Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Peerless 206-545C, forward gears, rubber plug

Question
The transaxle on my rider developed a squeal which soon turned into a knocking & grinding sound. It still moves in all forward gears & reverse. I found the top side of the transaxle covered in dirt & grass. I cleaned it off & checked the gear oil. It has a rubber plug about 1 1/2" long. The rubber plug had gear oil touching the plug when I removed it. Is there a place that sells a "reman" tranny, or would my cheapest repair be to rebuild it myself? The rest of the rider is too good to quit using. Thanks, Mark

Answer
I very seldom recommend rebuilding a transaxle unless there's no other model available.  Rebuilding is usually more expensive in parts than to replace the entire assembly.  And on the modern transaxles, the cases aren't all that sturdy anyway.

I don't know of anybody that sells rebuilt transaxles although there may be.  eBay seems to be a good source for this sort of thing.  I know several people who have gotten very good deals on used and even new ones.  If you can give me the model and serial number of the mower, I can give you replacement costs for a new one.  Some aren't that expensive.