off you should be able to see the problem
check the lugs that secure the pulley to the cover if unit has 3 lugs that secure to the cover ?

replacement parts should be available reassemble and test

cheers hope it helps paul

My Ryobi 890r brush cutter will start and then die

First, make sure that the gas mixture is correct (gas and oil mixed in the right proportion). Next, press the primer bulb 3-4 times, turn the choke lever on to Full Choke, and pull the starter cord until the engine seems like to wants to start, but dies. Next, switch the choke lever to Half Choke and start the gas trimmer, giving it gas by pulling on the trigger. Once it has warmed up fully, you may be able to reduce the Half Choke to No Choke, although my 20+ years of experience with dozens and dozens of models tells me that many trimmers run better, although smoking slightly, when you keep them at Half Choke. One last tip, when pulling the cord, try pushing the trimmer away from you with the opposite hand at the exact same time that you are pulling the starter cord--the equal and opposite push-pull technique may sound like something from karate (and it is, in a way), but it is really helpful when trying to start trimmers. Best of luck, Bill

PS: Check you owner's manual (at home or online) for the proper gas/oil mixture. Empty any old gas out and replace the spark plug, if required.

By "pulley assembly" I assume you're talking about the recoil on the starter cord. You can check E-Bay. I just did. There was one for $15.00. But I don't know if it'll fit your model. PLEASE rate my answer.

remove the cover and the screw holding the recoil down, turning the pulley ccw should release the spring then wind rope around pulley and (hopefully yours has the slot in it) wind in the direction of the pulley teeth then, holding rope in slot put back on spring and wind cw till almost tight, and install screw. Usually you can do this without taking rope handle off. sometimes you have to remove handle. look at spring end in the middle and make sure its not broke as long as you have it apart. Its a easy fix.
Thanks for using fixya

it's doubtful that bad gas caused this, it sounds like the cord was back-lashed and partially came off the recoil pulley. Remove the recoil cover and ensure the cord is all on the pulley, make sure the rewind mechanism works smoothly before re-installing.

Two things, The rope pulley has lugs on it for the flywheel pawls, the lugs are worn off mainly due to pulling the rope before the pawls engage. replace plastic pulley..

the flywheel pawls are siezed in the run position full of dirt or rust clean and free up.