OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Ride-On Mowers Automatic Transaxle [ Viking - Murray ]

Hi everyone, Wes here,[Arana Hills] I have a 1998 VIKING / STIHL MT435H 15.5 B&S engine.I believe that it is a re-badged "MURRAY" I also think VICTA may have also used the same machine. This unit is fitted with a PEERLESS Automatic Transaxle. This Transaxle is divided into two sections so as to separate the two individual oil compartments. The unit does not have any type of identification No on it. I believe it is a PEERLESS 1800 Series. I am searching for both Spare Parts & Repair MANUALS for this Transaxle. Most IMPORTANT I need OIL TYPES and QUANTITY. Also does anyone know if this HYDROSTATIC Transaxle looses it drive when they get hot similar to the "John Deere". I also believe that there is / was somebody in BRISBANE specializing in Overhauling these units. Any information / guidance will be most welcome 07 3351 4714 04397 96810 Cheers Wes.

Hi Wes, there is not much service information available on the VST/1800 Peerless hydrostatic transmission because Peerless intended that it was not capable of being serviced. It was designed as a throwaway transmission. Here is a simple summary of what can be done however:


You can get a bit more detail from "Tecumseh Quick Reference and Troubleshooting For Engines and Transmissions", which is available in the manuals section. However note this quote from it:

"���� Tecumseh's current policy on VST and 1800 Series transaxles
with internal failure, is to replace the complete unit. VST and 1800's
have two separate reservoirs which can be checked for diagnostic
purpose only. The output gear reservoir can be checked with a small
pocket rule as outlined in the Tecumseh & Peerless Transmission and
Drive Products Handbook"

Severe loss of drive after warm-up with hydrostatic transmissions usually comes from one of two sources: low oil, or leakage failure past the pistons in either the hydraulic motor or hydraulic pump. No parts are available for the VST/1800 transmissions, so leakage failures are not repairable.

Note that pump and motor wear are traditionally caused by sustained overheating of the hydraulic oil. This happens either by failing to regularly clear debris out of the cooling fins and fan on top of the transmission, or by grossly overloading the transmission, for example by trying to use it as a bulldozer, tow a loaded trailer uphill, or comparable types of torture-test. That is a very light duty transmission, not intended either for heavy work or long life.

Hello Grumpy ,thanks for your quick reply, the information you supplied was a great help, I now know for sure what series transaxle it is, The way they describe how to check oil level is absolutely stupid, The length of the bellows has nothing to do with the true oil level. I still don't know what type of oil to run in each chamber, In the final drive side I think I will go with a light gear oil, In the pump / motor side I might use a true hydraulic oil. I have been in contact with a chap in INVERCARGAL lower South Island of New Zealand He has gone to the trouble of Tooling up to Recondiction Hydrostatic Transaxles. He prefers the complete unit so as it can be bleed correctly then he runs it in a test bench to check power output. His contact details are below :--- I don't think he will mind me posting it for others to use.
I checked out the wiring diagram and if you disconnect the switch under the seat it auto go to self cancell mode and directly to STOP / NO GO! Trap for young players. I would love to know if this series of transaxle has a history of losing power, Now I have confirmed the model I can do further research. The more imformation the better sEEYA!wES!


McNaughton small engines
6 bowmont street
Invercargill
Southland
New Zealand
Mobile 027 777 11 77
w/shop 03 2189007
\
also if you can confirm make and model of trans also axel lenth I may
have a exchange trans here ready to go. I would think it should have a
tuff toque K46 in it but it may be different for different markets my
exchange trans go for $650

cheers willy boyd

I haven't confirmed the make and model of transaxle, I just took your word for it. The VST/1800 is rather notorious in several ways, mostly relating to it being both very light duty, and not repairable, and it is therefore perhaps the worst one that you could turn out to have (though it could be completely satisfactory if it has been kept cool all of its life). That transmission does have a long series of letters and numbers stamped on it, and I think they are on the vertical rear face from memory, but they may be on the bottom. If you can post that long series, we can identify it. At that point it is relatively easy to discuss suitable lubricants.

Hi Grumpy , Wes here again, I have found "THE MAN" and spoken to him, He repairs all different types of Transaxles EXCEPT Tecumseh / Peerless Model VST 205, That is the model that he believes that I have. He explained to me that this unit has double the number of LEAK POINTS and nothing can be machined to overcome the leak problem. Parts are not available for the pump or motor. He explained to me all the faults with the unit and how it is possible to give it some / little extra life span. He gave freely of his time and said that down the track I would be better off to fit a different replacement unit. I will check with him to see if it is OK to put his contact details on the forum. sEEYA!wES!

Hi Wes here again, earlier I remarked about how you check the oil level by measuring the length of the Rubber Bellows ,well the author of that instruction sheet has got it unclear & all totally wrong, the purpose of the bellows is to prevent any air being in the pump / motor section of the transaxle case. You position your case with the hole for the bellows at the top, you then fill the pump chamber with oil nearly to the top 1/2 " , you rotate the pump in neutral ,forward, reverse , repeat all a few times to expel all the air from pump and motor. NOW - With the Bellows compressed you install it and the cover plate to transaxle, You then slowly release the bellows so it can expand and force the extra unwanted oil out of the case, When the Bellows reaches the correct length you lock up all of the four cover screws. The end result is there is no air in the pump section. If there is air present in the pump chamber it can enter the oil & then you can have aeration which causes loss of pressure and naturally also loss of drive. As the oil becomes hotter the Bellows compress to allow for the expanding oil. So as you can now understand the pump chamber must also have excellent seals on Output / Impute / Shift SHAFTS. One air leak and you have lost your drive when hot. This type of transaxle must be removed from the vehicle to change or check oil level. sEEYA!wES!

G'day Wes,
That is great information and should help others.

I have a Victa 4215HX 1998 model, it is powered by a 15hp Tecumseh engine.
I researched changing the oil in the transaxle and found this success story, which I will attach.
http://peerless205-024c.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/how-i-solved-my-sluggish-murray-riding.html

Numbers can be found on the axle.



Mine was full of grass & dirt on top, in between the fins. The design of it really catches the dirt and grass well, helping it over heat.




Pic's from the success story.

Some oils that I have found people have used.
Valvoline full synthetic 20W-50 motorcycle oil
Lucas all-purpose hydraulic fluid

My mower drives slow (acceptable speed) I think it should be faster, not sure, I have nothing to compare it to.
Climbs OK, I believe it should be better.

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:



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):


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.)

Hi Mark,The Identification Decal is missing from my unit, Probably blown to heaven by an angry water blaster. I read that item you posted, very interesting , the oil definitely does have a used by date, it is doing a lot of HOT work plus there is not a lot of it. You hear a lot about SYNTHETIC OIL, I have carried out test on it and believe me it is all sales hype. I have 5 motorcycles, I do Adventure riding , "road off road" On one of my bikes I hit a big climb up a very rugged mountain, 4000RPM 1ST GEAR loose rocky uneven track, track goes up and down like steps up the mountain, I am locked in that 1st gear for around 10 minutes, My engine oil pressure drops off to ZERO because of the heat BUILD-UP from the AIR COOLED ENGINE. When this happens I stop for a couple of minutes to allow it to cool then continue my climb again. I have tried all the FLASH EXPENSIVE SYNTHETIC OIL [ $50:00 a liter ] and they are no better than the standard oils designed for Air Cooled wet clutch motorcycles. What I'm saying is use STANDARD level [ cheap ] 10w - 50w engine oil in the pump side of your transaxle---- the colour of the bottle it comes out of is not important, Apparently there are two other problems with that mower. 1. The front engine pulley which drives the transaxle belt , This pulley wear out badly and as a result the belt is not being driven on the sides of the belt , it in trying to drive on the narrow inner surface of the belt , lot of slipping going on down under / up front ! 2. On that transaxle there are different length shift levers,depending on which mower it is fitted to. The long lever causes the shift shaft to wear because of the weight hanging down on one side, As a result the seal can't do it's job and air gets into the oil and you loose power / speed. I plan to fabricate a new lever out of Aluminum and also drill pretty holes in it to make it as light as possible without it being weak. Also I will fit a fixed bush in it to locate the Shift rod. Along with this I am going to try and locate an Extension spring hanging down from the floor pan to hook around the shift lever rod so as to hold the weighht off the shift lever. Also the impute shaft has slight up and down movement, I will shim this to again help the seal running on it. Every litte thing helps. Between the Pump side and the Differential side there are two seals located back to back, I will polish the shaft they run on. I will replace all the seals hoping to get long life from it. I would love to replace the Rubber Bellows but I will have to shop in the USA for it I think sEEYA!wES!

Hi Wes here again, I have located a number for the bellows that fit Peerless Transaxle VST 205. The Number that I have tracked down is TEC-798003 I'm not sure yet if that is a Peerless number or after market supplier. It could be a TECUMSEH No. When I have definite confirmation I will re post the information again. I will try to check numbers here in OZ If no luck I will get a couple from the USA. I just found information saying that PEELESS is now a completely SEPARATE company from TECUMSEH. I found that number at OUTDOOR DISTRIBUTORS -- And their price without post charges is US $11.81 sEEYA!wES!

No problem Grumpy, I have been thinking about pulling my transaxle out for a while now.
I am going to leave it for now, it is working.

This is a good thread for a common problem, it will help me when I eventually have a crack at one.

Thanks for contributing your story Wes, I for one am interested in how it turns out.

I had a Bolens sth 125 had the same rear end thay were badged stil viking .my trans lost power when turning so I used slick 50 for warn engines or high milage . and bite by bite it got better . when you use slick 50 mineral must be used 20w50

Thanks Shaun, sounds like Slick50 worked for you, another success story.
I have never heard of it, I see its an additive. It has some mixed reports online.
Cheers

Hi Wes here again I have been going through this trans axle single piece by piece ---- I have located an instruction sheet on setting the internal shift lever tension with the main neutral spring and shift rod removed ---- actually the wear on the main transaxle shift shaft is ridiculous ---- the double loop neutral spring is just something a farmer would make out back under a big shady gum tree!----- I will machine up a double coil spring neutralizer that fits in the main shift rod and bolts to the chassis ---- this way it is 100% safe and zero weight on the shift shaft and the seal can do it's job ---- also because it has not been set correctly the stepped thrust washer has been turned inside out. I go to bed thinking about this thing and dreaming about it. Not too long and I will have a photo print of every piece in my tiny brain --- I'm also looking at using "nutserts" in the bottom of both chambers as a drain plug for the oil. ---- I have to check for suitable locations as per clearance from internal parts --- after clearing off all the road grime from the bottom half case I was lucky enough to find the original identification decal --- complete with all numbers still intact. ---- it is an "R" SERIES WHICH INDICATE THAT IT WAS A REPLACEMENT UNDER WARRANTY. SVT 205-024C-R At this stage I have it's back broken and just about got everything sorted out. sEEYA!wES!

I hope you mean VST, not SVT.

If the oil in the hydraulic system was clean, and the built-in filters were clean, you shouldn't have any problems unless your redesign causes them. If the oil was brown and smelly, and the filters clogged, the chances are it won't work out very well.