Pry the butt plate off with 2 medium to large flat bladed screwdrivers being carefull not to break the 4 connecting points. This is a chore but you can do it if you take the time to move slowly in deforming the canister shape to expose the connection points. Once you have the top ones off the butt place lifts out. I then feed the cord back through the winding devise and it released itself. Not sure why this did not work without having to pry the butt plate off. Good luck with the repair.