Lawn Boy z340 zero turn parts/repairs HELP!

[Lawn-Boy43]

What makes you think the old belt, spring , tension pulley were correct to start with ?
Where did you get the parts from ?
Are you sure the belt run is correct ?
Are the pulleys worn?
Some model numbers for the mower will help those who want to help you

The model number is 81245 and serial number is 250000549. The belt seemed visibly looser than the left side so I figured it needed to be replaced. Are you asking if the belt, spring, and tensioner were the right parts or if they were in working order? The belt was from ebay. I don't think the belt could be ran any other way but I'll check tomorrow. How would I tell if the pulleys are worn?

 

[bertsmobile1]

The model number is 81245 and serial number is 250000549. The belt seemed visibly looser than the left side so I figured it needed to be replaced. Are you asking if the belt, spring, and tensioner were the right parts or if they were in working order? The belt was from ebay. I don't think the belt could be ran any other way but I'll check tomorrow. How would I tell if the pulleys are worn?

Well there is 10% chance the belt is right if you bought it from ebay
And of course if you have not owned the mower from new you have no idea if the parts on there are the correct parts
That was my point
So just because the new & old belts are the same length, that is no use if it should have a 86 1/4" belt but the previous owner fitted an A 87 because it was cheaper .

To see if a pulley is worn, look at the very bottom of the V
If it is shinny & polished then the belt has been running on the root because the belt was worn too thin or the pulley has worn too wide
Tension pulleys go on the "push" side of the belt run from the engine because that is where the slack will be greatest
On a lot of ZTR's the pulley can be put on the wrong run ( the pull side ) because of the layout

 

[Lawn-Boy43]

Well there is 10% chance the belt is right if you bought it from ebay
And of course if you have not owned the mower from new you have no idea if the parts on there are the correct parts
That was my point
So just because the new & old belts are the same length, that is no use if it should have a 86 1/4" belt but the previous owner fitted an A 87 because it was cheaper .

To see if a pulley is worn, look at the very bottom of the V
If it is shinny & polished then the belt has been running on the root because the belt was worn too thin or the pulley has worn too wide
Tension pulleys go on the "push" side of the belt run from the engine because that is where the slack will be greatest
On a lot of ZTR's the pulley can be put on the wrong run ( the pull side ) because of the layout

The guy I bought it from was an older gentleman who has had it since new. He kept all the manuals, spare key, and even came with the original safety training DVD. With that in mind, I think I could rule out the possibility of him purposely or accidentally installing a new, incorrect part. There is a part number on the belt that I bought and it is the same part number that is on Lawn Boy's website. As far as I can tell, the belt is ran correctly. I really don't see how it could be ran any other way that would make sense. Upon further inspection, regardless of how loose the belt may seem, it does turn the pulley on top of the transmission. With this in mind, I'm leaning away from belt issues and more towards something wrong with the actual right side transmission.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Thank you that clears up a lot
You have to appreciate that there are a lot of possible causes that we can not eliminate because we are not there standing beside you drinking your beer .
I will leave your post up on the screen so it can bounce around in my noggin all day and see what craws out of the detritus

 

[Lawn-Boy43]

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to buy internal hydro parts such as the center section? I haven't taken the transaxle apart yet but I'm trying to get most of my ducks in a row before I embark on this project.

 

[Lawn-Boy43]

So I finally cracked open the bad hydro assuming/ hoping the center section would be shot and the fix would be a simple part swap but it looks to be in good shape. Everything passed the fingernail test, nothing really caught my nail. Now you can see circular marks on both ends of the section but, again, nothing feels rough. I don't know if the microscopic sized cracks/ grooves would be enough to make the right side stop working. I don't know what else really goes bad on these things. Im stumped. When i drained the oil, i got about 1.5qt out of it which tells me that it really wasn't low on fluid. The oil did seem sort of milky in color. I'm not sure if that could mean anything or if it just needs changed. There's a few small shards of metal on the filter magnet that I'll attatch a photo of along with pics of all moving parts. Any help and advice is appreciated

 

[bertsmobile1]

Stuffed with a capital S
In photo 3 see there is a track from one slot to the other
On slot is the oil in & the other slot is the oil out
So rather than work the piston ( or build up pressure ) the oil passes directly from one slot to the other

 

[Lawn-Boy43]

Hello again to everyone that has been following the thread. Since the last post, I've ordered and installed the new part(s) and put everything back together this evening. I purged it like the hydro manual says to and it's pretty much acting the same as it was before replacing anything.
One question that I do have is in the manual, it says to purge it, check oil and add as needed. How am I supposed to see how much oil is in the case if it's a sealed transmission?
After doing all of this with no noticable improvement, I'm pretty much back to square one. Does anyone have any suggestions? The symptoms are still a slow right side and sounds and acts like it bogs down when under somewhat hard acceleration or going up a very small incline.
Another thought is a continuation of a possibility earlier that the right side belt is loose and possibly slipping. I've replaced the belt with a new one and saw no difference which is what led me to cracking into the transmission. but I guess I don't know for sure if the new belt is the correct size. It matched the size of the old one. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

Stuffed with a capital S
In photo 3 see there is a track from one slot to the other
On slot is the oil in & the other slot is the oil out
So rather than work the piston ( or build up pressure ) the oil passes directly from one slot to the other

 

[bertsmobile1]

Did you purge it with the wheels off the ground ?
There must be no load on the pump & motor in order for the oil to replace the air and air does not pump particularly well .

 

[Lawn-Boy43]

Did you purge it with the wheels off the ground ?
There must be no load on the pump & motor in order for the oil to replace the air and air does not pump particularly well .

Yes I set both sides to the neutral position with the rear on jack stands and slowly pushed forwards and backwards about a dozen times then engaged both sides and repeated before lowering it to the ground.