( UPDATE) 430 crawler transmission noise? ( UPDATE )

[Vinny Cavaliere]

I have a 430 c 5 roller 5 speed with reverser. I have been progressively hearing a noise I think is coming from the trans. It is now at the point I cannot use reverse in first gear. It sounds like gears grinding and wont move. Then it will start to jump a little and maybe move a little but it sounds then like big time bad. If I put it in second gear and reverse it works fine. I will just occasionally hear a noise. I only use the reverser as I have the reverse shifter bolted out. I am doing a project and am hoping I can finnish. what I have been doing is pushing in first gear as I have a outside mounted blade. Then shift to 2nd and put the reverser in reverse to backup.
When it is time to get into this what do I attack? Do I go thru the cover to see what is what or take the engine out? Will all 420 parts fit this? Thanks for any help.
Vinny

I finally did get the 430 home and the first thing I did was to take off the tran. cover. What I see is The first gear cluster gear is missing several teeth and if their is suppose to be a bearing on each side like the parts book they are gone. The gear you can lift it up and wobble it around.
What would be recommended as the best way to get at this. I have never done anything this in-depth before.I am pretty sure I can get the gear but what perishable parts will I need along the way.
Thanks for any help
Vinny

[mapaduke@yahoo.com]

I would drain the trans oil and remove the top cover and have a look and hope its just a barring gone bad if its the spider gears in the reverser it will be very expensive to fix if you can find the parts.

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

If this turns out to be the reverser (although it does sounds like the transmission from the description), you can leave the reverser in forward and use the reverse gear in the transmission. The ground speed of machine in R is the same as 2nd.

When I'm digging in 1st, I leave my reverser in forward and shift fore and aft using the transmission. I find it a pain to shift into 2nd and then shift the reverser. If I'm using 2nd or 3rd, then I use just the reverser. There is a pain to shifting the gears that the reverser avoids.

I rarely ever use 4th besides for transport, and I never use 5th. I find 5th to be somewhat scary, actually, and the machine takes a lot of pounding trying to go that fast!

Anyway, with the reverser in forward, the spyder gears never turn so you can finish your job before you get into that costly section. If it's the reverser, of course. If it is the transmission, then you're going to have to quit the job and dig in right away....

Later!

Stan

[JimAnderson]

Vinny,
There is a major difference between the 430 input shaft and all but
the last of the 420 series.It is about seven inches longer.The output
shaft is the same after 125,000 on the 420 as the 430.The early 440
transmission internals are same as the 430.When the transmission
is in 2nd gear the input shaft gear drives the output shaft directlyWhen in first the power goes through the cluster gear then the output shaft.
If the transmission is grinding in first I would guess that the bearings
in the first speed cluster gear failed.With the top cover off you can
grab that gear and see if it is loose on the input shaft.
Hope it all lasts until your finished but it sounds like a teardown
is in your future.Luck,JimAnderson

[Vinny Cavaliere]

Thanks for the info. I have to digest some of this and will be trying some of the gear combos.As we are preparing for the hurricane it will be a few days until I try them. I do believe taking the cover off and taking a look would be the thing to do first.
Lavoy this a excellent site as I would have no clue on what to do
Jim I will be saving the parts combo you mentioned.
Thanks Vinny

[Lavoy]

I would discontinue the use of the crawler immediately until a diagnosis is determined. My bet is you have bad trans bearings.
Lavoy

[KenP]

deleted

[Lavoy]

The only thing I would add to what Ken says, if you continue to drive the crawler, you will have a lot of pieces too, just nothing that is useable any more.
Lavoy