Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Craftsman LT 1000 Blades will not stop

I have a Craftsman LT 1000 917.271734. I engage the blades, cut my grass and when I'm finished I disengage the blades but they will not stop. This problem just started a week ago and I removed the deck and cleaned all the grass and dirt from around the belt wheels of the deck. I put the deck back on and it worked fine a couple of times and now its back to not stopping. What needs replaced or repaired? Or what should I do from here. Other than that this mower works great.:coffee:

On the mower deck where the cable attaches is a idler arm assembly that pivots to apply tension to the mower drive belt. There may be corrosion on the pivot point causing the arm to bind. It should move back and forth easily with no binding. There is also a return spring, that pulls the assembly back when the tension from the cable is released. Make sure the spring is in place and hooked up.

You can look at an exploded view of your mower deck at the Sear website.

The spot 31ytech mentioned is a good place to look, and lubricate. If that doesn't stop the problem, look at the cam rollers on the blade brake arms and make sure they are free and spin easily. They are small rollers bolted to the underside of the brake arms on the deck. The brake is at one end of each arm, and the roller is on the other end near the center of the deck.

Thanks for the help guys. I will try and look at these tonight after work.