Links to products I have in my tool bag. Compression tester. amzn.to/2NMgeze Spark Checker. amzn.to/3bnXjmA Toro lawnmower has yet another Self propel problem.
Something I learned yesterday. It is possible to install the gear in BACKWARDS without the gear looking backwards, resulting in the wheel not turning or not turning properly. Make a clear note which side of the gear is facing you BEFORE you remove it and when reinstalling make sure that the proper side is once again facing you. I learned this lesson the hard way.
just a note on the video, be sure when reinstalling the pinion gear for that side that the letter L on the gear is facing you. there is right and left side gear. on right side of mower the R on gear should be facing you. thanks for previous video on oil pan repair with permeated sealent.
This was just want I needed, with the corvid-19 issues getting it in for repair is not easy, I did the cleaning and repair myself. I think my spring might need to be replaced but it's working for the time being. My unit is a 2008 so it still has the metal gears in the wheels so this baby could last many many more years! Thank you so much !
Thanks Home Garage for putting this up. Hondas have a similar design for their drive wheels. What was very cool is how you diagnosed the problem by raising the rear wheels and observing the left wheels erratic behavior. So eliminating the need to pull the carburetor. (that was a joke if you didn't quite get it) About the only thing you didn't elaborate on was paying attention to the direction of the gear because it can be put on backwards as well. This was a great video, short and sweet, not wasting any of our time and right to the point. Thanks!
Great how or why to tip. I’m getting ready to deal with the grinding and intermittent drive engagement but your clip showed me another possibility. Thanks again. Mario in Alabama.
Thank you so much for this. I scored an awesome 1995 Super Recycler on craigslist and have fixed it all up with the exception of the self-propel feature. I replaced the v-belt already and the wheels spin (like they did before I replaced it) but no torque on the ground. I checked the gears on the wheels and they were still made of steel in the 90's, so that's not the problem- they looked perfect. I saw your other comment here on adjusting the drive cable, so between these two tips I hope to have this thing pulling again soon. Thanks for taking the time to post this- it's really cool to learn how this stuff works and fix it yourself. I'll post another comment to let you know how I make out. Again, thanks so much!!!
Thanks for your very helpful video! As I was flushing out the gunk I noticed that the center of the axle shaft has a hole that leads to the spring/key assembly. That hole was still plugged with old grease when you reassembled the drive. It can easily be cleaned out with a toothpick or stiff wire of similar diameter.
Thanks for that. I cleaned the parts in the video but my wheel still locks when pulling the mower back. Looks like I need to do a deeper clean as you mentioned.
@@krehbein The drive gears on the axle should have the letters "R" and "L" and should be installed on the right or left. The letter should be facing the wheel for proper location.
I'm about to do this job myself, new wheels and new gears. I have noticed that the drive axle has side play of about 1/2 inch so the inside of the drive gear on the axle is worn away, another built in design flaw? I'm going to try some extra washers so that the gear on the wheel is more centred on the wheel gear on the axle. I can't complain too much as the mower is about 20 years old. Need a new battery so I'll probably change that while I'm at it. Nice video by the way, very straight forward and to the point.
My same Personal Pace Toro the left rear drive won't move forward when push with motor off. It starts no problem & moves forward. With motor off can't be push forward. Help please.
Great Information. Fixed most of my problem.. I did check mine and they were really dirty and one was not coming out at all. Fixed it.. Took a really small flat screw driver. like the ones used to replace screws in eye glasses. cleaned the ROCK HARD grease and dirt out of the spring after carefully removing it, cleaned everything re lubed it and put it back together... Works much better But NOW i have a different problem.. It does work but only when I push the Handel hard all the way down. How do I adjust the Cable to control the speed it moves?
Thank you Catfish 911 for the comment. Have you tried adjusting the self propel anchor on the left side of the bar? Loosen the nut enough so you can pull the cable down about an inch or so. Tighten the nut and try the self propel. If it's not better try adjusting the cable down again. Hope this helps.
i just replaced my FWD Toro recycler transmission because the pinion gears were stripped. When I put the wheels back on, there was no friction to engage the wheels. These little springs and keys were not included with the new drive axle and were missing on the old one. I will order them from the dealer. Shipping will likely cost more than the parts ! Thanks for this video.
Update, I drove down to two Toro dealers to get these keys and springs (I bought spares as well). When i re-assembled the wheels it wouldn't propel the mower, the sprockets (cams) were on backwards - reversed 'em, re-assembled and it is working perfectly. Thanks so much for the video
Interesting how the Honda mowers they sell along side the Toro's at Home Depot have the exact same gear setup and have the same issue where the key will get stuck down like that. I haven't seen this issue happen yet on a Toro but I had a Honda come thru and it had that exact same issue and used the exact same gear setup. Coincidence, or did one of the two companies copy the idea from the other, considering both brands are in that same store? The honda mowers are built in the USA now and and the American Toro company builds those specific model mowers in Mexico. However even though Honda's are considered better in general on the mowers I have seen more issues, axles that lock up when pulling in reverse, wheels wearing out a lot faster than other brands. The Toro's are descent mowers and their have to be millions of them out their this style and the slightly newer style they make now.
Fender Guitars makes USA Stratocasters and Mexico-made ones nearly as good. The old joke/riddle is 'What is the difference in USA or Mexico Strats ? ' Answer ' About 60 miles... '
FYI, the hole in the end of the shaft should of been blown out with compressed air to open the grease port up, then reassemble the gear then shoot grease into the port, then put the wheel back on and grease that assembly every month.... Just a tip.
Help, my front wheel toro wheels aren't turning. I took the cover off and I can see that the belt is spinning fine on the pulley but the gears on the transmission dont seem to be spinning. Could this be fixed or is the transmission shot?
Can someone please advise what kind of grease to use please? And when you say “grease that assembly” do you just mean the port you mentioned? Sorry but I’ve had people tell me don’t use grease as it will just attract dirt so I want to make sure I do it correctly. Thx
@@teresaperlick3321 yes, ok in the end of the axel you will see what looks like a divit, it is actually a grease port, it needs to be cleaned out so the grease can flow freely into the axel key, and lube it, the assembly spoken of is the gear, and the toothed gear on the wheel, now usually you need to clean it really wheel, get all the crap out of it, some believe putting grease there will atract dirt, and make it wear prematurely but in my experience it doesn't really matter grease it or not, and it wears the same, so putting grease on those gears is up to you, but definitely clean the port out with a thin small pin and or compressed air, just don't lose the spring or the key that rides on the spring.
I 'carefully removed' the 'c' clip holding the drive gear and bendix from the main starter gear support shaft on the electric start and promptly had to go to the new auto parts for another one. I wasn't careful enough because when I put the screwdriver in the clip notch I KNEW it was going to do what it did. It did. With some Marvel Mystery oil and some 00 grease the starter spins a lot freer and ether made a dandy degreaser for all the crud on the outside. Good fix and Blessings!
@@HomeGaragechannel Ether is pretty cheap but awfully flammable BUT if you do it outside and don't smoke too much it works right well. I use that and good old gas. My ultrasonic would end up being me shaking a parts brush from nervousness.
Helped a little, however, a female on her own, more description please. What was that thing you removed the key with? What were you rinsing with. The little details matter to someone who has no clue
Great Video! Have you heard of cases where the rear left wheel locks up if you go forward when the engine is not running? But when you start the engine, it rolls forward as usual.
In case anyone else has had the same issue of the left rear wheel not moving forward when engine is off (guessing since this was 2 years ago yours has been fixed) this awesome video will still help you. Slight modification but this is how I fixed mine. First, disconnect the spark plug wire. Put a block of wood under the deck to allow the wheel to move freely. Then remove the wheel, retaining clip, washer, pinion gear. Like the video, I could also see that the key was stuck in the down position. What they didn’t also show was the tiny spring under the key that pushes the key up to engage the gear. Mine was so caked in dirt nothing moved and you couldn’t even tell it was a spring. Take everything out. Use dry lubricate (I was told NOT to use grease on these parts as that will just attract dirt) and spray it in there along with on all of the parts you removed until everything is clean. (See a comment further down about blowing out the grease port and putting grease in there. )Then put everything back. Spray more dry lubricant on each part as you go. This solved my problem. Just make sure to note how every part was situated so you can put it back correctly. Hope this helps. If the author can advise on what grease to use and where though that would great. Again, great video!
@@teresaperlick3321 I have some lithium spray lube I will put on my keyway and spring. It's thin enough that it shouldn't cake up like the old grease did.
so the 'key' has the flat side up in the slot? I was given one FREE in nearly new shape and the only problem is 'with the self propel feature' per my neighbor. So the cable control to engage the propulsion or maybe a 'key' is stuck down in its slot with grease/dirt. I'll know soon.
I'm thinking that the housing with the spring should be thoroughly cleaned out and regreased? If it came with grease in there, it should probably return with a good quality moly grease product.
Thank you Justo Juez. If the front wheel is wobbly I'll assume its just worn out so to make it less wobbly take the wheel off and try using something to take the space up from the wheelaand the bolt. I would suggest using a pop can. Cut into a strip wide enough to fit inside the hole for the bolt and wrap the can around it once or twice to make up for the missing plastic. If not replacement wheels are 10-20 dollars online.
Yes I have a Toro lawn mower the self propel is in the back it works fine going forward when I pull it in reverse and let go of the lever the Wheels lock up what can I
Ever replaced the blade stop belt bearings and spacers on these? My bearings broke off into several pieces. Those parts are hard to find as is that belt isn’t even listed on toros site.
Does the spring just sit on the axle under the key, so be sure it does not pop off or get flush out when cleaning. You stated, add grease to the pinion key? Should you not add a "little" to the key? Any idea why a spring loaded key? Is it for when pulling backwards , it gets recess allowing wheels to rotate freely. I have this problem, now on my 2011 Toro Personnal Pace Also wobbly front wheel.
Many thanks for your video. I am a novice, but decided I could handle replacing a broken drive belt on my Toro Super Recycler w/Personal Pace system. I was successful in replacing the belt, but now my rear wheels lock up when I try to pull the mower backwards. Can you offer any advice on how to fix?
@@HomeGaragechannel No, I didn't do anything with the wheels just the belt. The belt is now pushing my mower just fine, but the rear wheels won't disengage when trying to pull it backwards. Would you say my cable needs tightening or loosening?
@@trearabie7291 sounds like you may have gotten the wrong size belt. There should have been slack in the belt. As you push the handle the belt tightens up. The belt is loose so you can push the mower until you activate the shelf propel.
No the blade is still on. I checked the blade to deck clearance before I did it but i was a bit worried at first. There was about a half inch clearance between the deck and the blade so the 4 by 4 wasn't going to hit the blade.
1. Don't use WD40 to clean it out. 2. Don't put grease back onto the axle as that's what caused the problem to start with collecting dirt and clogging everything up.
I think I have, if not I've looked into it before and it's not good, support bushing wear on all three sides, and even cone gear wear. The last one I did, I just replaced the entire transmission
I want to get a self - propelled mower. My Better Half thinks it would take away the exercise that our body needs. Those S.P. mowers might take a bit of upkeep that I don't know about. Please give me further input.
The exercise is good, but mowing the grass shouldn't be about loosing weight. Just the effort of walking behind it, and steering it enough exercise. Get the self propel
That rear wheel drive mechanism has a cable and some sort of guide piece near the hands that is broken on mine... but no clue what that is called or how to replace it or what it does...
@@HomeGaragechannel I don't think so. Once I can name the part, I believe it can be replaced, but I have to identify the name and how to replace it. The mower is nearly new and was given to me FREE; all it lacks is this one broken part, which I believe allows engagement of the rear wheel drive ...
Gotcha. Try something for me. On the left side of the handle there is a plastic piece that holds the cable for the self propel. Loosen the nut and pull the cable down about a quarter inch and tighten the nut. This will put more tension on the drive belt. If it helps but could be better still move the cable down another quarter inch. Let me know if this helps.
Home Garage Just bought a used toro recycler on Craig List just like that and think the transmission is starting to go 😡. Sounds like the gears are starting to slip/ grind. The tires both move okay and the personal pace is working fine. I suppose this is the first sign?
I have the same problem and was hoping this fix would correct my drive problem. Model 20332. Took off the wheel, snap ring and gear, to find the axle is different on mine. There is NO spring loaded cog! Where my gear fits, the axle is squared off. Can’t find ANY video showing my setup. Any advice? Ever hear of a different axle on these models?
I have a 20332 also. Won't back up. Installed new Toro drive belt and adjusted cable clamp. Pulls good then pulls softer till you need to adjust the cable again. Only thing left are the pulleys and trans.
I have a Toro Recycler 22" model #20340 needing some repairs. There are several Toro Recycler 22's for sale near me at reasonable prices, so I'm thinking of buying one. Do you know if parts would be interchangeable as long as it is another 22" RWD or do I have to do an exact match - another model 20340 to be able to swap out parts. Appreciate any guidance / input you can provide to help me with this. Thanks!
it's best to match up the model number and also make sure the serial numbers are in the same range. you'll have to look at a list online to find out the ranges.
Is it possible this is the problem with my mower. The transmission belt is turning when engaged but the wheels isnt turning. I have a similar toro model. I should also mentioned that the self propel just stopped working all of a sudden while cutting lawn.
Temujin Khan thanks for commenting. Is it rear wheel drive or front? The belt is hard to see on rear wheel drive models. The front wheel trannys have lots of gear problems.
your description is a bit confusing. Can you describe the situation again? you might also want to start a new comment because any reply to this one, will be lost from all the new comments I get.
I have the same issue. Bought the mower in mid April and was mowing the grass tonight and the front wheel drive stopped pulling and smoke came from under the the deck. Shut it down and lifted it up. Smoke was coming from what looks like a small gear box. It was 8pm already so tomorrow I will call Home Depot and they will replace this mower.
@@HomeGaragechannel They will replace it because I will not let up. Not Home Depots fault so they can send the junk back to Toro on Toro's tab. If they say no, I will demand a refund and tell them that I will go to Walmart across the street. Mower doesn't have scratch on it and broke. Smoked so bad I didn't try to continue without engaging the drive.
how do I get the replacement keys for the self propelled gear? I followed ur video and when I got to the key part my key literally crumbled to dust! lol
Just bought my new Toro 20353 and notice the front wheels dont spin when I put the front wheels up with the drive system in gear. But the real wheels are going. Do I have a defective unit?
@@HomeGaragechannel Out of the box the tension cables to all 4 wheels was loose. I got them tightened and now the mower pulls me up the hill. Thanks for the response.
I have a problem with my troy built mower. When the wheels are off the ground and i don't put too much pressure on the self propelled lever the wheels will spin. But as soon as they touch the ground nothing. The belt seems good so do you think it's the transmission? And how do i go about fixing it?
@@eddiemaxwell7593 have you tried taking off the wheels to look at the axles? The only other thing it could be is wear inside the gearbox. The 2 gears are just barely touching and any load is causing the wheels not to turn.
@@HomeGaragechannel yes sir i even took one wheel off and tried it so i could see that the axle is what stops spinning. It really sucks because it's a really expensive part that i can't afford. Sorry to bother you man it's such a nice mower that i got for really cheap and really wanted to get it going. It even has electric start and runs perfect. I guess I'll just use it as a push mower unless i get lucky and find one at the scrap yard that i can get parts off of. I can't complain i paid 10 bucks and ordered a cheap battery for 15. I guess 25 for a mower with electric start that i have to push ain't so bad.
Help, my front wheel toro wheels aren't turning. I took the cover off and I can see that the belt is spinning fine on the pulley but the gears on the transmission dont seem to be spinning. Could this be fixed or is the transmission shot?
Thank you Luis Trevino for the comment. The front wheel drive units are interesting. There are two types from what I can tell. One is the self propel bar will move the entire gearbox away from the engine and this makes the belt grab the crankshaft pulley and turns the pulley on the transmission. The other method is the belt is always tight and the self propel bar actually moves a lever inside the gearbox to make it work. Please squeeze the lever while the over is off the deck and see if the gearbox is moving or stationary. Then we can decide if the transmission is bad. If it's bad then you would buy a used tranny on Ebay but I had to say it it's not a fun job at all.
Home Garage thanks for the info. I did squeeze the lever with the cover off. I can see the pulley moving forward when I engage the lever and the belt is spinning just fine around it. I tried to spin the pulley by hand and I can see the gear closest to the pulley (the one that looks to be upside down in the transmission box) spins but it’s not catching the bigger gear (the one that is attached to the axle.
You did a great job in looking at it and telling me what you see. I have seen this problem before unfortunately it looks like the two gears have worn to the point that they are not touching each other. An unconventional fix is to remove the upside down gear and reinstall it with washer to move the upside down gear closer to the other gear. However it doesn't always work. I'm not sure if you can buy the gears separately and replace them.
INSIDE HOUSE GARAGE thank you very much I’m definitely going to try the washer first and see if that works. Otherwise I’ll get new gears. Thanks again!
The transmission is shot on mine. Thought I could replace it myself. Hell no. An absolute nightmare. Then I figured I could still use it w/o the self propelled system, but now the right tire won’t even turn forward while it’s off. It’ll go back but not forward. What is making it not go forward anymore? Left wheel turns fine. Ridiculous I can’t even roll it to the trash!
I have not seen you mention anything about premature wearing of the plastic Drive gear on the wheel of the Toro Personal pace. It's definitely a design problem because the steal drive gear does not set deep enough into the plastic gear on the Wheel and before too long you have to replace that wheel that still has plenty of plastic gear left on it!
oh I see what you're asking. you mean the plastic teeth on the wheel portion. I haven't mentioned it because I haven't come across it yet I guess But I know what you're talking about.
Well this was my third Toro that had this problem with,I was hoping that Toro had come up with something like a wheel with a larger diameter gear on it or a wheel bracket kit that put that wheel closer to the steel drive gear.These companies hire engineers to design flaws in the equipment to limit their life expectancy and this is one of them!
you are correct. the wheels were meant to only last a certain amount of time before the teeth wears out on the wheel. Yes I would have like to have seen an "extend" metal gear, to reach the fresh part of the plastic.
either the belt has stretched, or there might be a problem with the gears inside the gearbox. they maybe worn out, the gears will make contact when you life the mower, but when you put a load not the gearbox, the gears won't make contact.
