How to Put a Spring on a Craftsman Discharge Chute

Unplug the spark plug wire from the spark plug. Place the Craftsman mower on a hard, level surface like the driveway or the floor of your garage.

Lift the discharge chute and clamp a pair of vise grips on the upper right edge of the discharge opening. This enables the chute to remain pointing up while you are replacing the spring.

Unhook the long end of the spring from the tab on the inside of the chute. Grab the middle of the long portion to pull the end out of the tab.

Grab the top hub of the star washer securing the spring to the chute shaft with a pair of pliers. The chute shaft is the metal rod that runs through the back-end of the chute. The spring attaches to a small L-shape rod protruding from the chute shaft.

Pull the star washer off the L-shape rod with the pliers. Slide the end of the spring off the rod. Slide the loop end of the new spring over the rod. The hook on the opposite end of the spring should point to the rear of the Craftsman mower.

Push the new star washer that comes with the spring over the L-shape rod until it is against the loop end of the spring. Hook the opposite end of the spring into the tab on the chute. Remove the vise grips and push the spark plug wire back over the spark plug.