Repairs HRZ216TDA Transmission replaced, still no self propel

[Pain]

I have a 9-10 year old HRZ216TDA. The self propel has gotten slow over the years and I had it adjusted in the shop once. It finally stopped working and I decided to replace the transmission, which I did myself. I also replaced the belt at the same time.

It is doing exactly the same thing with the new trans and the old one. Lift the rear wheels off the ground and they will roll, but put it back down and nothing. On asphalt it will start to move under it's own steam if I give it a push, but it's not very strong.

I have checked the cables [working], cable adjustments, and tried to verify I have all the parts back on in the right order... I had some washers backwards and on the wheels, but that didn't resolve anything. If I take the wheels off, start the mower and engage the clutch the rear drive gears spin to beat the band. With the engine off, if I push the mower along and then engage the clutch then the rear wheels lock up, suggesting that the transmission, clutch, belt are at least somewhat functional.

It's very frustrating. Any ideas what the issue is?

 

[robert@honda]

I have a 9-10 year old HRZ216TDA. The self propel has gotten slow over the years and I had it adjusted in the shop once. It finally stopped working

1. Confirm the drive clutch lever cable is fully moving the clutch control arm on the transmission and operating smoothly. Otherwise, the clutch inside will not engage and cause wear/limited drive power to the rear wheels. If using the original drive clutch lever, it may have stretched or is binding inside the sheath. Consider a new cable.

2. Confirm the tension spring on the transmission is fitted correctly, and the belt is snug around the input pulley and crankshaft. A loose / greasy belt will slip and also cause weak/no drive power.

3. Ensure the input pulley is properly fitted to the input shaft of the transmission with a roll pin fully inserted.

4. Make sure the rear wheels spin freely and smoothly with the clutch released. The adjusters and and pinion area must be clean and not binding, a small bit of general-purpose wheel bearing grease is needed, but don't overdo it.

5. Use a tachometer...move the throttle to FAST and engage the blade; engine must turn at 2,950~3,100 rpm to produce proper power/torque to drive the transmission.

 

[Pain]

1. Confirm the drive clutch lever cable is fully moving the clutch control arm on the transmission and operating smoothly. Otherwise, the clutch inside will not engage and cause wear/limited drive power to the rear wheels. If using the original drive clutch lever, it may have stretched or is binding inside the sheath. Consider a new cable.

2. Confirm the tension spring on the transmission is fitted correctly, and the belt is snug around the input pulley and crankshaft. A loose / greasy belt will slip and also cause weak/no drive power.

3. Ensure the input pulley is properly fitted to the input shaft of the transmission with a roll pin fully inserted.

4. Make sure the rear wheels spin freely and smoothly with the clutch released. The adjusters and and pinion area must be clean and not binding, a small bit of general-purpose wheel bearing grease is needed, but don't overdo it.

5. Use a tachometer...move the throttle to FAST and engage the blade; engine must turn at 2,950~3,100 rpm to produce proper power/torque to drive the transmission.

1. The cable was working properly, but I went ahead and replaced it anyway. The new one definitely moves more freely, but it still didn't fix it.

2. The tension spring is fine and the belt is new and fits snug.

3. The transmission is new and one would 'assume' it was assembled properly. If I engage the clutch with the engine not running, the rear wheels lock up, so again I 'assume' the pulley is not slipping. But I guess I should still check it out to be sure.

4. Nothing is binding and the wheels do spin freely, with what would appear to be 'normal' amount of drag in the transmission. Comparing the axle movement between the old and the new transmission they both seems to have the same amount of drag when spinning the axle by hand.

5. I don't have a tachometer, but the engine runs at the same speed is always has, so once again I 'assume' that is not the problem.

I took it completely apart again yesterday when I replaced the clutch cable and gave it another once-over. Still seems like all the obvious things that could be wrong, aren't.

 

[Pain]

OK, I guess I should come clean and say that after 2 weeks of hell at work I finally had time to go back to my mower problems. I took the wheels off and reversed the drive gears and it works now.

So yeah, I'm an idiot.

 

[redmondjp]

OK, I guess I should come clean and say that after 2 weeks of hell at work I finally had time to go back to my mower problems. I took the wheels off and reversed the drive gears and it works now.

So yeah, I'm an idiot.

I'll step up to say that we've all been there (even if some won't admit it)! It's a good reminder to check the simple stuff first. Thanks for the update.

 

[exotion]

I've definately been there