'Craftsman LT1000 with Briggs And Stratton 17.5 HP Engine ohv 1st problem: Runs fine for about half an hour then dies 2nd Problem Definite loss of ground speed in all gears ' OK, I have the exact same unit, and had the same problem last year. I spent an entire morning checking stuff out, including using a spark tester tool, checking the valve clearances and the 'coil'. Anyway, none of those were the issue, the issue was that the carburetor choke was NOT spring back to the 'open' position after engine warm up/engine start. I saw some 'fixes' on the Internet which detailed how to remove the verical carb butterfly shaft and shave it down a little so it wouldn't stick. I figured I could always 'open' it manually with my hand after a few minutes, but instead drilled a small hole forward of it in the plastic housing, and put a 25 cent spring from there to the ALREADY-PRESENT hole in the black horizontal lever that attaches to the vertical butterfly shaft. See photo at http://www.uploadhouse.com/viewfile.php?id=2339206 before I added the spring. The hole I used is in the foreground; the choke lever from the driver seat pushes the black lever counterclockwise to close the choke, and when I release that lever, the spring I added pulls the black lever clockwise to open the choke. Here is a link that might be useful: Photo link

Well I guess I am red-faced for not looking closely. It is $109. for that unit brand new. Still probably less than the trouble to go through the wires. Someone mentioned to me that there is a kill switch associated with the engagement clutch. I did change out that cable earlier in the season. Although it worked fine for several mowings- I wonder if something went wrong there? I don't remember any wires connected to it. BTW the seat switch appears to be working as it clicks and I remember the guy I hired checking that one and saying it was good. I also checked the ground and it is snug. .He bypassed the ignition kill switch with a loop, so that leaves the engagement cable?

Try the motor with the fuel cap off to verify that ventilation is not a problem restricting the fuel flow. When you engage the deck the RPMs rise, and when the RPMs rise it requires more fuel. Perhaps the vent is just clogged just enough to cause problems when the load is increased. Anyway, easy check. You don't need to remove the cap completely, just leave it very loose so air can get through it.

Allthumbs, this seems to be a rather common occurence on this family of Craftsman LTs. The Craftsman Owner's Manuals just barely mention that a "Blade brake" might be featured and even at that I find only one clue alluding to a blade brake. That clue being found on page 47 is item #142, dyslexically described "Arm Spring Brake Mower" (Mower brake spring arm, for those that don't spell or read backward). The OMs are also no help in determining how the blade brake mechanism operates. Could you possibly take some pictures of the idler pulleys from a couple of feet away (and from different angles) and either post them here, or send them to me in an e-mail. It would also help if you could take shots with the blade lever in the engaged mode, and also with it disengaged, so I can see the relative change of position of the mechanism. DO NOT run the engine for the pictures, just move the engaging lever. I would appreciate if you can do this because I'm sure the issue will surface again for another owner. If you can't do this, perhaps another member who owns one of these LTs can accomplish getting some pics posted or sent to me in e-mail.