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phil_usa

Craftsman LT4000 Rider Mower

phil-usa
13 years ago

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Hello People;

I have a Craftsman LT4000 w/42 inch deck, a Briggs & Stratton 15 hp, OHV IC Gold engine and an automatic transmission. I donÂt know what vintage it is, but I bought it about a year or so ago, used. After I had brought it home and used it, I realized I should not have bought it with an auto, as it will eventually cause problems. It has been working fine, has a bagger with it on the rear and really filled the need I had for it.

I was using it in October getting up leaves as I have a lot of Oak trees in my yard. When I attempted to start it, the starter would turn the engine and then just spin. I found that lots of teeth on the fiber ring gear had sheared off. Come this year, just before spring I began working on replacing the ring gear. I got the parts from online and a wheel puller from Advance auto parts.

I had a few problems here and there as I had never done this before, but I did get the ring gear installed and all back together.

Now..........after getting all in place and attempted to start it. I push the throttle lever up to choke, after putting in some gasoline to about a 1/4 of a tank. It started right up just like it is supposed to, no problem. Now this is an automatic transmission, you have to push in the brake/clutch pedal for it to start. I say clutch, but it may just be a brake pedal and the transmission is in neutral when I start it. It runs fine with the throttle lever up to the rabbit and down to an idle just before shut off. BUT.............with the throttle in any position and I let out on the brake/clutch pedal, the engine begins to stall, push the pedal back in and the engine will catch back up. I tried this morning

and push the trans lever in forward and let out on the pedal and it would backfire with no motion whatsoever.

On this mower there is on the back where the bagger mounts a shaft or lever with a pin and instructions for normal operation leave it in and to push the mower by hand to pull the lever out and insert the pin in the forward hole in the lever to keep it out. This never did work, since I have had it. To move the mower with the engine not running, I have to use a trolly jack and jack up the rear end.

Is it possible that this lever has something to do with the problem causing the transmission to be locked up or what.

As I have said, the engine does start and runs fine.

I would appreciate any help that anyone can give me.

Thanks,

Phil