# 536.887992 auger shaft popping out of flange



## oldManSlickville (Jan 28, 2016)

2003 9HP 29" 

Once last year and just this past week, the auger shaft popped out of the flange. When engaged, the auger isn't touching any part of the housing. None of the blades looked bent.

What would cause the shaft to pop out of the flange?

Another question: just curious on type of engine - 
Part # 143.049001 ENGINE (761811) 

When I do a search at sears on the part #: This part is no longer available through the original manufacturer. No authorized substitutions have been identified.

Thanks


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

:welcome: to the forum oldManSlickville

If the end of the auger is sticking out of it's bearing or bushing in the housing it's very likely the housing is bent. Have you ever run into something, wood, frozen newspaper, ... that jammed in the auger ??

9 hp, 318cc Tecumseh and the 143.049001 should be a Tecumseh HMSK90-156542f

Photos would be VERY helpful.

.


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

The manual shows that machine as having a bucket with removable end plates. Maybe you have lost a couple of bolts and its flapping in the breeze, or as suggested, it's bent. Have you checked to see if maybe the bushings are worn out, or if the end of the auger shaft has actually worn away, or snapped off inside the bushing?


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## oldManSlickville (Jan 28, 2016)

Kiss4aFrog said:


> :welcome: to the forum oldManSlickville
> 
> If the end of the auger is sticking out of it's bearing or bushing in the housing it's very likely the housing is bent. Have you ever run into something, wood, frozen newspaper, ... that jammed in the auger ??
> 
> ...


Last year I did have a frozen newspaper jammed in the auger. Took sometime to remove it. From the schematic on page 40 of the manual, the shaft seats in a flange. If there is a bearing and or bushing in the flange, it is MIA or I don't know what it looks like (which is probably the case). 

Will provide some pictures tomorrow. 



skutflut said:


> The manual shows that machine as having a bucket with removable end plates. Maybe you have lost a couple of bolts and its flapping in the breeze, or as suggested, it's bent. Have you checked to see if maybe the bushings are worn out, or if the end of the auger shaft has actually worn away, or snapped off inside the bushing?


Nope all three bolts of the flange on each side are tight. I don't know what the bushing looks like and nothing on the schematic of page 40 references a bushing.

CRAFTSMAN 536.887992 PDFÂ*MANUAL - Manuals -


UPDATE: did a search on the part number of the flange and it is called Auger Bearing and mine looks exactly like the following: http://www.searspartsdirect.com/part-number/9517MA/0071/536.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=9517MA&sid=SPDxGPROD&gclid=COrh7azR0MoCFYIfHwodNYINeA


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

That black triangular part is the bushing/bearing that both supports the end of the shaft and holds it in position and also allows to end of the shaft to spin on it.

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/cra...17/0071/536/model-536887992/0247/1507200.html

I have these crappy parts on my big 1032 Craftsman and I'm switching over to real metal bearings with ball bearings. On mine those plastic ones are NLA but it's my wheel axle bushings that are trashed. I'll end up doing the augers too.

Is there any chance yours are broken ?? Have you carefully checked left against right to make sure they look the same ?? That the bore isn't getting egg shaped ??
Still curious if you take a tape measure across the top of the opening you should have about 29" and if you measure down at the bottom it should be the same, is it ?? If the bottom is bigger that indicates your housing is bent likely from the newspaper !!


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## oldManSlickville (Jan 28, 2016)

Just measured the top and bottom as you requested:

Top outside to outside = 29 1/8
Bottom outside to outside = 29 1/2

Dang, so that means the housing is bent :sad: Looking at it, it certainly doesn't look bent, but the ruler doesn't lie.

What now? Will take some pictures later this am.


EDIT: just used a 2' level looking at the blower
left size is off 1/2" off center
right size is off just a tad

Checked Sears parts and of course the housing assembly isn't available. 

Just visited local shop and he can fix anything but can't straighten housing assemblies.


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## skutflut (Oct 16, 2015)

Can you see any broken welds on the housing that might have let it move out of square? Are the side plates plumb or is one off at an angle? Since the appear to be removable, maybe remove the problem side and see if maybe one of the bolt holes has gone oval, or if its possible to re align whaever is skewed. If that flange is still OK, you might be able to put some shims behind it to get it closer to the auger shaft to provide enough depth to hold it in place.

On the other hand, is the auger tube itself damaged, as in a piece worn off the end that should be inside that bearing flange?


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## oldManSlickville (Jan 28, 2016)

skutflut said:


> Can you see any broken welds on the housing that might have let it move out of square? Are the side plates plumb or is one off at an angle? Since the appear to be removable, maybe remove the problem side and see if maybe one of the bolt holes has gone oval, or if its possible to re align whaever is skewed. If that flange is still OK, you might be able to put some shims behind it to get it closer to the auger shaft to provide enough depth to hold it in place.
> 
> On the other hand, is the auger tube itself damaged, as in a piece worn off the end that should be inside that bearing flange?


No broken welds. Both flange|bearing and bold holes are good to go. Brain storming with neighbor, we tried shims, but it is just too tight to install.

*************************************************************
Finally some pictures, notice the ice within the auger area. 60 degrees today and I am still blowing snow|ice from the blizzard. 

Minimal gap on left side
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Notice the gap on the right side
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Note level vs side of chassis
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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

could be camera tricks, but looking at your augers, it does appear that they may be contacting the ground ??


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## Thewoodchucker (Dec 22, 2015)

Appears to me that the bushing on the right is split and no bolts going thru the housing looks like a shim or plate is missing. To me only on this phone. The left and the right are noticeably different 
Craig

Where are the skid shoes?the augers look sharp and shiney


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## oldManSlickville (Jan 28, 2016)

nwcove said:


> could be camera tricks, but looking at your augers, it does appear that they may be contacting the ground ??


The augers aren't touching the ground, my finger can slide under them.



Thewoodchucker said:


> Appears to me that the bushing on the right is split and no bolts going thru the housing looks like a shim or plate is missing. To me only on this phone. The left and the right are noticeably different
> Craig
> 
> Where are the skid shoes?the augers look sharp and shiney


Yes the skids are sharp, when the shaft popped out of the flanges, I wasn't aware, sometime later I heard the sound of metal against metal, resulting in those nice shiny augers. 

The skid shoes are on. 

The reason the two sides are different is that the (facing the front of the blower) left side chassis is bent.


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## Sid (Jan 31, 2014)

Take a rubber mallet, and give the right [in the picture] a couple of whacks, and that might get you through a couple of storms until you can find a couple of those bushings. My experience was that they are hard to find. I got steel flanged brass bearings in a bearing house. Also if your end plates come off, it's a piece of cake.
Sid


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

This place is where I was able to find some for my old Craftsman.

Boston Lawnmower Company - New England's Premier Outdoor Power Equipment Dealer


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## oldManSlickville (Jan 28, 2016)

Sid said:


> Take a rubber mallet, and give the right [in the picture] a couple of whacks, and that might get you through a couple of storms until you can find a couple of those bushings. My experience was that they are hard to find. I got steel flanged brass bearings in a bearing house. Also if your end plates come off, it's a piece of cake.
> Sid


Am I missing something, my bushings aren't cracked or look oval? I still ordered them. 

As for the end plates, if you are referencing the side chassis, they are spot welded. The bushings are secured by three bolts, the bitch is getting the rod back into them. 

Maybe someone has a better method of installing new bushings. Hint, hint, hint! 





Kiss4aFrog said:


> This place is where I was able to find some for my old Craftsman.
> 
> Boston Lawnmower Company - New England's Premier Outdoor Power Equipment Dealer


Thanks for the link, called and they mailed them out today along with belts (for spares). Asked if they have the chassis, she laughed and said nope.


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## Blackfin (Jan 25, 2016)

oldManSlickville said:


>


The engine is a Tec HMSK90-156542F I think (if K4aF is right  )

Do the ground skids on either side of the blower housing sit within recesses in the housing obscuring them from view from the front? In the picture above they really don't look like they're there. If we looked at this blower:










from the front would we see that black skid or not?


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## Thewoodchucker (Dec 22, 2015)

Slickville
Any progress on your machine? Curious if you had figured anything out and if you fixed it 
Craig


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