Official Poulan gas lawn mower parts

Troubleshooting your Poulan gas walk-behind mower when it won't move

Check the drive control cable when your lawn mower won't move because the drive cable can stretch over time. Replace the control cable if it's damaged. A worn or broken drive belt will also prevent the mower from moving so check the belt next. Adjust the drive belt or replace it if it's broken.

A failed transmission, broken front deck tray or broken wheel can also cause drive system problems. If your lawn mower won't move, watch our motion drive troubleshooting video to figure out the problem with your mower's drive system.

Replacing the drive belt in a Poulan gas walk-behind lawn mower

• Disconnect the spark plug wire from the spark plug.
• Tilt the mower back to lift the front wheels then secure the mower handle to your worktable to hold the mower steady. Remove the bottom drive cover mounting screws. Wedge a block of wood between the mower blade and the deck to keep the blade from turning when you loosen the blade nut. Loosen and unthread the blade nut while holding the cutting blade to keep the blade from falling. Pull the blade, blade support and blade nut off the crankshaft.
• Remove the debris shield mounting screws and pull off the debris shield. Roll the drive belt off the crankshaft pulley. Pull the crankshaft pulley off and free the belt from the crankshaft. Release the clamp from the mower handle and lower the mower to the upright position. Remove the top drive cover mounting screws. Release the height adjuster lever and pull the drive cover off. Pull off the belt keeper from the top of the transmission. Release the drive belt from the transmission pulley and remove the drive belt.
• Remove the bottom drive cover mounting screws. Remove the debris shield mounting bolts and pull off the debris shield. Roll the drive belt off the crankshaft pulley. Pull the crankshaft pulley off and free the belt from the crankshaft. Release the mower handle and lower the mower to the upright position. Remove the top drive cover mounting screws. Release the height adjuster lever and pull the drive cover off. Pull off the belt keeper from the top of the transmission. Release the drive belt from the transmission pulley and remove the drive belt.
• Push the drive belt through the deck opening and install the new drive belt on the transmission pulley. Reinstall the belt keeper on the transmission. Insert the drive cover tab into the deck slot by the engine and position the drive cover on the deck tray. Reconnect the height adjuster lever to the drive cover. Reinstall the top drive cover mounting screws. Tilt the lawn mower back to lift the front wheels, then clamp the mower handle to your worktable to hold the mower steady. Route the drive belt over the crankshaft. Align the crankshaft pulley shaft indentions with the crankshaft slot and slide the pulley onto the crankshaft. Roll the drive belt onto the crankshaft pulley. Push the debris shield tab through the deck opening and reinstall the debris shield. Reinstall the debris shield mounting bolts. Reinstall the bottom drive cover mounting screws.
• Position the blade, blade support and blade bolt on the crankshaft and hand-tighten the blade bolt on the crankshaft. Wedge a block of wood between the mower blade and the deck to keep the blade from turning when you tighten the blade bolt. Tighten the blade bolt to 500 in.-lbs. using a torque wrench. Remove the wood block. Release the mower handle from the worktable and lower the mower to the upright position.
• Push the spark plug wire back onto the spark plug.