My Honda self-propelled mower has started to keep the blade clutch
engaged after the lawn has been cut and the mower is stored for a
time. This means for the next use it is impossible to pull the
starter rope against the cold engine; well, its a very hard pull.
But, after running for 5 minutes the clutch disengages properly when
the engine is shut down and re-starting is a breeze.

To start the cold engine I hold the blade actuator as if to engage it
- quite the opposite from its normal purpose this frees the motor to
be started.

Any suggestions?

Thanks very much.