Riding mower & lawn tractor symptoms
A riding mower or lawn tractor that won't start, won't move, runs rough or misfires is a frustrating problem to deal with when the grass keeps growing and growing. Use our symptoms and DIY troubleshooting solutions to fix these and other lawn tractor problems. Order the parts you need by entering your riding mower's model number in the search bar at the top of the page. Follow the step-by-step procedures in our riding mower repair guides to install replacement parts and get back to mowing.
Symptoms common to all riding mowers & tractors
Choose a symptom to see related riding mower and lawn tractor repairs.
Main causes: punctured tire or inner tube, leaky valve stem, damaged wheel rim…
Main causes: clogged carburetor, damaged flywheel key, dirty spark plug, stale fuel, improper valve lash, engine needs a…
Main causes: worn or broken ground drive belt, bad seat switch, transaxle freewheel control engaged, transaxle failure, …
Main causes: damaged tie rods, bent or worn wheel spindle, worn front axle, damaged sector gear assembly…
Main causes: engine overfilled with oil, leaky head gasket or sump gasket, damaged carburetor seals, cracked fuel pump, …
Main causes: shift lever needs adjustment, neutral control needs adjustment…
Main causes: worn or broken blade belt, broken belt idler pulley, blade clutch cable failure, bad PTO switch, damaged ma…
Main causes: damaged cutting blade, worn deck pulley, damaged mandrel pulley, loose fasteners on mower deck components…
Main causes: faulty battery, bad alternator…
Main causes: unlevel mower deck, dull or damaged cutting blades, worn mandrel pulleys, bent mower deck, engine needs tun…
Main causes: dead battery, stale fuel, bad starter solenoid, ignition system problem, bad ignition interlock switch, clo…
Most common repair guides to help fix your riding mowers & tractors
These step-by-step repair guides will help you safely fix what’s broken on your riding mower or lawn tractor.
How to replace a mandrel assembly on a riding lawn mower
Replace the mandrel assembly if the blade shaft vibrates or doesn't spin.…
How to replace the flywheel key on a riding lawn mower
If the engine won't restart after hitting a stump or rock, the problem could be a sheared flywheel key. Follow these ste…
How to replace a riding lawn mower ignition coil
If you're not getting spark from a good spark plug, the problem could be the ignition coil. Follow these step-by-step in…
Effective articles & videos to help repair your riding mowers & tractors
Use the advice and tips in these articles and videos to get the most out of your riding mower or lawn tractor.
Learn about all the convenient features on our Sears PartsDirect website that make your parts purchases easier.…
Get answers to frequently asked questions about Sears and Sears PartsDirect.…
Check the starter solenoid, starter motor, wiring, battery and engine.…