JD Z525E Left turn

[3Ts]

I was out mowing today on my Z525E when the left side quit turning. The hydro drive on the left does not turn, but the one on the right does. Research implies that the drive is defective and will need to be repaired. (The bypass levers are in the proper position) I still have to check the linkage from the arm to the hydro, hopefully something let go in the linkage. In the meantime does anyone know if it is difficult to rebuild one of the hydros? Rebuild is around $300 for the kit and about $1k for a replacement drive so a rebuild would be preferred if it is practical and do-able.

 

[RandyT]

Did the drive quit suddenly or appeared to become weak over time and you just noticed in just stopping. also any unusual noises from the drive. they are repairable, but need to take care to keep everything clean, and clean everything very well before reassembly. As a repair shop I have had success repairing them, but most repair shops elect to just replace.

 

[3Ts]

It quit suddenly as in a few feet of movement.

 

[Richard001]

Any chance that the drive belt came off of the pulley?

Or perhaps the pulley is slipping on the hydro input shaft?

Or the wheel is loose on the axle shaft?

Richard

 

[3Ts]

The drive belt is on the pulley.
The wheel is not loose on the axle shaft.
Didn't think to check if the pulley is slipping on the shaft.

I have the mower up on jack stands. When I turn the right wheel, it rotates smoothly. When I turn the left wheel, it does not turn smoothly, more like when two gears are meshed and a few teeth on one of gears is missing. So, based on that it seems to me the problem is internal to the drive, so I purchased a replacement drive unit this afternoon, hope to have it installed and operational by Wednesday. We'll see how that goes.

I've always heard about problem solutions and being able to choose: Good, Cheap, Fast - pick any two. I have a limited time to get this working, so Fast is one choice and I don't want to have to do it again, so Good is the other. And boy do they charge for that selection!

 

[Richard001]

Can you give us an update on your repair progress ?

 

[3Ts]

It is now back in operation. The hardest part is getting up and down on the floor since I'm a little over 70 now. 2nd hardest part was to release the tension on the idler spring so I could get the belt off the pulley. There are 5 bolts, 2 linkages, and the belt. Remove all those and it drops down and you're ready to lift the replacement one into place. Of course, it's not quite that easy.

First, remove the seat by pulling 3 pins and the seat lifts off (disconnect the seat switch).
Second, remove the cowling - there are 6 plastic push pins that cars use to hold trim assemblies, and the fuel cap completely. There is no need to remove anything else (no metal bolts, no rubber plugs). Remove the wheel, and release tension on the belt.

Then:

1- The bolt at the front has an allen key recess, but it's not possible to turn it. The bolt itself has a "normal" head and under that there is a hex section that fits into a formed hex socket in the frame. Under the frame is a press on retainer and it transitions to a normal round shape with threads. That bolt has to come out in order to get the drive out - the fan blades and pulley interfere with the frame otherwise.
2- The bolt closest to the centerline has 2 nuts on it. The bolt goes up thru the drive and a nut goes on to act as a spacer, then thru the frame so you no longer have access to that nut, and another nut on top of that.
3- the rest of the bolts and linkage are straight forward, then drop the drive unit.
4- reverse the process to put the new one in.
5- add hydraulic fluid to the reservoir. Be careful, it doesn't take much, and purge the air in the drive.
6- Once it's all back together and before you put the cowling back on you should check the neutral drift (or whatever it's called). I had to adjust mine since it went into a forward right turn with the arms in the locked position. The adjustment is at the bottom of the arm and the cowling covers it. The bottom one is a shock absorber. The one you want is above that, remove the "funny shaped cotter pin" turn the bolt and reinstall, check if the wheels turn and repeat as needed.

Here's the old and new drives:


Here's the machine ready for the new drive to go in:

 

[Richard001]

Great job. Is that drive new as in new from the factory or new to you, but used?

Also do you plan on taking the old drive apart to determine what went wrong?

Richard

 

[3Ts]

Great job. Is that drive new as in new from the factory or new to you, but used?

Also do you plan on taking the old drive apart to determine what went wrong?

Richard

It is new from the factory. I called around to the closest JD dealers and one happened to have just got it in. Yes, I plan to take it apart to see what happened and probably repair it.