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Attach 0-20 VDC voltmeter across the battery terminals. Start the engine. Voltage should read about 13.5 to 14.5 volts with engine running if charging system is OK; this is a test we do on automotive charging systems.

Don't "just" throw a new starter on, try with the spark plug out.

On the cylinder heads of my two old VWs, I use nuts 8mm x 1.25mm that utilize an 11mm wrench. Simpler is to grind a socket or wrench narrower; use a bench grinder and eye protection.

Well, I hope your grandson learned a lot by all this. For a lawn mower like his, a dealer in replacement engines should be able to know what fits. Has anyone tried the replacement engines from Harbor Freight? Installation of replacement engine into a lawn mower should be straightforward.

My 2022 solution has worked for me still.

THIS !!!! This information is from a "well-known" cussing chemist !!!

And aftermarket/owner-installed cables may not be of traditional red=positive, black=negative color. If I needed or did something like that, that's what spray paint is for !

I'm wondering if a piece of tarp got stuck in the belt drive system somehow.....thus preventing engine from turning

The owner's manual for my 2005 LT1000 with B&S engine detailed different part numbers for the drive belt and the deck/mowing belt, the specifications on these were 1/2 inch different. I use the same belt size for each location.

Mine is an LT1000 from 2005, with B&S engine, but I had similar symptoms a decade ago. My manual choke lever would move the cable but the spring in the carburetor was too weak to allow the choke butterfly to return to the "open" position when I manually moved the lever after 5 minutes of...

One can get a balancing tool at Home Depot or similar, inexpensive. Or use a large bolt.

I use a length of chain for that, on my 42" LT1000

I use my 2005 year LT1000 (42", 2-blade) to cut weeds and tumbleweeds in a 1.5 acre horse pasture. Yes, there is some horse poop in the pasture too. I typically have to clean out the deck bottom and sharpen/rebalance or change blades after each mowing, much tougher on mower than using on grass.

I've got a LT1000 2005 model. There's an idler pulley (145) in a bracket which rides a slot on the deck, gets pulled by the manual cable that attaches to the lever. Dirt gets into the channel for the pulley, and must be cleaned out periodically, maybe lubed with a stick lubricant such as Door...

I believe that the tensioner pulley (which should have a spring to release it when you move the lever out of the blade engagement position) is too tight and not moving freely. I've had that get stuck from dirt while mowing tumbleweeds, and I had to take stuff off and clean and lube that to...

Myself, I have a 2005 LT1000 Model 917.275371. It has a B&S engine, is 42" and 6-speed. The manual for mine states a #160855 tractor drive belt and #144959 mowing/deck belt. So back then, I looked up these both and found that they were like 1/4 inch different in length, ridiculous. So...

I have an LT1000 myself, purchased in 2005. I don't mow grass with it, I'm in Arizona and use it to whack 1.5 acres of weeds and tumbleweeds, so tougher on it than mowing grass. That said: I have replaced the complete 3-bolt spindles a few times, buy them online. Typically my issue is that...

I remember buying a thin-wall socket for a vehicle years ago, at NAPA. Also https://www.amazon.com/s?k=thin+wall+5%2F8+spark+plug+socket&ref=nb_sb_noss

When cleaning my L1000 42" mower yesterday after mowing 1.5 acres of weeds and tumbleweeds (Arizona, very wet winter/spring), I noticed that my deck baffle (right hand side of the mower), broken at the front mount. So I drilled two holes in the broken part, rotated that broken part, and used...

Remember: cut quality is pretty dependent on blade condition.

From my experience with my own 2005 LT1000, when that has happened to me there has been a physical explanation for the deck mechanism not working, like something stuck or broken. Can you turn the blades by hand? Can you move the drive belt by hand? You may find it easier to diagnose and...

I bought my LT1000 new in 2005 for $900. After a decade I had tough time cranking it, did the valve adjustment thing, would keep the battery on a tender even though it tested fine under load. Then one day it apparently got an oil leak and the oil leaked out and ruined the engine. I decided to...

Muriatic acid is just another name for hydrochloric acid. Home/hardware stores will have that in the pool supplies section.

Whenever I buy anything, I also download the manual in PDF form; that way I know immediately where it is, and the PDF manual doesn't get dirty, ever !!!!

I have a 2005 LT1000 which never got stored in the sun, and I got a big crack in the vinyl last year. So far duct tape has worked for me. But there is some good information in this thread.

A few years ago, when my LT1000 lawn tractor would stall out after running awhile, I found that the choke butterfly was stuck in the closed position, so it was running rich. I added a hardware store spring to help the butterfly open.

I usually hear from any Tech "Help": no one has ever had that issue before. Like with the replacement AC line for my 1998 Frontier, different depth of fitting, only 5.5mm different !!!!

Reviewing the manual is too easy....like cheating !!!

My own 2005 LT1000 is a 917.275371; yes it is confusing that different manufacturers made these all under the Craftsman name. Anyway, mine does have a "belt keeper" on both sides. My main issue has been dirt obstructing the movement of the tensioner pulley, or a broken spring for one of the...

Use aerosol starting fluid into the air cleaner and try to start, try a few times. This test can help isolate whether the issue is fuel related or spark related for an engine where the starter spins the engine at normal speed. If spark related, an inexpensive spark test tool can confirm no...

Hmmm - I'm wondering if the deck pulley assembly is stuck somewhat and its spring not pulling the pulley away from the belt when disengaging. I've had to clean/lube that part several times over 15 years on my 2005 LT1000 (which could be an actual different manufacturer than yours). I have...

Wash off the unit real well to see if it's just an oil leak onto the muffler ! Should not be that tough to see if the smoke is coming from outside of the exhaust or through tailpipe.

Great neighbor !!!! Follow ups are always appreciated, how we all learn.

This worked quite well !!!

This worked quite well !!!

Just - I cannot help. But if you post good pictures of the tractor and the axles, maybe someone here can help.

OK, here's my current solution. I drilled a hole, attached a 5/16" eyebolt to the handle; I peened the inner surface of the handle in, and replaced its padding with some new pipe insulation, so I can still pull the wagon manually without the end nut digging into my hand. Then I circumcised...

OK, here's my current solution. I drilled a hole, attached a 5/16" eyebolt to the handle; I peened the inner surface of the handle in, and replaced its padding with some new pipe insulation, so I can still pull the wagon manually without the end nut digging into my hand. Then I circumcised...

Return/warranty. Should not be your issue/worry !!

Well, "sometimes" bigger IS better !!!

Thanks, I'll figure out something. I'll likely use like the a couple of times a year at most. A piece of perforated 1.5 inch square tubing like 2 feet long looks promising as a temporary substitute for the lawn tractor handle...

I added a spring from the hardware store to the carb of my B&S engine, as the choke spring wasn't strong enough to open the butterfly when I moved the choke lever after a few minutes; so it ran rich and died until I modified it.

Actually, I do have a 5/8 inch long bolt I tried on the lawn tractor to try using for our drag harrow for the horse arena (but the lawn tractor didn't have enough power to pull that through the soft sand). For that, I just looped its ball over the top of that bolt. Thanks for the tip ! I'll...

Thanks, I have a much better idea now of what to do. The tractor plate hole and the pivot point for the graden cart handle are both about the same height, 8 to 8.5 inches off the ground.

I'm not sure that I understand. D shackles to what? One D shackle between the two horizontal holes on the cart handle? And then the other through the vertical hole on the lawn tractor plate? I'm trying to understand....

I'm trying to attach a garden cart I have to my Craftsman LT1000 lawn tractor; there must be a way, and I cannot Google anything because I don't know what it might be called. I have a Harbor Freight garden cartwhich has a handle 1.5 inches span but the holes for the handle are horizontal. My...

I'm trying to attach a garden cart I have to my Craftsman LT1000 lawn tractor; there must be a way, and I cannot Google anything because I don't know what it might be called. I have a Harbor Freight garden cartwhich has a handle 1.5 inches span but the holes for the handle are horizontal. My...

I knew absolutely NOTHING when I bought a Craftsman LT1000 in 2005, but had 1.5 acres of tumbleweeds at least knee high. Yes, Sears was unable to deliver this from the store on the designated day, could not arrange to do this no way, no how - I suggested paying overtime to drivers, renting a...

What about installing a simple shut-off switch like those available at auto parts store...

You mean like with the Craftsman $100 tile saw I purchased about 15 years ago. There was no display model, I bought one of the two they had a mile from my home, unboxed it, thought the alignment fence looked real cheap and plastic. It broke immediately. I swapped it out for the remaining...