How to Fix a Slipping Transmission in a John Deere 928

John Deere walk-behind snow-blowers don't have transmissions like an automatic car, where gears are selected according to the flow of fluid from an internal reservoir, nor like a manual car, where a clutch allows gears to be selected by the movement of a lever. In common with all similarly-designed John Deeres, the 928E uses a friction disc that interacts with a friction wheel; if the traction between these two components is reduced by the migration of lubricants from elsewhere in the machine, the transmission slips. A slipping transmission is fixed by cleaning the two components.

Cleaning solution
Rag
Phillips-head screwdriver
Degreasant

Instructions

- 1
  Position the snow-blower so that it is safe to work on. The auger mechanism can be dangerous even when the engine is not running. Tip the machine on its front end, so you access to the underside of the machine without needing to reach over and around the auger. The project is best carried out on a sturdy work bench; have an assistant help you lift the snowblower off the ground. Ensure that no gasoline is left in the machine before tipping it to expose the underside because gas can leak out of the filler cap or flood the carburetor.
- 2
  Clean and dry the underside of the machine so that no contamination can fall into the working parts when the cover plate is removed. Use a warm, sudsy dilution of dish-washing fluid to clean away regular soiling, and degreasant on a clean rag to remove leaked oil or baked-on dirt.
- 3
  Remove the cover plate, often called the “belly plate,” that forms the entire underside of the machine. Use a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the four screws -- one in each corner -- driven into captive receivers cast into the body of the machine. Lift the plate away; keep it and the screws safe.
- 4
  Locate the friction drive assembly. The friction disc is the round disk in the center of the machine on the hexagonal shaft. It is to the right of and oriented on the same plane as the main, cogged drive gear attached directly to the wheels’ axle. The friction wheel is in the center of the machine’s interior, below and at 90 degrees to the friction disc.
- 5
  Clean the friction disc and the friction wheel. Remove the oil or grease that has migrated from other components using clean, light-colored rags dampened with proprietary degreasant. Degreasant is available from most automotive stores and home improvement warehouses. The degreasant must be safe for rubber. Rub the dampened rag on both components, including the rubber ring that surrounds the friction disc, constantly changing the rag and refreshing the degreasant until no more discoloration exists.
- 6
  Reassemble the snow-blower in a direct reversal of the disassembly process.

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