Thanks for linking that Mark, I think there is also at least one detailed account of fitting a slightly bigger better substitute for a VST available on the internet. Plenty of people seem to have had similar problems.

Wes, I haven't met your guru and will not criticise what you quote him as having told you. However I think you would do a lot better with your investigation if you look at the Tecumseh Technician's Handbook first:

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It is in the Outdoorking manuals section, has 1,463 pages, and can be relied upon to be correct. Chapter 23, VST Troubleshooting, begins on Page 120. Note that it gives the location of the transmission's model identification label (on page 121):
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If your label is the same as the one in Mark's post, you have a VST205, the most common, and therefore notorious, of the VSTs. The handbook tells you exactly how to test it to find out what is wrong with it. Note that if past VST problems reported on Outdoorking are anything to go by, the most common source of weak drive is a slipping drive belt, and you should check this first. Then make all of the other diagnostic tests prescribed in the manual. You may find that your transmission is cooked, but more likely it is not. However if it is cooked, there is no cure except replacement.

You will find that some people with cooked VSTs who write about them on internet sites fit substitute second-hand transaxles. There is one direct replacement model, which from memory was recommended by Peerless after they gave up on the VST model. As I recall, fitting this model requires very slight chassis modification because of a different (and better) oil reservoir arrangement. However enthusiasts usually choose slightly heavier duty models, either to make the problem less likely to recur, or because they got a good deal on the bigger model. This always involves modifying the chassis, and the transmission model chosen must be very carefully selected to make this practicable. Realistically, this is an option for hobbyists who find satisfaction in modifying machines. (There are many such people on Outdoorking.)