ooops duplicate

[JBP]

This mower has been fairly solid (knock wood) considering.
I have a list of all issues to date at the bottom of this post.

My current issue is the squeaking/chirping coming from the left transaxle assembly.
This is accompanied by no, or low power on the left wheel drive.
This is much louder when the drive is quickly engaged.
If I slowly move the left drive arm forward it doesn't happen at all sometimes, and just not as much at other times.
Oddly (to me at least), the left transaxle has good reverse and does not squeak in reverse.

I'm going to check the belt, and the pulley, and replace the trans fluid and filter.

I had put new fluid and filters in this spring.

Anyone experience this and figure out what it was?

Other past issues to date:
Mower deck belt getting ripped to shreds - June 2015
hour meter stopped registering hours at 385
engine block coming loose ~ 2021
gas gauge stopped working ~ 2020
right transaxle started leaking ~2019
seat safety bypass switch stopped working ~2020
My wife drives it like a T90 - lookout!

 

[bertsmobile1]

A sound you can hear is most likely a belt slipping
Any thing from inside a box will be muffled or muted
There is nothing different about reverse, all that happens is the swash plate connects the oil channels the opposite way
Also check your wheel nuts are tight
ZTR's have no diff
Left drives usually go out first

 

[JBP]

Berts,
Thanks for the info. So a belt slipping might be the highest probability. So the tensioner could be acting up, or the belt is wore. 8 years old.

yeah a lot of sites and posters call ZT drives transaxles. In honor of bud light i think.

The differences with reverse is that the vehicle goes from rear wheel drive to front wheel drive, and tops out at a slower speed (I think).

 

[JBP]

The answer appears to be that the belt is worn/stretched. I tightened up the tensioner a few threads and that seemed to get rid of the noise and improve the drive response and power.