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Peerless 206-545C Transaxle

L

LesH

New User
I own a Sears Craftsman LT-1000 which is now 12 years old. 18HP B&S Vanguard motor with a Peerless 206-545C transaxle. Rebuilt the deck about three times, installed a new deck shell, change the motor oil and filter every 25 Hours. Everything still works beautifully.
My issue is this; The manual says the Peerless transaxle is not serviceable, only has a fill plug in the top which is really difficult to access.
I really want to change the gear oil, but to dismantle it to turn it upside down to drain the oil seems ridiculous. I have heard that some folks have bored and tapped a 3/8-18 drain hole in the bottom, for service purposes.
Has anyone here done this and if so, is there a specific spot on the bottom ? I don't want to damage any internal parts with a drill or tap. Any advice ?
Thanks for any help.
 
The lube in that unit is called Peerless Bentonite (spelling?) grease, a semi fluid type lubricant. The reason there isnt a drain is because it wont drain out of a plug hole anyway unless you heat things up or flushed it out with solvent of some type. If your worried about the lube being contaminated the only way to fix that is to split the case and wash it out. All of them seep a bit of lube but you can remove the top plug and force more in. The lube comes in a squeeze tube, or used to anyway.
 
That's odd because Craftsman (Sears) lists 80/90W gear oil as a part number for this transaxle.
 
Looked up your trans and sure enough 80-90, I stand corrected. All of those gear drive Peerless trans that I have been into had the goo like Bentonite in them. Sorry for the miss information.
 
You sure you don't have one of what they call permanently sealed transaxle. They will have plug on top but oil is not changed unless you have trouble with transaxle.
 
Yes, it is a sealed transaxle. However, the oil inside is supposed to be good for the 'life cycle' of the machine yet nobody knows exactly how long (yrs) the 'life cycle' is. It is going on 12 years old and I believe an oil change is due. I am a firm believer that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', but my gut says PM is the way to go.
As I commented earlier, I saw on the internet where some mechanics have drilled and tapped a drain hole in the bottom of this transaxle to change the oil, but I forgot where this was that I saw the video's and can't seem to find them again.
 
I have added a drain plug to some gearboxes that didn't have them. The thing you have to be aware
of is that most drain plugs have a thicker boss of metal around them to provide more depth for
thread and more strength. If just drilling in a random but likely place it may not be too thick. I
use a 1/8 pipe thread as it is small and fairly fine (more threads engaged). You can get small
socket head, (allen) type plugs that don't extend too far out if this might be a problem, you do't
want to hit the plug on a rock or some such thing and rip it out. If yo are careful tapping and
stop at just the right place the plug will screw in and be OK. If it is thin don't screw it in too
tight or it may keep going right in. I put a sealant or loctite on the threads. If the gearbox is
aluminum as opposed to cast iron, be especially careful. I know 80-90 will drain slow from a 1/8"
pipe hole, but it will after a while.
 
Thank you. Your advice is helpful. I'm still seeking advice on where to specifically do the drill and tap as I don't want to hit any gears or shafts.
Thanks again !
 
I think if it was mine I would remove the transaxle, clean it, and look at the inside to find the best place for a plug. For next time.
 
Thanks but removing the transaxle is a major job. If I did that, I could drain the oil out of the fill hole and replace it with Amsoil 80/90W synthetic which would last for another 12 years.
Not sure I am able to tear it apart (remove it), but it's beginning to sound like I might need to.
Thanks for your advice.
 
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