Sears Craftsman dlt 4000.

[rock city]

Joined the forum to guide me as to how to revive my Sears Craftsman DYT 4000.

It is a small exaggeration to say that this tractor has never... I repeat never worked well for 4 weeks at a time.

It is prone to back firing, not starting, and blowing smoke. The gas line collapsed (some told me that it was the ethanol content of the new gas that kicked the rubber of the hose)... Battery failed, carburetor was replaced (twice)...

So my intention is to get it working again and give it a go.


Let me say that the mower has sat for more than a year without running. The crank case was drained, there is a little bit of gas which I am sure is bad, the spark plug was removed (suggested by a fix it company).

The last money I put into it was a new carburetor. I bought this from Sears, bolted it in place and it did not start, so I lost my heart on this machine and it has sat.

Last Fall I tried to push it out of the way of the snow plow and it wouldn't move... I have been told that the cylinder may be stuck...


That's my tale of woe... Paid a lot of money for this thing with the promise of many years of service... Sears failed me.


So... I am looking for help....


Here is what I am going to do...

1) Air in the tires
2) Oil in the crank case
3) Fresh gas
4) Take the belt off to see if it turns over5
5) Recharge the battery.
6) New spark plug

Question for the group....

1) what to do if the cylinder is stuck....
2) how to get the carburetor to work in sync with the motor


Any thoughts?

 

[Briana]

Welcome to LawnWorld!

I moved your thread to the Craftsman forum. :smile:

 

[Ifixdit]

Welcome to LawnWorld!

I moved your thread to the Craftsman forum. :smile:

Once you verify that your oil level is correct, remove the spark plug and spray penetrating oil directly into the spark plug hole. Don't be afraid to be very generous when you are spraying. Let it sit for a few minutes for the spray to settle. Next, try turning the engine over by hand to see if it is seized up or not. Listen for any unusual noises that may indicate an internal problem. If it will turn freely, replace the plug (properly gapped mind you) and you can then move on and remove the valve cover and set the valves to the proper gap. Once that is done I would remove the carb from the head. Put a fresh battery in it and using carb spray try to start the engine while spraying brief shots of carb cleaner into the head where the carb attaches. Yes, it is capable of running without the carb, just don't let it run for an extended period. If it won't fire you have other issues to contend with like timing and possibly ignition problems. If it does fire up then you can install the carb and see if it will work. Since its been sitting so long I would take the time to disassemble and clean the carb again. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[rock city]

Thanks,

So I took the belt off. The rear end/gear box is locked up. Hmm.

 

[rock city]

So I am trying a different approach...

Took the deck off, found an obvious problem.

The rod that you pull to disengage the tranny from the back.... it goes to a lever which comes out of the front right side of the transmission.

This lever is stuck, there is/was a fiber/leather washer found between the lever and the transmission.

I squirted it down with WD 40 and am hoping that this will free up the lever.

Anybody know where I can find a schematic for the gear box... It's a Tecumseh peerless 6892p91.

Thanks.

 

[rock city]

I jacked up the back of the tractor, turned the tire... the other tire turned in opposite direction.

Help....

 

[Ifixdit]

I jacked up the back of the tractor, turned the tire... the other tire turned in opposite direction.

Help....

That's actually normal so no worries there. I don't know much about the Peerless transmissions so maybe someone else can shed some light on why the tires turn in opposite directions.

 

[rock city]

Thanks.

The disengage lever that comes out of the back end is not moving without tapping with a hammer. Do I have to take the transmission apart to free up this mechanism?

 

[Ifixdit]

Thanks.

The disengage lever that comes out of the back end is not moving without tapping with a hammer. Do I have to take the transmission apart to free up this mechanism?

I don't think tapping the end of it with a hammer will help. You're going to have to go to where the lever attaches to the trans and try to move it back and forth (maybe with pliers or vise grips) and see if you can get it free. You can also try and rock the mower back and forth and hopefully free it up. I've only tore into one Peerless before and I recall it being a bear to figure out. Seems like I found a Youtube video to watch before I gave it a go. Unfortunately it didn't help me any. I ended up buying a cheap mower off CL with a blown engine but a good trans and just did the swap. Best $50 I spent that year.

 

[rock city]

Thanks,

Re: tap with a hammer... seat and gas tank were off and I had a visual as I was tapping... So I squirted with a liberal quantity of WD 40 and the lever moves now, but I am wondering.... is it sposed to have a springback feature so it goes to a rest position? Mine moves one way, and then waits for me to move it back.

At the moment, the wheels are off and it is up on blocks so the best I can do is turn the axle and like before wheels turn in opposite directions, so my intuition tells me that it will still not move forward because the wheels are not cooperating. Any thoughts>


And thank you again for looking over my shoulder on this one... very grateful.