Thanks for your reply
@Rivets I replaced the spring loaded pulley that provides belt tension and the belt last fall after a bunch of leaves got packed up there and started to smoke, I caught it pretty quick and had a garden hose nearby. Never saw any flames but the plastic pully was slightly melted and the belt got a little damage. I bought the pulley and belt from Amazon because the last small engine shop near me has closed. I bought a mid priced belt and steel pully. After the repair I didn't notice any difference in travel speed and still had next to no reverse. At the time I wondered about how much tension should be on the belt. It's less then what a v-belt alternator on a car would have but seems to be about what other spring loaded belts I've seen on other stuff like my snowblower. The spring isn't adjustable. Do you (or anyone else who is kind enough to read this) know if there is some kind of spec on spring loaded belt tension that I could measure? Also can anyone give me advice on what brand of belt works best on riding lawn mowers? I also have learned from having a small John Deere rider that will eat cheap belts in a couple of uses that quality matters. But with the Deere I can drive to the dealer and talk to a pro parts person. I miss the local small engine guy. The tensioner arm seems free to move and doesn't have any slop. The drive and driven pulleys look pretty good, maybe a little glazed but I've seen worse on something that's still working.
This Craftsman has 390 hrs on it. I got at 240 hrs for free from a friend because a valve guide had worked loose and bent a pushrod. I tore the engine down and repaired it, been a good rider until the last two years.
UPDATE with a new discovery!
I removed the transaxle with the idea of taking it apart to check the mechanical lever which lifts the check valve
balls off their seat. I have seen a few posts that talk about the check valves coming loose and allowing the fluid to bypass.
I got it on the bench and drained the fluid (it was a little dark and has a slight off smell but no sparkle that would lead me to think there's bad wear) looks like it was due for a change.
I started to remove the brake (looked good) and fwd/rev control arm. This transaxle has the "friction pack option" because the fwd/rev control is a lever on the right rear fender. What I found was the slot in the control arm that the friction pack stud goes through had a bunch of crud packed into the ends of the slot, had about 1/2" in the reverse end of the slot and about 1/8" in the forward end. This would explain the lack of reverse because the swash plate wouldn't have been able to move far enough. But doesn't explain the loss of forward.
I'm reluctant to open this transaxle up because as near as I can tell any repair parts and seals maybe hard to find. Does anyone have any advice on where to find Hydro Gear parts?
I'm now thinking maybe I should refill and get a good belt and retest. Any ideas on that?
Jeez, I just reread this. My thanks to anyone who spends the time to read this and offer any advice!!!!!
