# Craftsman Drive Problems



## youngjames832

Hey all,

I don't have the specific model number at the moment, but I'll have it hopefully tomorrow. So here's the deal. We had a big snowfall today and after 2 minutes of use, the drive stopped. I dragged it back to the shed and took the cover off and sure enough the belt came off. Put it back on, and immediately popped off again when I engaged the drive handle. I put it back on again and noticed that with the engine off and the drive handle pressed in, she jams up when you try to push it. I thought for sure I was able to push it before with the lever pressed down without the engine working but now I can't. It worked perfectly the last storm we had. Only difference was this time the belly pan came loose so I tipped it up to reinstall it. The chain was really rusty so I put a bit of grease on it. Other than that, never done anything else. Its approximately 7 years old. Thanks


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## td5771

With the drive level pushed down you should not be able to roll the machine around 

Off the cuff if you were able to just slip the drive belt on something is wrong. The drive belt does not engage and disengage like the auger belt. It is always under tension. 

Sounds like the spring that pulls on the idler pulley to keep the drive belt tight maybe broken.


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## Kiss4aFrog

When you pull the handle it should engage the drive so with the engine off it would be like having a "Park" gear and the wheels won't turn.


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## youngjames832

ok that's a big help knowing that. The drive belt is easy to put on. Wrapped it around the friction wheel, then I slipped it over the top pulley by moving the pulley that comes out of the engine. Very easy and no effort really. There is a lot of tension on that idler wheel that's off the engine. Springs back and forth pretty good. When the friction wheel engages, it seems that it goes in further than the top pulleys therefore the belt is not really straight down, but more so on a little angle. Please excuse my lack of knowledge on this. I'm trying to learn! Thanks so much


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## td5771

Your model number would help but if I read between the lines I would guess you have an old craftsman that has an enclosed transmission and no friction wheel. 

If so that would explain why the belt comes off. When not engaged you have to much slack in the belt. Put the belt on and adjust it or replace the belt. I would say the belt needs to be replaced. Or your belt guides are broken off or moved. 

On friction disc machines with no transmission the drive belt is under tension by the idler at all times. The idler never comes away from the belt. 

Model number and pics would get things moving.


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## youngjames832

Ok so here's the model number. 944.528396. I'll take some pics this morning when I go out


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## youngjames832

Here's a video of what happens to it


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## youngjames832




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## td5771

I have seen that style. Can't remember where. The problem is on that style when it is disengaged the belts should not line up the bottom pulley needs to be offset to the front. Then as you engage the drive it lines the belts up perfectly and when the drive is fully engaged the bottom pulley is offset a touch to the rear. Yours is kind up to start and when you engage it get to be to far off. 

I will poke around to see if I can remember which machine it was. Are you sure about the first three numbers of your model number?


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## bad69cat

^^Exactly right! I think either your engine bolts are loose and it has moved, or the pulley has moved forward on the shaft to much? It should be at an off angle to start with then go in-line when you pull the cable tight. make sure the pulley shaft bolt is tight, then look at the alignment of the belts in relation to the pulleys. You might have to loosen and move the engine around to get it right...... also might need a new belt if it's been over stretched/heated to much


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## db9938

I'd check, with the plug wire disconnected, that everything is still moving freely. I'd suspect that the drive platter is either seized or gummed up.


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## youngjames832

Yep that is the correct model number. Its not a common style. If you type it in google, the owner manual comes up for it and all the diagrams and everything is there. I had a quick look at the pulley on top and it definitely is out too far when the bottom plate engages which puts the belt on a bad angle and pops it off. However, if the engine bolts where slack, then if I pulled it back that would Throw the auger pulley out since its on the same shaft I would think. That one is perfect as it sits now. It looks like the 2individual pulleys are made part of the engine shaft that comes out. If I could move the pulley back, I think that would solve it. I also don't see what else could have mAde it move back that much


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## db9938

Man, this is a head scratcher. 

Have you had the engine pulleys off? Might check to see if #19 on page 37 of the manual, has different offsets. If there is a different back spacing, that could throw the alignment off.


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## skutflut

td5771 said:


> I will poke around to see if I can remember which machine it was. Are you sure about the first three numbers of your model number?


That machine is an AYP/Husqvarna. I have a very similar unit, pn 944.582391. The motor looks right because the auger pulley lines up dead on from what I see in the video. I wonder if the traction pulley has moved on the crankshaft?? It also looked like the friction wheel moved backward when he engaged the friction disk. Hard to tell for sure with all the smoke. Did you ever have the pulleys off the crankshaft? Maybe the traction pulley is on backward?

Youngjames, take a look at the bearings on the hex shaft and see if the have a lot of side play. Also, you rubber disk MIGHT be worn down allowing the friction disk to come back too far. Seems there should be a stop mechanism in there someplace. I would go look at mine, but its freezing and my blower is stuck at the back of the garage behind my new bathroom reno materials. Probably won't be able to get at it for a week or two.

Do you have your manual for your machine? If so, take a look at repair parts,  DRIVE section showing the transmission, belly plate etc.

Check parts 38 Pivot rod swing plate, part 16 Control Shaft, part 17 Clutch Rod, and part 18 retainer. Make sure they are all present and accounted for. This parts list doesn't really show how it goes together very well, so bear in mind that the part 16 MIGHT be part of the gear selection mechanism and not associated with the swing plate.


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## td5771

That's a great point, the bushings/bearings on the friction wheel hex axle may be so worn when the disc hits the friction wheel it keeps going back because of the worn bushings.


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## BTodd

It looks like the bearing on the hex shaft which holds the rubber drive wheel is not there or completely worn out. Also the rubber drive wheel is worn out and needs to be replaced. Smooth out the friction plate to prevent premature wearing of the drive wheel. Always keep this plate completely clean of any grease or oil when your done working in this area. Check to make sure there is no other failed bearings in the drive train. You mentioned the chain was rusty, this may have caused something to shift underneath or break a bearing. 

Look on the engine's pulley shaft to see if the pulley may have moved from it's original position. Then check the bolts securing the pully to the shaft.


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## skutflut

td5771 said:


> That's a great point, the bushings/bearings on the friction wheel hex axle may be so worn when the disc hits the friction wheel it keeps going back because of the worn bushings.


My mother always said I had a good point, but if I wore a hat, nobody would notice it.


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## bad69cat

skutflut said:


> My mother always said I had a good point, but if I wore a hat, nobody would notice it.


lol yep! 

I wonder if it's possible somebody swapped out a part with an incorrect one on this thing? Depends on if you find something very worn or not..... just seems like it's way off for whatever reason. Good luck on it.....


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## skutflut

I put two yellow arrows on your photo, where things look questionable. There appears to be a collar floating on the hex shaft and seems to be an odd fit to the bearing on the drive shaft. I cannot see the other ends of these shafts from this photo, but you might check these and see what you can see.


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## youngjames832

Thanks everyone for all the replys. I haven't had a great amount of time to size it up because it was way too cold last few days to go out on the shed. In hoping to get out tonight and breaking it apart. But that bearing is pretty well shot that you pointed out with the yellow arrow on the shaft with the rubber wheel. However, it's not moving far enough to bring that pulley back that far. It maybe me a quarter inch movment at the most. 

As regards to the engine pulley, I don't think anything have shifted up there. There's no rub marks on the shaft where a pulley could've moved and like you said, the auger belt is perfectly straight therefore eliminating engine movement. So imo and seems to be what everyone is saying, the problem lies down below there somewhere


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## skutflut

If one of the bearings is shot on the hex shaft then probably both of them are. If you are going to replace bearings, do both ends. 

When I look at my machine, the traction belt has a little offset toward the front of he machine when the clutch is NOT engaged, so it's running a a bit of an angle towards the front of the machine. 

When I engage the drive, the plate swings toward the rear of the machine, and when it contacts the friction wheel, the belt is pretty much aligned dead on vertical. 

1/4 inch of of side play in the hex shaft allows your swing plate to travel backward an extra 1/4 inch and when you add that to whatever the worn rubber friction wheel needs, you could be 3/8 to 1/2 inch before the plate gets into contact with the rubber wheel I would imagine. That would probably be enough to pop that belt off. 

However, I can't help but think that there is something else screwy in there that we could not see in the pictures you posted.


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## bad69cat

Those shafts are looking pretty rusty - so it's going to be a battle. Hose that baby down good with PB Blaster Or Kroil and let her soak until you get time to hit ti with a Mapp torch. Good luck.....


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## youngjames832

Yep it's not going to be easy I don't say. That could be it all the same. Whatever it was happened fast so I'm thinking the best fell out. The way she sits now, the engine pulley and the bottom pulley are pretty well lined up when not engaged. If you say that yours is towards the front a bit, then those bearings might be enough to do so. Hlppefully that and a tighter belt will do the trick


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## skutflut

Once you are in there again, see if the swing plate is under any tension, or if you can easily move it more towards the front of the machine. If it has some free play and moves forward easily, maybe a spring is broken somewhere in there. When you engage the clutch (motor off) watch the travel path of the swing plate and see if there are any stop devices that may be worn or rusted off. Also watch what the hex shaft does when the friction disk makes contact with the friction rubber wheel, to see if the hex shaft is forced backward by the disk contact with the rubber. Maybe check the alighment of the pulleys at first contact, then continue adding clutch and see how much the pulley move off alignment and if its due hex shaft movement in the bearings . Did you find any bits of broken parts or anything else of interest when you took the belly plate off?

I still can't really get at my machine to look and take photos. I actually had to SHOVEL yesterday, eww.


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## youngjames832

Well actually not sure if this is related or not, but the belly pan fell off a few weeks ago. So I put it back on and used it again before this happened. It never broke, but the screws were missing. So if there was parts in there, it probably fell out. 

Tell me about shovelling. This happened when I had 3 ft in the driveway. I made one pass and that was it. Talk about a feller with an attitude out shovelling. Its alright it was late and no one else out or I'm pretty sure I would've flew aboard them !


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## skutflut

Well, just look at it this way. By the time you get it all fixed up and running perfectly, you will know everything there is to know about the drive train of the machine, what to keep an eye on, and better still, what went wrong, so when the next member has a similar problem, you will have the answer for him.


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## youngjames832

So I'm pretty sure this is the issue. When I held the bearing in the center with a screwdriver and pressed down on the drive lever, the plate never moved very much before it hit the rubber wheel. It's not perfectly inline, but it's pretty darn close an I'm confident the belt would stay on. Hopefully I can find one locally. Thanks everyone! I'll keep yas posted

And by the way, I'm learning a lot about these machines and I'm actually surprised on how simple they are. Once you dig into it, there's really not much too it


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## skutflut

Good video, that's what they refer to as "a little slack in the back" The drive shaft bearing looks kind of grotty as well, but at least it's still there. I think you may be on to something! Take another check on the bearing in the friction disk, it looked like there was a bit of side play in that too when you moved it. My guess is that the bearing on the other end of the hex shaft it's probably almost as bad since the shaft has been running out of square for quite some time, before it finally let go. Here's hoping the ends of the shaft are not damaged as well.

If it were my machine, I think I would do all 4 shaft bearings, and check the friction disk and auger shaft bearing and change them as well if they are even marginally bad. Since you have to take it apart anyway, why not renew it all so it will be good for the next 10 years


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## db9938

Yeah, the lack of bearings, might be it. It may be forcing the drive wheel to seize up. 

And, yeah new bearings on the shafts would not be a bad idea.


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## youngjames832

Yep that's the plan. Going to replace them all while I'm at it. Surprisingly the other bearing on the hex shaft is still pretty tight. Hardly any play whatsoever. I'm hoping I can get all the bearings local so I can have it up and running before the next snowfall!


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## skutflut

Where are you located? Remember, that machine is an AYP/Husqvarna/Poulan. If you can't find Craftsman, try one of the others.

Don't forget the friction wheel rubber tire and check those springs


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## all3939

Amazon PRIME is your best friend here. If they have it, you can have it at the door step in two days.


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## youngjames832

I'm from NL Canada and I'm a member of Amazon prime as well......didn't think about them for that stuff


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## youngjames832

Figured I would give an update. I found the bearings locally and was able to change them fairly quickly. Everything is tight and like new now. I also noticed the arm with the idler pulley was bent a little. I straightened that out and reattached the spring to where it was supposed to be, not where the previous owner had it. And finally, the belt stop in my opinion was off too much. I moved it in until it almost touche. Blocked it up, fired up the blower and works like a champ! And everything spining for 10 minutes and smooth as silk, and that's still with the old belt. The 2 pulleys are still not completely in line, but it's pretty darn close. I'll do some dry runs on the pavement tomorrow when I get it all back together. Thanks everyone for all your help. Appreciate it very much!


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## skutflut

youngjames832 said:


> The 2 pulleys are still not completely in line, but it's pretty darn close.
> 
> Did you replace the rubber friction wheel? Changing that might help the pulleys align better. In any case, glad you got it working again, I hear there's a 40 cm show storm coming your way..... (kidding)


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## db9938

Thats great news.


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## youngjames832

Haha yeah I wouldn't doubt we'll soon get another blast. I can only find that rubber online so I'm planning on ordering one as well. At least it runs for the time being and hopefully stays that way


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