Fixing A Honda Mower That Starts But Runs Poorly

[@oboewankenobo8675]

I have a Honda( not this model) which I love with the dual blade system. Especially great for mulching leaves come fall. I have 3 sets of blades that I change regularly ( I mow 3 other lawns plus my own) ( I have a thing about having a sharp blade). I change the oil 3 times a season and spark plug once a season. Call me cheap but I have 2 air filters that I rotate when they look dirty. I knock the heavy dirt out then spray Simple Green on them, let them soak for a time then spray them with water and dry. They look and work like new. Bin doing this for years now with no problems. Glad my Honda doesn’t have all the knobs and levers yours does. Sometimes simpler is better. Love your vids. Keep up the good work.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice, And I would never call someone cheap unless I knew them personally

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@HomeGaragechannel No. Cheap is usually too good a term.

[@christophermarshall5765]

I'm servicing my mower this coming Monday, then I'll be using it. The air filter is a foam oil damp type. Once oil is changed, it will get a blade sharpen, & add fuel, good to go.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

very nice!

[@tnrodgers]

Hondas are great motors, but like every engine, they need basic maintenance. Good repair.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Very true!

[@eee2115]

If they had just replaced the airfilter and tested, I think it would have probably run fine. Plug dirty, and easy to replace. These people had more money than brains. Oil leak....just top it off. I do that with my car anyway.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I agree

[@princenoah21]

Wow. The previous owner couldn't even just change an air filter or a spark plug. I thought 'I' was lazy. 🙄 But as always, you fix the most expensive machines. 🙂 Great work as always.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you and yes, they simply can't be bothered

[@josephmeadows8521]

You're videos are improving really good 👍

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks

[@josephmeadows8521]

You're welcome

[@mikehrdlicka8635]

Seeing you use drill to crank over engine made me think of a toro I got free. The guy must have been cranking it with a impact. Ya know what happened it did. I drilled it out and tapped it to 3/8 fine. Cleaned carburetor back in business.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice work

[@tjclarke4604]

NGK BPR*6*ES are the ones I use on Hondas, Stens 102-713 (Honda combo filter) and 102-549 (B&S filter) are an automatic replacement in my shop, just a couple of examples, they are affordable, and in bulk cost me about $3.50 each in bulk. They are the very first thing we look at, and just replace. The same parts can be purchased at big box stores for over $20.00, which makes no sense to me, and is yet another reason why I always suggest that people find a qualified OPE technician who works on his own, or a small shop rather than bringing it to a big shop with fancy signs and a massive showroom. The job you just did in this video (well done, might I add), a large shop would have burned the customer for $120 labor, $18 air filter, and around $12.00 'shop supplies, add tax and whatever else the service manager can dream up and you are looking at dang close to $200 when you take it home. My shop would charge $60, and that is fair to both the customer and myself. I guess my point is that the big shops are in the business of making money, which makes sense, but it often comes at the expense of ripping off customers as much as possible, where the smaller operations are more focused on actually helping people and being fair. I actually quit my job as a lead tech and shop controller at a large dealership because it just made me sick to see how badly they were gouging people. I've been in the trade for 30 years, and I stand behind my promise of quality work at an affordable price.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice choice in plug, and I agree with you

[@paulburns3788]

Hello Home garage how are you feeling the other day one of my neighbors put a old craftsman lawn mower out on their curb so I brought it home and cleaned it up and I fixed it also it runs ok

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I'm doing okay just working like usual. Very nice work too!

[@butler386]

Fortunately I was raised to service my own vehicles and mowers. However, I have a daughter that no matter how many times you talk and show her how to do the simple things she would rather her uncle that lives close by to service her mower every spring. So that is frustrating to me but it is what it is.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

wow that is very frustrating

[@riceburner4747]

My grass was high/damp. Grass was all caked when I was done. Washed off complete mower, pulled all wheels,cleaned, lubed up, & coated bottom of deck w/Fluid Film. Thats a shame, an $800 mower. What we all do is what they did in the olden days. Keep them running as long as you can! 👍

[@HomeGaragechannel]

wow nice work, and yes it's a real shame indeed

[@shangrilaladeda]

I usually mow my grass when it’s wet, I have penncross creeping bentgrass and it always enjoys to stay moist

[@blakeswauger4879]

I love picking up free or cheap mowers just to fix and maintain them use with my small grass cutting business until I sell them

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you and me both

[@watermanone7567]

Very nice video, and what a score for you. I had a craftsman walk behind mower yesterday that had about the most plugged air filter I have ever seen. I don't know how it even ran. Like yours, no maintenance until they won't run.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it's simply amazing what simple maintenance gets looked over.

[@Fender178]

I know with my Murray 21in from 2017 by changing the Air filter the mower started on the 1st pull. Before that it was hit or miss. There were issues where it was hard to start after the engine was warm you had to always prime it again but now with a new air filter hopefully that will fix that issue. My only issue with a blade clutch system it is just another system that can wear out in due time. However I see the positives of having it because you can shut off the blades quickly if something is amiss.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you are correct, it's a good system but it has its drawbacks.

[@PRO4XKEV]

I have the same mower, got mine new in 2013. I take care of mine, oil change with synthetic 5w-30 oil every season, new plug and filter every other season. Sharpen blades every season, wash at end of season and I use automotive fuel injection /carb cleaner at times, just a little inside the tank maybe 1 oz. and I use 89 fuel octane. I have never checked the valve lash, maybe I will look at that.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks for sharing

[@Turningwrenches85]

Nice work on this Honda it's always most of the time the easy things

[@HomeGaragechannel]

You got that right!

[@spencerdudeschannel]

Nice video man!!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks for the visit

[@Patrick4959]

yes for sure and yep i look after my mowers and machinery and dramas in them at all etc.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I can see that happening with you, you're very good at what you do

[@paulburns3788]

Hello Home garage put some WD-40 on the bottom of the lawnmower it's keeps the grass from sticking I put WD-40 on the bottom my lawnmower keep the grass from sticking to the bottom it works

[@HomeGaragechannel]

good advice, thank you Paul Burns

[@mateo85tx]

My comment was removed for some reason. Was telling you bottom side of valve cover with the tab is what holds the cam pin in place. There is a oring that’s leaking more than likely. Just pull the pin out and replace oring. Need to remove engine is the only bad part.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

oh nice, thanks for the tip, and FYI, I didn't remove your comment, so I'm not sure what happened to it.

[@mateo85tx]

@@HomeGaragechannel 91301-zm0-v31 that’s the part number for the oring. Also make an awesome video !!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

One thing we can always count on is that we'll NEVER know the whole truth about anything like this. And if someone isn't doing anything to take care of stuff it's VERY doubtful they'll change. Happy weekend and Blessings

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes very true

[@donmayberryjrsOPE]

Honda engines are positively more resilient to customer neglect and ethanoled gas than anything else on the market but, a little preventive maintenance goes a long way. SOON you'll see decals on new machines not only telling you to never change the oil but also never clean the filter and never sharpen the blades! 😁🥺😭

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you got that right

[@sivucit]

just to let you know i had similar problem with leak and it is not the sealent , there is a smal o ring that cover camshaft holder that is in middle of the crankshaft that guy leaks

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes it's rare but it does happen there, from time to time.

[@mjg263]

Nice Versamow!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I know right, these are great mowers

[@Hexbyte965]

Nice mower. Good trade.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Sure is

[@milosmilovanovic6493]

Your oil leak is not comming from the valve cover, but the camshaft o-ring. When you remove the shaft that the cam ia mounted on it can be replaced in no time. But in this application i dont think there is room to take the shaft out.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

not on this one, it was the valve cover. It's been weeks since the re-seal and it hasn't dropped any oil

[@jesterr7133]

I took your advice and oiled the choke mechanism on my GCV160. The choke is now working perfectly. It starts on the first pull and will run okay on the highest engine speed setting, but it surges on every other setting, and dies on the lowest ones. It has a new airbox, air filter, carb, gaskets, choke lever, fuel lines, and spark plug. I cleaned the connection points on the coil and flywheel. I checked the fuel flow from the gas tank, and it seems to be fine. I checked the gas cap, but I did not see any vents. It looks like it may have an aftermarket cap. I didn't see any gaskets, vents, or really anything on it. It looks like the one in this video, but that gasket where the vents are is not there. Any ideas? I'm just kinda shooting in the dark at this point.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

sure, check the cap again, even an aftermarket one has vents. once you find them, spray carb cleaner into the holes, then compressed air. After that, pull out the inline fuel filter at the outlet of the tank and clean it wit carb cleaner and air too.

[@mikespain8655]

Use a heat gun on valve cover to loosen Permatex, it really helps.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

interesting idea.

[@GuysPlayingWithTools]

I agree, I don't like the blade clutch because it's another possible fail point that mowers don't need.

[@billthepainter5106]

I've been using these mowers for 18+ years and have never had a failure.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks

[@HomeGaragechannel]

wow nice!

[@GuysPlayingWithTools]

@billthepainter5106 Of course, most will never fail, and it is a safety device, but IMHO it feels over-engineered compared to a standard safety bar.

[@georgepruitt637]

@@GuysPlayingWithTools It serves a purpose in the eyes of Honda management.

[@tigerdale2]

I've learned a lot from your videos and i appreciate the work you put in to produce them. My question to you is... is it perfectly ok to start a mower without having the blades installed? I had been told that it would jerk the rope out of your hands if the blades weren't installed. But it'll start and run just fine if there's no problems with the mower itself? Thanks again for your videos!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I was wondering when someone was going to ask that, the answer is NO you should not but this mower is special. Because it has a clutch on the blade it doesn't spin the blade anyway. But on a mower that doesn't have a clutch, the blade acts as a counterweight.

[@electroddxful]

Great job and video 👍🙏👍🙏

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thank you very much!

[@eddietigue547]

I like to see a video on Huskee brand mower I have a Huskee and it's one of my favorite brands

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I wish I had more of them, but a lot of people don't buy them because they are too expensive

[@sivucit]

Hi can you pls expalin bit more of compression relase. like how it works. i rebuilt the whole engine so i am very mechanically inclined but i am an auto mechanic... curious to know about what control the compression relase. i see a lever on camshaft i assume that is to do compression release, but not sure how that got activates and how does that work, where does the release compression goes.. please apprecaite your help.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

sure, the compression release is most often, tang made from metal, that's higher in profile, than the cam lobe. At low RPM's, this tang is in play, opening the valve to reduce the compression level, but at higher speeds, like at idle, the tang will be moved out of the way, so it's no longer working.

[@liljoeii6091]

Thank you for the video

[@HomeGaragechannel]

You bet!

[@jameslarkin395]

I have the same type of lawnmower with the blade clutch mechanism (which I don't like). To avoid this clutch giving trouble in the future, I'm thinking of permanently enabling the blade rotation by putting a cable tie on the lever. Do you know if these blade clutches give trouble and is it a good idea to just keep the blade rotating all the time instead?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I've never had trouble with the cable, even on a severely neglected one. I would not recommend permanently engaging the blade, because it might cause starting issues

[@briantii]

I love the blade clutch feature and won't buy a mower without it. I look at it as another thing to help protect the crank if you hit something. It's also super handy for running the engine dry of fuel for storage... Just turn the fuel off let it idle while you blow leaves or something. The system is pretty reliable. You MIGHT have to replace bearings one day... Maybe.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes I completely agree with you

[@mr1pearl]

First 👍 Should hook up a sulky behind that one seems like that transmission could handle it !

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes I agree

[@clanoffun8819]

Hi my 212cc pro point Is surging at max rpm after removing Bowl but before I removed it was not surging at max rpm I cleaned the entire carb again every hole every jet and umulsion tube and my govenor is good I double checked and spark plug is good engine is less than 1 week old any ideas why? And everything is installed correctly umulsion tube is good and fuel jet. Can my fuel jet be to tight or my Bowl nut?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

no, I don't think they're too tight. my guess is that there's a small air leak at the bowl gasket. it could be interfering with the flow of fuel out of the carb.

[@clanoffun8819]

@HomeGaragechannel yes thank you I think that's the problem cus I opened up that bowl like 30 times thank you

[@LeeLeezy19]

11:33 wow i thought the mower was gon take off on you😂

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it almost did

[@imvclxps1025]

Hey man love the videos! What do you use to film the videos? Just curious

[@HomeGaragechannel]

sure, I use a 4 year smart phone.

[@imvclxps1025]

@@HomeGaragechannelThank you!

[@gearhead366]

Wow! I figured that the people who would pay north of $600 for a push mower would be the type who would keep it maintained, if not by their own hand, then that of a local shop.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it's amazing

[@jay7264]

There's an oring on that pin that holds the camshaft in. Check that

[@HomeGaragechannel]

on this one just resealing the valve cover fixed it. But the next honda mower is believe is leaking there.

[@teknikmaster8598]

Hi! I’m thinking to buy the same model online. Do you know What year this model was made?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I think this is a 2018

[@wwvette]

My Craftsman Platinum Is A Great Heavy Duty Mower! There Is Two Things That Would Have Made It Better Is A Throttle Control And Blade Stop...

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I like the throttle control, but I don't like the blade stop as it's another item to fail

[@edrodrigues5623]

Nice machine..I thought you were going to be taking that carb off.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

since it took it off the last time, and because it started and ran, I wasn't going to unless I had to

[@usingtubes]

what product (purple bottle) are you using to clean?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

the bottle is a super clean Degreaser however it's filled with a degreaser from Harbor Freight

[@999thenewman]

The reality is the less thinking people have to do, the easier life is. Most folks cannot process much of anything, so life is mostly neglect with one expensive disaster after another. It isn't so bad if your income is higher than average.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

agreed, they are like flukes, tough feel, and turn away from bright lights.

[@999thenewman]

@@HomeGaragechannel One thing for sure, it takes a resilient mindset to willingly go through pain.

[@jesterr7133]

I think that part of the cap is just not there anymore. There is nothing on the under side of the cap but that peg in the middle.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I guess I'll have to find the video where I point it out.

[@grisvasq]

I have one couple years can you fix it. How can do it oh try to fix myself..

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it's best to try yourself. No better way to learn

[@etronix4922]

What happens if you pull the starting cord while the engine is running?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

the pawls will try to engage the starter cup but since the engine is spinning at full speed, they'll just rattle against the cup.

[@williamsnow1531]

I do all my own work on my equipment as well as maintain them.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

good choice

[@byrdprecision8824]

I have a hrm215 with a gxv140 on it and it’s getting oil into the air filter box from the crankcase vent, it has a new carb, the oil has been changed and the level is fine, where should I start or what could be the problem

[@HomeGaragechannel]

the only think I can think of is that there's too much blow by, from the piston, and pressurizing the block. Other than that, I'm not sure because I've never had to deal with that issue. Have you done a leak down test ?

[@byrdprecision8824]

@@HomeGaragechannel I have not, the compression is good and I don’t believe it’s the rings, could it be the pcv, have you heard or seen anything about that?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

if that's the case you shouldn't have issues

[@shedder1104]

What do you spray on the mower to clean it?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I use a degreaser from Harbor Freight

[@rickthelian2215]

Honda have pulled the 216/217 New Models from sale. I believe it has quality issues with the cam being manufactured wrongly not allowing the cam-plastic correctly before next step of building the cam.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you for the information

[@georgepruitt637]

One of the nice things about Honda" was that, when they made a mistake, they corrected it. Back in the late 1990's they had some "GX" series cams that got out that were not hardened on one lobe. The lobe would be round in as little as 10hrs. Honda issued bulletins, parts, made sure that if anyone found a rounded lobe on any of their cams, factory authorized repair !!!

[@philliphall5198]

Big #7 coming 😢

[@jay7264]

Could have been gas in the oil causing it to run rich from the ingesting the vapor thru the pcv

[@HomeGaragechannel]

interesting idea.

[@haneyoakie14]

Problem is the nut behind the handle.

[@GeneG-wk2mz]

Is it for sale

[@HomeGaragechannel]

at the moment no.

[@rickthelian2215]

Oil is really dirty, 25 hours is Honda recommenced Replacement time (Briggs 50 Hours) The spark plug looks 2 years old.as the oil does.😊

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you are correct

[@rickthelian2215]

@@HomeGaragechannel it’s best to do spark plug filter at the same time

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes it is

[@JCT442]

The most complicated walk behind mower I ever saw... too much to go wrong; Honda branded or not.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes there's a lot going on here.

[@DesireeStokes]

Promo'SM

[@erocker78]

That mower supports Trump! How do I know? It says MAGA in the serial number! 🎉😂 Trump 2024!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

LOL!!

[@twofeathers6540]