T130 pulley issue

mikechi

mikechi

Forum Newbie
I attempted to replace all 3 belts today. When I removed the idler pulley for the lower drive belt a random nut fell out that doesn't fit anything. I bought the mower secondhand and I am wondering if the previous owner was using it as a spacer for the pulley. I don't see any spacer for that pulley in the parts diagram. I put it back together but now it will drive at idle when I put it in gear and it is hard to shift. It seems like it is probably related to that pulley but I don't know. Any suggestions? I did my best to reroute everything the exact way I removed it but that belt was torn. At this point I'm not certain which way is up for the pulley(bearing side or not).
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mikechi said:
I attempted to replace all 3 belts today. When I removed the idler pulley for the lower drive belt a random nut fell out that doesn't fit anything. I bought the mower secondhand and I am wondering if the previous owner was using it as a spacer for the pulley. I don't see any spacer for that pulley in the parts diagram. I put it back together but now it will drive at idle when I put it in gear and it is hard to shift. It seems like it is probably related to that pulley but I don't know. Any suggestions? I did my best to reroute everything the exact way I removed it but that belt was torn. At this point I'm not certain which way is up for the pulley(bearing side or not).
View attachment 73753
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I have done enough of those over the years to confirm that the nut that is too big to thread onto the bolt was used for a pulley spacer, and came from the factory assembled with that nut as the spacer.
 
ILENGINE said:
I have done enough of those over the years to confirm that the nut that is too big to thread onto the bolt was used for a pulley spacer, and came from the factory assembled with that nut as the spacer.
Click to expand...
That's crazy. Ok so now I'm wondering what else could be the issue. Does the spacer go underneath the pulley or above and does the pulley side with the exposed bearing face up or down? I assume the spacer goes on the bearing side so it doesn't bind. This is the belt I used:

 
Most face with the exposed bearing facing up with the nut/spacer above the pulley, and the bearing offset facing down.
 
One MTD does uses a belt profile different than the standard 5/8 B belts which when routed sometimes makes the belts apparently shorter if the aftermarket is a B belt. It also can cause problems at the engine's pulley causing the belt to drag due clearance issues.

So for me I use only MTD or one that I know that has the right profile.
 
I ordered the mtd oem lower belt and two replacement pulleys just to be safe. I'll update when I get them in and install them.
 
Thank you everyone for your help. Not sure if it was the aftermarket belt or the pulleys or a combination of both. Either way my dad is back in business and I don't have to buy him a new mower!
 
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