Help replacing idler arm on Lazer Z HP

I have a Lazer Z HP model LHP4821KA. I had the deck belt break on it and after further investigation, it looks like the idler arm on the deck will have to be replaced along with the idler pulley. I have never attempted this before and was wondering if anyone had any tips? Does the deck have to be removed for this? I have never removed the deck either. I have ordered the parts, but I would appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks in advance.

It looks like you have some bad bearings. If I was doing the job it would be the time to remove the deck and completely rebuild the deck with all new bearings and seals including the blade spindle bearings also. This will give you the opportunely to clean and repaint the deck. Don't do part of a job because it will only give you more problems at a later date.

reynoldston said:

It looks like you have some bad bearings. If I was doing the job it would be the time to remove the deck and completely rebuild the deck with all new bearings and seals including the blade spindle bearings also. This will give you the opportunely to clean and repaint the deck. Don't do part of a job because it will only give you more problems at a later date.

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Thanks for this. I have actually never removed the deck myself. Is it a hard process? Can one person do it?

I need help! I removed the deck, and replaced the idler pulley assembly, and put on a new idler pulley. It looked like everything was good to go. When I got the deck back on, and started it up, it looked like it was working fine. After about 10 minutes, however, sparks started flying! The bolt holding the idler pulley on had come out along with the spacer and washer.

When installing it, when I tightened the bolt down, the pulley wouldn't turn. I thought I had tightened it too much. I backed it off a bit until it would turn, but not wobble on the assembly. I guess it wasn't tight enough.

Is that what could have happened? How tight is the bolt supposed to be? should the pulley be able to be turned by hand when tightened? I couldn't turn it manually when I tightened it all the way down.

I'm attaching a pic showing which bold I'm talking about.

I appreciate any guidance you can give me.

First of all you need to tighten that bolt to at the less 50 Ft. Lbs. Your first post last picture shows spacers and it sounds to me like you didn't use them? As a fact it looks like the bottom spacer looks bad from what I can see in the picture.

Everything in the first post had been replaced by a new idler arm assembly and idler pulley. The kit only came with one spacer which you can see on my last post. Is that not in the correct position? It looked like it was in the only place it could go. Above the dust cover on the pulley.

After tightening the bolt, should you be able to rotate it by hand? Or does the tension of the belt rotate it? I've never done this before so I am a little confused obviously.

The idler pulley spins freely on ball bearings unless the new idler pulley came with tapered bearings which would require a preload. Tightening the bolt with ball bearings should have no effect on that what so ever. I don't know what you have done but you have something together wrong. It just sound to me like you have one of the spacers in the wrong place or you are missing a spacer??? Maybe you could ask the parts store where you bought the pulley how it goes together?

With your machine model and serial numbers, you can find the specific parts manual for your mower on the Exmark website under 2005 and older models.
There are 10 different serial number models under LHP4821KA, which one do you have?:confused3: