Craftsman Tecumseh 8/25 Snowblower throwing Auger Belt

Hi all,

I have a Craftsman 8hp 25" cut snowblower with tecumseh engine., circa 1990.

It blew the auger belt yesterday. I picked up a new one (local service shop supplied me with murray part # 3887). I installed it, adjusted tension, but under load it has thrown the belt off twice... any suggestions?

I have done a cursory check to see if the front bucket was loose, but everything appears to be fine.

how far from the top pulley should the top guide pin be offset?

Anyone have a schematic for this - I do not have an owners manual - the machine was a hand me down from my father who bought it used a long time ago.




If this is of any assistance, the snow blower looks just like the one in this pic (follow link)

http://i1.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/09/ab/a8_2.JPG

(note to MODS: this is not my ebay listing so I am not advertising, sorry if oposting this link is againt TOS, please edit accordingly if neccessary)

 

Check the idler that engages the belt to see if it is aligned with engine and driven pulleys.
Mike

 

I must have missed this thread...Sorry. The proper clearance between the belt (in a tight state) and the guide is 1/8" - 3/16". Also be sure to check for proper alignment of all three pulleys.

 

Everything is fine now.

I removed the idler pulley and re-installed. I guess-timated the offset for the guide pins and Sounds as though I got it right. Thanks for the confirmation puey.

It has worked fine through several snowstorms varying from 6" to 27" accumulation plus drifting.

Another note, The pull start cord broke, I did not want it to break again, so I used vinyl coated steel cable (apporx 3/16" diameter) with cable couplers as end stops giving me just barely enough clearance in the starter housing. This is working fine so far.

 

The cable likely, however, will tear the plastic starter pulley apart over a relatively short period of time though.