Ok, bowl kit works great! Next problem....it has sat outside for 2 years. When i start to release the clutch, it dyes--like the ignition cuts out. It sorta begins to move but its like its not getting into gear or something. Is there a 'gearbox'? or just the hydro via belt?? I should replace the belt i guess. There is also a yellow wire hanging down by the transaxle.....something to do with it cutting out???? Now I'm getting somewhere, this is what its all about since I cant own motorcycles anymore........wife is a nurse in ER, need I say more?

Project is now completed. For those who might have this mower model, the noise problem was the tensioning/idler pulley for the right side blade hitting the pulley for the right side spindle due to a too-long belt. The Murray belt is 037x66. When I replaced the belts last year, my thrifty nature sought lower prices than the genuine Murray belts. Stens (a major aftermarket lawn equipment parts supplier) shows the belt to be 1/2 x 47", their 265-417, so I bought one from some seller on eBay (along with some other stuff). It worked fine until the deck was reinstalled after the transaxle replacement. Today a 1/2 x 46" (A44K, 4L460K) Huskee belt from Tractor Supply was installed and it obviously fits better. This belt drives only one of the 3 blades and is thus loaded much lighter than the main deck drive belt. So I have marked all my records to show that the 46" belt is the better choice for the secondary deck drive belt.

To swh22: I hope you got it fixed. I have the same tractor with a peerless 6840-P91 Transaxle and it has been sluggish for a while. I moved last year and while in the process I mowed about 2 acres in the misting rain. After that it would not move at all. It has been hard to push when disengaged for a long time. Upon inspection I found the vent tube was laying on the frame and was letting moisture in. I took it off and drained it and tried to flush it with gasoline. I let it set for a couple days to dry out and added the oil suggested by others, 20-50 synthetic. But alas no help at all. After reading about broken parts inside the unit I decided to take it apart. I found nothing wrong upon visual inspection. It was very difficult to move both axles with transmission off and was still stiff when the case was opened. I give up and will be ordering a new one next week. I hope that will fix the problem as it is a good tractor with the exception of the cheap metal the deck wheels attach to and the non adjustable steering which make the front wheels splay out and wear out. I guess I'll bend the wheels back and may make my own brackets or get some like are on the john deer my mother in law has.

The mower died at a site I cut gratis. I'm not in the cutting business. It's about 5 minutes from home. It acted like a dead battery. Turned over real slow but wouldn't start. When I got home I found the rightmost cell dry. Added water but I just kept adding. Pulled the battery and there was a groove in the bottom of the battery holder. Checked the battery and a groove in the bottom of it. I rinsed the area very well. I thought. My bad. All this took maybe an hour. Three years later there is no visible corrosion anywhere I can see. rant Two years ago I replaced all 4 tires during Rita cleanup. Took a month to get everything cleared. You realize that includes two weeks running a generator. We only lost the garage and everything in it. 16 trees down. Oaks, hickory, pecans, pines and an ash. The house came out ok. That little Murray worked its tail off. Three acres waist deep in limbs and brush from the ones that didn't come down. First time I had to live for a while on MREs. They're better than the C rats back in the sixties. I swear the K rats we had were from Korea. Insurance doesn't come close to replacing everything. Try putting a value on an heirloom. I'm still remembering stuff that was never submitted. /rant Yea I admit it. Once I found out that the battery had dropped acid on the pulley I should have torn down the rear end and cleaned it properly. I didn't. I posted what happened to me so it might stick in somebody's mind if they ever find a groove in the bottom of their battery. And no, bushleague, it wasn't a Craftsman. Or a Walker. ;^)