Difficult Shifting Peerless Transaxle

[bertsmobile1]

Just a couple of points
1) Wd 40 is not a lubricant so don't go spraying it all around your linkages
It is a solvent & Water Displacer which is where the WD bit comes from
Get a can of spray grease to spray on linkages or any one the Innox. or Lannox sprays .

2) the gears inside these boxes have very sharp ( offerings to the blood God ) edges so open with caution.
Jst about every one I have pulled apart the bushes on the shafts were cactus , worn quite oval & the grease was as hard as pitch

 

[ragain's repair service]

I have a Craftsman lawn tractor with a manual 6 speed Peerless transaxle model 930-057A. It shifts normally until I have cut a few minutes and I guess the drive mechanism is warmed up, then I have to hit the shifter hard to make it change gears and sometimes that doesn't work. If I turn off the engine, then it will shift more easily but still not as easy as when cold. I suspected that the clutch pedal wasn't releasing completely and the drive belt was still moving, but I tested that repeatedly with my wife pressing the pedal so I could observe the belt and it is stopping. This is baffling to me. Has anyone had hard shifting problems with this type of transmission and successfully identified and corrected the problem?

could also be to short drive belt i have that problem right now i will wait for the belt to break before i change the belt

 

[mapleguy]

Sorry to be trite but we have no idea how long you have owned the mower for and weather you are shifting correctly .
So your first guess will be correct, the box is heating causing some thing to stick
Grease is nothing more then a fine particulate matter in a sunspension medium of various viscosities.
And this medium does ozadize, evaporate and degrade over time .
The usual pointer to bad lubricant condition is very hard shifting to reverse
If it was in my shop I would be whipping it out an cleaning the box
Then inspecting ( or just changing ) the flanged bushing either end of the shafts
I would also have a close look at the 2 needle bearings on the shift shaft then the detent ball & spring

Thanks, this is useful information. It sounds like I have no choice but to open it up, so I will check the items you mentioned. Interestingly enough, it did begin with difficulty shifting into reverse, but now is difficult for any gear.

 

[mapleguy]

Also since it's all gears do not overlook that it might be external to the transaxle in your shifter mechanism.
Post up the Model number of your Craftsman tractor and we maybe can look at a IPL and give you another hint. Some of them shifter linkages can be hard to see unless lots of metal is removed from the rear and floor of the machine. Might try spraying WD40 on the shifter linkages to see if it reacts different but keep the spray off the v belts.

Thank you for your comments. It is model # 917.258542. I did check the linkages and all seems OK there, especially since it shifts fine when cold.

 

[mapleguy]

Just a couple of points
1) Wd 40 is not a lubricant so don't go spraying it all around your linkages
It is a solvent & Water Displacer which is where the WD bit comes from
Get a can of spray grease to spray on linkages or any one the Innox. or Lannox sprays .

2) the gears inside these boxes have very sharp ( offerings to the blood God ) edges so open with caution.
Jst about every one I have pulled apart the bushes on the shafts were cactus , worn quite oval & the grease was as hard as pitch

Thanks again for more good advice! Looks like it is going to be a real adventure to dig in and take this apart.

 

[mapleguy]

Here is some links I've saved where you can download a free Tecumseh Peerless service manual and see if you can ID yours.
Most generally the type Peerless that has the Benoite/clay grease's are not intended to be serviceable, specially built to wear out and the heavy grease is also used because the axles, etc, does not use seals, just bushing. Oil will leak out. Not a fun job, removing and re-installing the transaxle after doing repairs. I've took parts from 2 or 3 units and built one, (only doing this type work for myself) just add lots of EP2 grease and little bit of 90W oil. (I drill a small hole just below axle level in the aluminum housing and install 90w oil then seal the hole with a screw) I add just enough of the 90W that the bottom of the ring gear will get lube.
If your tractor/mower is in good shape you might get lucky and find another salvage machine that has the same transaxle.
Individual parts and pieces for those are costly and hard to find.

Transmissions used in several lawn tractors.



Search Tecumseh/Peerless Motion Drive Systems to download the Peerless Service Manual for their transmission

One link is posted below

http://www.wfmfiles.com/download/Tecumseh-Peerless_Motion_Drive_System_-_Transmissions_&_Differentials(691218).pdf

Thanks, I downloaded the service manual, it is going to be useful once I start the repair process.

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

I have to say when people mention WD-40 I have a knee jerk reaction to also say that it's a water displacement formula and that it's great for the ignition system but not much else. But that's the original WD-40 now WD-40 as a company makes a number of different lubricants that are all under the WD-40 brand. A silicone spray a lithium spray and others so it depends on which WD40 product someone's talking about. Now getting back to your problem have you tried disconnecting the linkage at the transmission and working the linkage to see how smooth it is? Then with the linkage still disconnected, getting a hold of the arm at the transmission and seeing how easy or difficult it is to move that through the gears, engine off you might need to rock the wheels a bit.

 

[lemen]

I have to say when people mention WD-40 I have a knee jerk reaction to also say that it's a water displacement formula and that it's great for the ignition system but not much else. But that's the original WD-40 now WD-40 as a company makes a number of different lubricants that are all under the WD-40 brand. A silicone spray a lithium spray and others so it depends on which WD40 product someone's talking about.

I agree, but if somebody only says WD40 most of the time they point to this "miracle product" that's meant to use against moisture. And, as you say, many people don't know of the other products.
We also say: use motoroil, silicone spray or GP2 grease. We don't say: use Castrol.

 

[VRR.DYNDNS>BIZ]

The Peerless 930 transmission is definitely rebuildable, I’ve done it many, many times. As stated they use a Bentinite grease, not oil as a lube. If yours has not been serviced in 20 years, this lube is probably hard and not doing its job anymore. If you decide to open yours up and rebuild it, post back and I’ll give you some tips on what to watch for. Most parts are available. Here’s a service manual which will help you out. https://www.mymowerparts.com/pdf/Te...FFERENTIALS-SERVICE--REPAIR-MANUAL-691218.pdf

I have serviced 50 or more in my many years. I suspect the top of the tranny has it's shifter mechanism high and every older unit I have opened for these conditions I find the corrosion on the shifter and it's ball detent. I later after learning this applied penetrant liberally on the shifter shaft entering the tranny and kept working the linkage/shifter shaft and adding some more lube thus avoiding having to rebuild tranny. The bentenite lube they use comes from the earth created over millions of years and will not harden totally but will thicken if it's oil wicks out. The lube does not travel up well to lube the shifter. Another guy years ago, turned his machine upside down and kept working the parts to accomplish relubing the shifting mechs.

 

[Laabk2]

I have had this mower about 20 years and never had shifting problems before. You are supposed to shift only when stopped, which I am. According to what I see in online videos, the lubricant is a very thick grease that is not meant to be changed and can only be removed by either opening up the transaxle and scraping it out, or in one video the guy rinsed it with gasoline. I may end up trying one of these options if I don't get any good advice from this forum.

I would recommend Diesel over Gasoline because of the oil content. Less likely to have a problem with rust in the parts not cover by the grease during non-operational times