# Transmission very hard to shift



## cbsaint (Sep 12, 2008)

Sears 11hp Tractor, model 502.255752

I'm still in the process of tweaking, lubing, and otherwise replacing worn parts on the lawn tractor I just picked up. However, there's one thing that's beyond my current expertise...

The transmission is very difficult to shift, and also hard to find a particular gear, especially N and R. Where should I start to look to troubleshoot this? Is there a clutch cable or linkage that may be out of adjustment? Do I need to change the transmission fluid, if that's even possible?

All in all, this mower is running much better than it has any right to, given its neglected maintanence by the previous owner. The transmission just seems to be the biggest weak spot right now, and the area for biggest potential improvement (except for the belts and blades, which are getting replaced and sharpened this weekend). Any help is appreciated.

On a different topic, the manual talks about achieving certain engine speeds as part of the carb tuning. How do I know the engine's RPMs when there's no tach?


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## HYDROGUARDIAN16 (Feb 14, 2007)

my bud said there is a bolt or something that connects the the shift rod, which seems right to me, i had to adjust one on a old murray because it was really loose. I dont know if it is different or not than craftsman, but look for a loose rod connection that may be to loose to move to a different gear position. As far as that goes, taking apart the tranny is a different story. Grease is packed like crazy in it, and putting it back together is even worse. just go to a junkyard and buy a new one. good luck.

you dont know the rpms, just run the mower at full power when you cut, maintain oil levels, if the oil goes below the line and stays like that, expect a bang down the road. Hearing that the previous owner didnt take care of it, usually you run into a big bang down the road, so change the oil every 50 hours or so, and you should be okay. If you are afraid to break something, dont be, a dealer isnt going to try to fix your problem its probably not worth it, a new tranny is around 800 or more dollars. \

good luck.


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