Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I have a gnashing noise when I engage the auger on my snowthrower. All the belts and pulleys are adjusted properly.The pulleys and sheaves are running true and are secure on their shafts. All the tensions are correct. The gearbox is filled with 90wt.hypoid to the proper level. The auger is properly greased and free on it's shaft and the shear pins are the correct ones for the machine.They are not grooved and are torqued to 11ft.lbs as called for in the manual.The brake arm is adjusted to 1/4" clearance with the handle depressed as called for in the manual.There is about 1/32" lash in the auger which seems to be normal for this kind of set up. I drained the gearbolx and poured the oil in front of a flashlight and found no metal fillings so I assume the gears are ok.The machine has about ten hours on it and and has made the noise from new.

The unit is a TroyBilt 42010 .It is the last of the Gardenway produced machines before MTD bought the name.I bought it at a deep discount in a crate in 1997 and used it for the first time last year. I did the assembly myself according to the assembly manual and no short cuts were taken.The noise has been present ever since the first use. The machine works flawlessly but the noise bothers me as I am afraid something is amiss. Any suggestions?

Marc