I say ye won't get far without posting the Engine Model Number (from the engine itself) and/or the Sears full technical model number of the tractor from under the seat.

oops...I knew better than to leave that out....ha

its a 25hp Kohler Pro...on a 2003 or 04 Craftsman GT5000

YKHXS 6242GC,,,,,624 series

I'm guessing there is also a CVXXX on the tag? Have you verified the plate is secure on the throttle shaft?

correction.....looks like this is a 20 hp Kohler.....based on the 624 displacement.....someone has changed it from the original 25hp engine that came on the machine.

yes....plate is secure on throttle shaft...

put vise grips on the end of the governor cross shaft....it aint moving but a tiny fraction

ahem

well now...after Tomplum mentioned the throttle shaft.....I took another looksee into the throttle body past the choke plate.....this time with a flashlight....

and what to my wondering eyes should appear?

but something shiny....and black.....as in a black piece of rubber lodged in the butterfly plate for the throttle.

Came from the end of the breather tube.....

Fished it out with a pic.....engine runs perfectly

embarrassed grin

thks Tomplum....I really woulda been upset if I had pulled the engine and then discovered that it was in the throttlebody.....I guess that governor cross shaft movement is smaller than I thought....I had convinced myself that it had to move more than that.

OK, good save.
I guess we don't need the REAL model numbers now.
Craftsman GT5000 is not a full technical model number.
That is simply a marketing "title" that Sears uses to name a certain example of their machine line up..
The Sears technical number usually appears as 917.XXXXXX
under the Seat and will pinpoint which tractor you have.
Sears has had a GT 5000 designation for many years, but the actual technical number is different for all those GT 5000 tractors, depending on which year they were built.

Good to hear. If the breather hose is deteriorating, it is best to replace that and probably the grommet too.