Another drive belt/transmission question

[Dave B.]

Hi all

This is my first post... I have a Husqvarna 2346XLS riding mower which I purchased new in 2008. It has the infamous Briggs & Stratton 23 HP 'Vanguard' engine and the TuffTorq K46 LD transaxle. The mower has about 300 hours on it. The lawn that I mow is a little less than an acre and the terrain is gently rolling - not really a hill.

In 2012, I noticed that it wasn't pulling as well as it had been, so I contacted my dealer (a generally useless individual...). He told me to bring it in, so in the spring of 2013 I had to take it back for the tie rod problem and I asked him to look at the drive system and let me know what repairs were needed. He did a few little things to the mower, then called me and told me it was 'fixed'. When I got it home, there was no change in the way it pulled, so I called him back, only to have him tell me that he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Fast forward to last fall: The mower will barely pull itself uphill. If it slows down, I can lift my foot off the 'forward drive pedal' and quickly push it down again. The mower will usually pull harder for a little while. Thinking that this was simply a belt-slippage problem, I removed the 'body' to check the belt and pulleys. The motion drive belt looks OK, but it's noticeably loose. I don't see anything wrong with the idler pulleys, but then, I'm certainly no expert! While searching this forum, I've now read quite a few horror stories about problems with the fluid in the transaxle overheating.

So the question is: Do I replace the motion drive belt and see if it fixes the problem? Or - do I go to another dealer to have the problem evaluated? I know that I've waited too late for quick service this spring, but the garage has been too darn cold to work in until about a week ago!

Any and all advice is appreciated!

 

[wjjones]

Hi all

This is my first post... I have a Husqvarna 2346XLS riding mower which I purchased new in 2008. It has the infamous Briggs & Stratton 23 HP 'Vanguard' engine and the TuffTorq K46 LD transaxle. The mower has about 300 hours on it. The lawn that I mow is a little less than an acre and the terrain is gently rolling - not really a hill.

In 2012, I noticed that it wasn't pulling as well as it had been, so I contacted my dealer (a generally useless individual...). He told me to bring it in, so in the spring of 2013 I had to take it back for the tie rod problem and I asked him to look at the drive system and let me know what repairs were needed. He did a few little things to the mower, then called me and told me it was 'fixed'. When I got it home, there was no change in the way it pulled, so I called him back, only to have him tell me that he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Fast forward to last fall: The mower will barely pull itself uphill. If it slows down, I can lift my foot off the 'forward drive pedal' and quickly push it down again. The mower will usually pull harder for a little while. Thinking that this was simply a belt-slippage problem, I removed the 'body' to check the belt and pulleys. The motion drive belt looks OK, but it's noticeably loose. I don't see anything wrong with the idler pulleys, but then, I'm certainly no expert! While searching this forum, I've now read quite a few horror stories about problems with the fluid in the transaxle overheating.

So the question is: Do I replace the motion drive belt and see if it fixes the problem? Or - do I go to another dealer to have the problem evaluated? I know that I've waited too late for quick service this spring, but the garage has been too darn cold to work in until about a week ago!

Any and all advice is appreciated!

Try to purge it first, check all your pulleys and then if that doesnt work replace the drive belt.

 

[wjjones]

....PURGING AIR FROM HYDROSTATE TRANSMISSION

1. Check oil level.

2. Place vehicle痴 drive axle on jack stands with wheels off floor.

3. Start engine and operate at low idle speed.

4. Repeat opening and closing bypass (tow) valve while alternately depressing
forward and reverse pedal(s).

5. When vehicle starts to move, increase engine speed.

6. Repeat quick starts and panic stops until transaxle give full response.

7. Remove jack stands while placing vehicle痴 wheels on floor.

8. Recheck and top-off oil level.

 

[Dave B.]

Thank you for the replies.

I talked to an experienced lawn mower repair person last night. Here's what we decided:

Since I already have the mower 'mostly' apart, I'm going to buy both the drive belt and the belt that runs the blades. Spending all the time to re-assemble the mower with the old belts doesn't seem like a good use of time. After the new belts are installed, I will purge the air from the system.

I'll let you folks know what happens...:smile:

Dave B.

 

[wjjones]

Thank you for the replies.

I talked to an experienced lawn mower repair person last night. Here's what we decided:

Since I already have the mower 'mostly' apart, I'm going to buy both the drive belt and the belt that runs the blades. Spending all the time to re-assemble the mower with the old belts doesn't seem like a good use of time. After the new belts are installed, I will purge the air from the system.

I'll let you folks know what happens...:smile:

Dave B.

Ok sounds good keep us up-dated.:thumbsup: