Bolens/MTD lawn tractor with 38 inch deck lots of small problems

[BlazNT]

For problem #3 what color is the wire? if it is covered in something it needs to be slid or peeled back to know what color it is.

 

[bertsmobile1]

1 ) adjust the valves.
If lack of proper maintenance has not wrecked the engine and over loading the starter has not wrecked it you might get away by doing a full and proper service

2) battery is buggered good chance caused by problem 1.
Replace it with a sealed LAWNMOWER battery not a cheap flooded cell car battery and if you want the best get a pressure valve regulated ( PVR ) adsorbent glass mat ( AGM ) battery.

3) take the engine cover off, only 4 teeny tiny little bolts as see where the wire goes to.
99% chance it is the cut out wire to the coil.
If the mower won't run with it connected then you have a problem with the safety circuits that needs to be addressed.

4) yes you have already defeated all of the safety devices designed to protect you from hurting yourself if you do something really stupid like trying to mow without being on the mower.

5) only 1 of the 3 belts has anything to do with the blades, namely the deck belt, part no 954-04062.
The mower will not drive properly unless you fitted genuine MTD belts to the varidrive or certified OEM replacements, NAPA belts just do not work, for very long.
There were 2 springs on the deck that pull 2 brake pads onto the pulleys to stop the blades rotating.
They wear out over time and need to be replaced as do the springs.
If you fitted a cheapo car parts store deck belt there is a 99% chance it was wrong

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

For problem #3 what color is the wire? if it is covered in something it needs to be slid or peeled back to know what color it is.

It is black, thank you.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

1 ) adjust the valves.
If lack of proper maintenance has not wrecked the engine and over loading the starter has not wrecked it you might get away by doing a full and proper service

2) battery is buggered good chance caused by problem 1.
Replace it with a sealed LAWNMOWER battery not a cheap flooded cell car battery and if you want the best get a pressure valve regulated ( PVR ) adsorbent glass mat ( AGM ) battery.

3) take the engine cover off, only 4 teeny tiny little bolts as see where the wire goes to.
99% chance it is the cut out wire to the coil.
If the mower won't run with it connected then you have a problem with the safety circuits that needs to be addressed.

4) yes you have already defeated all of the safety devices designed to protect you from hurting yourself if you do something really stupid like trying to mow without being on the mower.

5) only 1 of the 3 belts has anything to do with the blades, namely the deck belt, part no 954-04062.
The mower will not drive properly unless you fitted genuine MTD belts to the varidrive or certified OEM replacements, NAPA belts just do not work, for very long.
There were 2 springs on the deck that pull 2 brake pads onto the pulleys to stop the blades rotating.
They wear out over time and need to be replaced as do the springs.
If you fitted a cheapo car parts store deck belt there is a 99% chance it was wrong

Thank you very much.

as to 1) Any tutorials on adjusting the valves that you happen to like? I have never come close to doing anything like this, but would rather give it a shot as opposed to the shops in my area who have a tendency to make things worse.

as to 2) I had no idea that car batteries weren't so great for lawn tractors. I did a lot of research before I removed and tossed all of the battery supports, converted my battery terminals to pricey quick disconnect car battery terminals ,and made a custom frame to support the car battery.

as to 3) Where are those 4 little bolts? I don't see anything on the red plastic looking engine cover besides a nut facing the headlights.

as to 4) Not willfully BTW.....

as to 5) I am running the mentioned MTD Belt. All belts are genuine. I believe that only one spring is used on this mower not 2. There is only one tensioner. I think the double spring setup is for the larger decks. Please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH-QxvXj32w at around 7:45 seconds. So you are suggesting that I replace both the springs and brake pads? BTW, is there a special tool to make my life easier when pulling the springs? I just don't have the strength and/or leverage most of the time.

 

[BlazNT]

http://service.mtdproducts.com/Training_Education/769_06667_700_series_riders.pdf
That is your service manual. I found no black wire for your mower except the negative one from battery.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

http://service.mtdproducts.com/Training_Education/769_06667_700_series_riders.pdf
That is your service manual. I found no black wire for your mower except the negative one from battery.

Thank you!! Nice manual.

With your help, I have eliminated problem #3. The wire disconnected was to the coil! I reconnected it and started it back up with no issues this time!

Two positive changes now:

a) The tractor now dies when put into reverse with the PTO on.

b) The tractor now shuts down immediately when turning it off as opposed to taking a few seconds.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

Thank you!! Nice manual.

With your help, I have eliminated problem #3. The wire disconnected was to the coil! I reconnected it and started it back up with no issues this time!

Two positive changes now:

a) The tractor now dies when put into reverse with the PTO on.

b) The tractor now shuts down immediately when turning it off as opposed to taking a few seconds.

Coming off of the seat does not stop the mower though and all other issues still persist.

On the right track though!

 

[BlazNT]

"5th problem:

The PTO blades do not completely disengage when I turn them off. They slow down to about half speed or maybe a little bit less.
I just swapped all 3 belts and put the spring back in the right place but this did not resolve it."

The deck is on hangers. Check all the mounting points for correct shape and size hole. Make sure all mounting hardware is not bent.

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

"5th problem:

The PTO blades do not completely disengage when I turn them off. They slow down to about half speed or maybe a little bit less.
I just swapped all 3 belts and put the spring back in the right place but this did not resolve it."

The deck is on hangers. Check all the mounting points for correct shape and size hole. Make sure all mounting hardware is not bent.

I will tell you that the front hanger is pretty bent forward because I had jacked it up from that point. I hope that isn't the case because I could not even hammer that point back to it's original shape.

So some new good news and some bad news....

I verified that the seat switch is working. Thanks for the manual. I never stopped to think that the tractor wouldn't shut off if left in park with PTO off, so I rode it and then picked my behind off of the seat with it running....and it shut off!

The bad news is that I broke off about half of the flywheel air vanes when putting the cover back on. The oil dipstick rubbed against it and broke them.

I'll keep it in this thread instead of starting a new one....but was wondering if I can get away with missing fins or if I need to replace it. If I need to replace it, just wondering how hard it will be to do so...or if it even replaceable.

I did a quick search for vanes, fan, and flywheel but did not see anything that helped.

Getting closer on the fan vanes.

Also, I took a look at the front of the engine so that I could search the B&S site.

Stamped on the engine was:

Model: 31A607

Type: 0458

Code: E1070817ZA

I was able to get a repair manual, but not a parts manual so far.

Thanks

 

[ukiltmybrutha]

I ordered what I believe to be the right fan. So all I have left is the PTO issue and the hard start issue.

Note on the PTO issue....I only notice tension on the PTO lever when it is about 60 percent towards the "on" position and the on position.