MTD Vari-drive pulley

[WelshMan]

We are having problems with loss of drive on an MTD E/165 lawn tractor and I think it's the varidrive pulley. I've taken off the transmission plate and loosened the drive belts.

 

The large middle pulley slides up and down the vertical shaft as it should, and spins freely.

 

The top and bottom circular plates on the pulley mechanism don't rotate at all on the shaft. Can someone confirm that this should be the case? Or should the whole of the pulley mechanism (number 49 in the diagram) rotate freely on the shaft (number 38).

[GardenKit]

The shaft is fixed, so the variator must rotate as a complete unit on the shaft.

[WelshMan]

The shaft is fixed, so the variator must rotate as a complete unit on the shaft.

 

Thanks Barrie. That's really helpful.