All,
Had loaned a 21" Craftsman mower (917.378641) to my brother-in-law some time back, he finally returned it to me this week. Mower has fairly low hours and 7.0 B&S engine, so although not collectible, I'd like to put it up for sale to recoup $50 or so on it. Unfortunately, when it was returned to me, the front drive was not working.
I traced the problem to the transmission, and not the drive wheels.
I've removed the transmission and disassembled and noted that the worm shaft is not contacting the gear within, suggesting wear. The wear looks to be at the helical gear as the teeth are squared off and there is a significant curvature on each tooth.
Anyone have experience repairing these? Although experienced with small engines on most brands, models, and sizes, transmissions is not an area where I've got experience. I could pick up a replacement transmission at $60 which makes the mower not worth re-selling, or I can pick up some of the components within the transmission at a few dollars each. I just don't know if I'll need more than just the gear to make it work again (worm shaft too? bearings?).
Thanks in advance!
Had loaned a 21" Craftsman mower (917.378641) to my brother-in-law some time back, he finally returned it to me this week. Mower has fairly low hours and 7.0 B&S engine, so although not collectible, I'd like to put it up for sale to recoup $50 or so on it. Unfortunately, when it was returned to me, the front drive was not working.
I traced the problem to the transmission, and not the drive wheels.
I've removed the transmission and disassembled and noted that the worm shaft is not contacting the gear within, suggesting wear. The wear looks to be at the helical gear as the teeth are squared off and there is a significant curvature on each tooth.
Anyone have experience repairing these? Although experienced with small engines on most brands, models, and sizes, transmissions is not an area where I've got experience. I could pick up a replacement transmission at $60 which makes the mower not worth re-selling, or I can pick up some of the components within the transmission at a few dollars each. I just don't know if I'll need more than just the gear to make it work again (worm shaft too? bearings?).
Thanks in advance!