[moth898]

I have the same exteranl gears in my cat since last november, check if the belts aren't too tight. If they are, play with the exccentric to allow the belts to roll free. I test for any tightness with the motor removed.

I had the same problem with the cougar as you, but I found that applying the teflon gear grease works alot better than the supplied grease. Since the change I only used 1 set of gears.