After mowing the lawn once since the mower rebuild the thing started running absolutely horrible. The motor was revving up and down over and over and I just could not get it to stop. Every time I would get it to stop hunting it would just start hunting again. I searched the Internet and I couldn’t find any information that was useful. I couldn’t seem to figure it out for the life of me but one thing I did notice was that no amount of carburetor adjustment made any difference. This spoke volumes to me and since I already had the carb rebuild kit on hand I decided (although I didn’t want to yet) rebuild the carby. I ripped into the old carb and I have to admit it was quite fun working on one of these small carburetors at first. Then I noticed the new kit came with a brand new float needle seat. That’s right, not just the float needle but the copper plug that it seats into as well. So I immediately
Craftsman Lawnmower project nearly finished
The Craftsman lawnmower I purchased this summer is nearly finished and running absolutely great. I still need to finish the seat and get all the vinyl cut for the Craftsman logo’s as well as the dash information. Next summer I will start the process of converting the lawnmower to EFI and possibly electronic ignition as well. I am not 100% sure as to what will be controller the lawnmower but it will likely need to be something a little more powerful than an Arduino. Even the Arduino Mega will likely not have the processing power or memory storage needed for the project but it should work out to be a great proof of concept and learning tool. Check out the lawnmower and build progress in the Automotive section.
Briggs & Stratton Engine Model Number Designations
I found these 2 PDF’s on the internet while searching for more information on my 18 HP B&S motor. The first document is an Illustrated parts list for Briggs & Stratton Model Series 422700 Type numbers 1105 – 4822. The second document will show you how to read the model number / VIN number of your Briggs & Stratton motor so you will know which motor will directly replace your motor. Its easier to find an engine that will fit than it is to find the exact same model engine if you need to change the engine for any reason. The screenshot to the right shows a preview of the Briggs & Stratton Model Number Designations, This is a great document for help with Briggs & Stratton engine decoding. Some people may also refer to this document as a Briggs & Stratton Model Decoder. Note: The PDF file is higher quality than the sample image to the right.
Craftsman LT4000 Finished Product… Nearly
Well here is the result of all my hard work so far, it’s not finished yet but definitely getting there. I can’t believe the difference in this mower, this thing has gone from a curb side piece of crap to a pretty nice mower that I plan to keep around for a few years. I know I am certainly happy with it so far, time to mow the lawn.
Craftsman LT4000 Frame Painted
I finally got the frame painted in the same paint I used on the deck. I had a buddy help me sand the frame while he was over hanging about which really helped speed up the process. After the frame was painted and finished drying I decided to get some new power wires ran for the motor and ignition system. I added a new ground and cleaned up the old wiring to keep things neat and easy to work on.
Craftsman LT4000 More New Parts + Frame Painted
While refinishing the deck (covered in a previous post) I noticed the mandrels where ruined at the blade attachment. The star shaped key was rounded off beyond repair so I had no choice but to replace the mandrel completely which I had no problem with. These are the parts that hold on your blades and keep them away from you, I would hate for one to break loose and who knows what kind of damage it could cause. Another nice benefit of the new mandrels is brand new bearing which will keep the blades spinning with minimal resistance. I received another misc. goodies package from Sears in the mail and I bought a package of E-Clip retainers to replace all of the old rusted / missing clips. I bought the new clips at Harbor Freight for a fraction of the price sears wanted.
Craftsman LT4000 Sanding & Priming
Lots of work to do here. This was literally hours upon hours of sanding and even then I was still cutting corners by not reducing the grit of sandpaper in the proper steps. In the end I was still very satisfied and getting the rust off of the main frame was my biggest challenge.
Craftsman LT4000 Letters & Logo’s
I plan to convert all of the pictures I took of the old lettering and logos into vector art to later be cut out in vinyl. I have a couple friends with vinyl cutters and each of them owe me favors so some new stickers will be the way to go. I haven’t decided if I will replace all of the stickers or just some of them, I also don’t know if the new vinyl will stick to the new textured style paint. I’m in no hurry to get this done so when the time comes I will find out, until then I am left with a blank black dash and my memory.
Craftsman LT4000 Deck Restoration
After my last post it was obvious the deck needed some serious work so I decided I would tackle that first. I have to say I was very happy at the way the deck turned out. I ended up using a truck bed coating spray paint on the top and liked the look and durability of it so much that I decided to do the entire frame in this paint. It is expensive and blasts out of the can rather quickly which makes it even more expensive but its well worth it IMO. Check out the pictures below and tell me what you think.
Craftsman LT4000 Bath Time
I decided to pull the Mower out on a nice day and get the years of dirt and grime off of it so I could start prepping it for paint and maintenance. I noticed while cleaning that the deck was rusted out severely and would take some serious sanding and painting to get it back in shape. I decided I would sand the deck thoroughly and throw a ton of paint on it to help prevent additional rusting in the future. I also noticed the 2 “leveling” wheels where broken off and the holes where oval’d out which would take some welding and repair work.
