Nice tight completely circular argument that has me completely puzzled. Friction creates deposits in a Honda mower transmission after 100,000 miles??? I have yet to see a mower run for 100,000 miles. I don't buy that deposits of any consequence are created in a sealed hydrostatic system. Deposits are created in engine oil as a consequence of turning gasoline from one form to another. Maybe you are confusing the two.

Tackled the monster today. Surprising results. Took an old belt along to fabricate friction washers, also a ..."cloth"... anyway those woven things we all wore in the military as it had good thickness and I ain't going to be using a 26" belt in the near future....:-) Disassembled the unit. Consisted of a coil spring, hollow metal tube with a 9/16" (nut size) bolt through it, and a thick plastic washer against a thick ...waxed cardboard....(like the stuff gaskets in carbs etc. are made of) washer. The metal tube was obviously to control how much the spring could be tightened. The plastic and cardboard washers were pristine, no wear, no deformation that I could see. HOWEVER, someone had oiled them previously. CUDOS TO "JUSTALURKER" who suspected this. I cleaned them up, per his suggestion. I then took the metal tube to my grinder and removed about 1/16" from each end. I did this as I could easily compress the spring against the tube and there was a lot of space between the coils. Also, since the unit is 20+ years old there has got to be wear that I couldn't see. Reassembled and tried it, works fine, motion control lever stays where it's put now. Still have some more to tighten if I need to. So happy ending to the story, thanks for all the good input. Left the belts in the barn as I have another need for a friction washer. Thanks again, Ev

Look for the vent - looks like a piece of garden hose on top toward the rear of the transmission. Clean around it, pull the hose out, stick a pencil/wooden dowel to measure level of oil. My understanding is that they take 20-50W oil. I would add until it is 3/4" from top. -- That is what I did to my MTD Yardmachine, I am assuming that your system will be very similar. It worked like magic on mine! When you check the level, look at the color of the oil on the measuring stick - if it looks like it is toasted you may want to suck it out and replace it. If you search this forum there should be many theads that address this. Good luck!

best first ck yer manual for tranny oil type, etc. may also give check/fill points. If not, may try determining tranny mfgr to get help from their website... or search this site for same. Also - if yer tranny has a disconnect device (see manual) - engage same, then with engine running at mid throttle, engage brake/clutch pedal and cycle motion control lever/pedal to full forward for several seconds and then all the way back to full reverse. Repeat several times to clear trapped air from tranny oil. reset disconnect control and test drive.