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

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I dusted off the 1 yr old Honda HRB217HXA and did my usual maitanience routine last week. The problem I'm having is that the engine does not idle smoothly.

It surges high and low like it is running lean. On a Briggs or Techumseh I would just adjust the screw on the bottom of the carb until the engine picked up RPMs and ran smoothly.

Unfortunatly the Honda does not have this adjustment screw. The book included with the mower does not tell you how to make a carb adjustment...only how to adjust the choke. I'm not taking it to my friendly Honda dealer to the tune of $60 + an hour.

Can anyone give me some guidance?

I've always liked Briggs engines and have never had to adjust one on a yearly basis.

                                                                                                                                     Dan

Dan - this carb will have to be disassembled & cleaned out. These carbs are simple, so if you decide to tackle it, I can guide you some. Turn off the fuel valve, remove the fuel hose, & remove the carb from the engine, noting where the linkages/rods are positioned - make a quickie diagram or sketch. Then remove the nut at the carb's bottom & remove the float bowl. Remove the plastic float by sliding the pin out, & be sure to remove the small needle attached to the float. Now - take a can of carb cleaner (wear safety goggles) & direct the spray into EVERY little hole you can find. Spray the bowl too & wipe it out if its really dirty. Repeat spraying all previous holes. Put the needle on the float & reinstall them with the pin. Put the bowl back on & secure with the nut. Bolt the carb back on the engine with the linkages already attached to it. DO NOT overtighten the carb mounting bolts - they're aluminum & will strip easilly! You should be able to get away without purchasing any gaskets if you carefully disassemble everything. However, If you're not real good with a screwdriver, the Honda dealership would unfortunately be the best route to go.

Marty

Thanks, the one link provided shows the adjustment and correct RPM's. My manual does not include that info. It just wants you to take it to a dealer for anything other than a cable adjustment .

Hopefully I won't have to take apart the carb...but it sure comes off easy enough if I do.

My regular matainance is to run the mower dry before storage, change oil and spark plug and sharpen the blades. Grease and adjust as needed. I always use a fuel stabilizer with every tank. 

                                                                                                         Dan