T-20 : Popping noise

[gregory]

I have a Hustler, and this is about to drive me crazy; everything seems to be doing fine, it shifts F-N-R . BUT when you drive forward or reverse it takes off does great for awhile and then it starts like "bogging down" , and making this God-Awful screeching and "POP". Sounds like a 22 rifle or something. HELP>>>>>>>>

[hydromike]

Are you **positive** it's coming from the transmission? A noise THAT loud coming from the transmission wouldn't likely happen more than once. It sounds a LOT like a chain jumping a tooth on a drive sprocket or idler. How is your chain adjustment? How is the alignment on your sprockets? I think the best idea would be get the machine up in the air off of the tires and slowly rotate the entire assembly until you start to meet with resistance (by hand) and see what's causing the binding. Check to make sure that you haven't broken an eccentric collar on the outer bearing and that the axle hasn't walked out a bit, or maybe your idler sprocket brackets have bent.

Are you sure the screeching isn't the belt slipping as a drive chain rides up on a sprocket tooth?

'just thinkin' out loud...

[gregory]

Thanks man, I'll do that this evening. And maybe get back with ya when I know more. Many Thanks.

[hydromike]

Another thought, is that your chain could be really, really stretched to the point that the chain is riding up on the sprocket, and has nothing to do with alignment. If this is the case, slowly turning it by hand might never reproduce the popping noise or the reistance you're experiencing while driving it. In my experience, a chain will stretch out and cause a "distance issue" before a sprocket wears down to cause the same problem. (Unless, of course... the sprockets are really,really warn and you're running new chain.

Either way, my money is still on the chains.

[wfo]

bearing