Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Sears Lawn Tractor - Intermittant Reverse

Question
Hi Eric,
I have a Sears Model 917.273810 Lawn Tractor with a Peerless 206-545C 6-speed transaxle. Neutral and all forward speeds work fine, but remains in neutral when the shift lever is moved to reverse. The problem was intermittent last summer, becoming more frequent with time. Is this some kind of adjustment problem or is this an internal transaxle problem? Thanks in advance for any light you can shed on this problem.

Respectfully,
Dennis

Answer
It could be your shift keys inside the transaxle.  I have replaced a lot of keys over the years.

Go to this URL for the repair manual:

http://www.wfmfiles.com/download/Tecumseh-Peerless_Motion_Drive_System_-_Transmi(691218).pdf

Look for the shift keys and you will see that for reverse the keys need to engage all the way to one side.

Do you have all of your forward speeds?
Eric