Understanding a Recoil Starter

I recently had a recoil starter on a very old Tecumseh fly apart, that is, the screw that held the dog housing loosened up and fell out. All the parts were retrieved, and I reassembled the parts in the housing. The dog doesn't engage the starter cup now and I wonder if I misassembled the unit. At rest, the dog is retracted into the housing. If I manually turn the housing, the dog ejects. When released, the dog retracts (under spring tension) back into the housing. Can someone tell me if this sounds correct? I assumed that when the rope is pulled, the dog should eject by centrifugal force (overcoming spring tension) and engage the teeth on the cup. This isn't happening. What is wrong? Many thanks for help. Frank