6hp F6LMHA very hard to pull the starter cord

[99yam40]

Thanks for your help. lower unit is off & the flywheel turns easily so it's in the drive shaft. I'm unable to separate the gear box unit from the upper half of the lower unit. What looks like a rubber seal around the drive shaft entry into the lower half is corroded so I'm thinking the bushing is corroded. I cant find a shop manual for it so I'm stuck.

I have no idea what you are calling the gear box and upper half of the lower unit

Yamaha Outboard 6HP OEM Parts Diagram for Lower Casing Drive 1 | Boats.net

[boater7cs]

I would remove the lower unit to see if that frees it up.( drive shaft going into the lower unit is also attached directly to the crank shaft)
If it does not free up, then the power head will need to be inspected closely to find out what is binding it up

Thanks for your help. lower unit is off & the flywheel turns easily so it's in the drive shaft. I'm unable to separate the gear box unit from the upper half of the lower unit. What looks like a rubber seal around the drive shaft entry into the lower half is corroded so I'm thinking the bushing is corroded. I cant find a shop manual for it so I'm stuck.

[99yam40]

I would remove the lower unit to see if that frees it up.( drive shaft going into the lower unit is also attached directly to the crank shaft)
If it does not free up, then the power head will need to be inspected closely to find out what is binding it up

[boater7cs]

My 6hp was running great. I run it a few times a week for about 30 minutes at low rpm coming in and out of the harbor. Flush it after every run with fresh water & cooling systems works fine. A few days after the last sail, I couldn't start it. It's very hard to pull the starter cord. Oil was changed 6 months ago & looks good. The motor is mounted on the stern so it's been in an upright position. The flywheel is very hard to turn manually with the pull assembly cover taken off. I took out the spark plug to relieve compression and it's the same. Gear's in neutral & the prop spins freely. The head was replaced a few years ago which cost nearly as much as the engine originally cost - hoping to avoid that again. I hope someone can shed some light on what the issue could be. Thanks!