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Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Honda HS621 restoration

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jrtrebor


Location: Michigan - 3 hours north of Chicago on the lake
Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Points: 539

Honda HS621 restoration
Original Message   Oct 27, 2013 8:57 pm
Well here is my most recent find.  Actually I bought it at an auction back in August.
But didn't get around to restoring it until earlier this month.
It was pretty rough but started on the second pull. So figured it
was worth the 40.00 I paid for it.


   

The upper handle was pretty messed up.  So I replaced it with one that I kept around from and old Toro CCR2000.
It bolted right up and was also a little longer than the stock Honda handle.  Which is nice.





Stripped and repainted the muffler cover.  As well as the lower handles.


 

The blower housing sides needed quite a bit of straighting.  Also welded on a small piece of steel onto the bottom of the left  side
where it had been worn off.  Not adding the piece would have allowed snow and water to get inside what is the belt and pulley
compartment.  That would not be good.  Installed a new set of paddles and a new scraper that I bought on ebay for $53.00

 


Cleaned up everything inside.  Have to say that these blower are really well built.  The steel used for the bucket and the
undercarriage is heavy gauge.  Actually the undercarriage is plate steel.  The bracket between the engine and the bucket
is like something you would find in a automobile.

 

Sandblasted the bucket and sealed some of the joints with auto Spot putty.  Gave it two coats of Rustoleum Red oxide primer.
Then two top coats of Krylon Tough Rust semi gloss.  I did end up giving the center interior section of the housing another
coat of black Rustoleum Hammer finish.  That gave it a smoother, slicker finish and that paint if extremely durable.
That is also what I painted the auger with.

 



 

Didn't do much else other than check the carb bowl for dirt or signs of water. 
Replaced the plug, oil was good and clean.  Belt was good.  So it's ready to go.

In case some of you noticed there is a modification that I made.  I designed a chute rotator system for it.
Which I will show in another thread.


This message was modified Jan 2, 2014 by a moderator
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blumonster


Location: Wisc.
Joined: Oct 14, 2011
Points: 163

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #23   Dec 29, 2013 2:37 am
jrtrebor wrote:
Sounds like either the tension pulley is getting at the belt.
Which could be because the pulley is out of alignment.
Or it could be the the belt is not routed correctly.
Usually there is a diagram on the inside of the belt cover on most
SS machines that show the correct way to route the belt.
On Toro's there is a post with a nylon sleeve on it.
If the belt doesn't get placed on the correct side of that post
it will eat belts.

The Honda's don't have that post. But they have a "Belt Keeper"
just in front of the crankshaft pulley. 
The Keeper has a "notch" in the top of it.  So it looks as if the belt should run over the top in that notch.
But in fact, it's supposed to run underneath the keeper as shown in the photo below.
  If it's run over the top your going to get binding, reduced power to
the auger and it's going to eat up your belt.
Just a thought.





Thanlk you for the help jtrebor. I opened it up yesterday and compared the current belt with the previous one and Honda belt. Honda belt is thinner than the other two, must be a belt issue. I tried it after putting the new belt although there was no new snow to clear. It worked fine. I will report back when we get new snowfall.
blumonster


Location: Wisc.
Joined: Oct 14, 2011
Points: 163

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #24   Dec 29, 2013 2:44 am
aa335 wrote:
The HS621 is significantly better machine performance wise than the HS35.  However, the HS35 is quite an engineering design.  It is so stout and robust that it is begging for a much more powerful engine.  Unfortunately, such a design today would be highly cost prohibitive.  Even maintaining  the old HS35 in running shape is expensive already.

The symptoms of clogging and burn smell and bits of rubber on the inside are indicators of slipping belt.  Definitely a belt tension or routing issues.  jrtrebor is right on target with his assessment on the root cause.  The belt should be under that little tab next to the crank pulley.  While you have the belt cover open, I would look around to see if anything else needs attention.  Check the idler pulley to make sure that it is spinning without excessive play and not binding.  Also, the idler arm should pivoting smoothly without and excessive play.  Try spinning the auger without the belt engaged and check for any binding there as well.  Problems might be a seized or worn out auger shaft bearing.  That's pretty much it.  These older Honda are quite well built and they are a joy to work on.  Most problems can be easily taken care while the belt cover is off.


Thank you for the help, aa335. It was just the belt. I like it when the solution is simple. Augur spinned when turned by hand, though not super fast. Also noticed the free play on the handle, could not measure it as the manual described but it looked normal. Idler pulley was spinning fine. When the machine was tilted back, a pool of gas drained by itself on the ground. Is that how it should be when you tilt it?
jrtrebor


Location: Michigan - 3 hours north of Chicago on the lake
Joined: Feb 10, 2010
Points: 539

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #25   Dec 29, 2013 8:49 am

"Augur spinned when turned by hand, though not super fast".  "When the machine was tilted back, a pool of gas drained by itself on the ground. Is that how it should be when you tilt it"?

The Augers will not spin freely by hand unless you press down on the tension pulley a little.
Doing so lifts the "Pulley Brake arm" off the auger pulley.  Then the augers should spin freely,
especially if the belt is off the machine.
You can see the "Pulley Brake arm" (center left) in the photo.

The carbs. on these machines have a vent or drain hose.
Sometimes they will vent a little fuel when tipped back.
aa335


Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #26   Jan 2, 2014 4:13 pm
blumonster wrote:
Thank you for the help, aa335. It was just the belt. I like it when the solution is simple. Augur spinned when turned by hand, though not super fast. Also noticed the free play on the handle, could not measure it as the manual described but it looked normal. Idler pulley was spinning fine. When the machine was tilted back, a pool of gas drained by itself on the ground. Is that how it should be when you tilt it?

I use the manual as a baseline for setting the tension.  It's kind of a guestimate for the play on the bail handle.  I just fine tune it from there, which is a just a notch tighter than stock.  Just make sure it is not too tight.  You will prematurely stretch the belt and not let the auger brake engage properly.

I have not seen any kind of fuel coming out of this snowblower.   Can't tell you if what you're seeing is normal.
This message was modified Jan 2, 2014 by aa335
MN_Runner


Location: St. Paul, Minnesota
Joined: Dec 5, 2010
Points: 622

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #27   Jan 2, 2014 4:31 pm
aa335 wrote: I have not seen any kind of fuel coming out of this snowblower.   Can't tell you if what you're seeing is normal.


When my HS520 is tilted, there is a little gas that comes out and I can smell the fuel. I think it is normal like as confirmed by jetbrator.
niper99


Location: London Ont
Joined: Dec 2, 2007
Points: 354

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #28   Jan 5, 2014 1:36 am
blumonster wrote:
Thank you for the help, aa335. It was just the belt. I like it when the solution is simple. Augur spinned when turned by hand, though not super fast. Also noticed the free play on the handle, could not measure it as the manual described but it looked normal. Idler pulley was spinning fine. When the machine was tilted back, a pool of gas drained by itself on the ground. Is that how it should be when you tilt it?

YES that's normal for fuel to come out when tilted..
blumonster


Location: Wisc.
Joined: Oct 14, 2011
Points: 163

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #29   Jan 6, 2014 2:00 pm
Yesterday I was at my ex' place to pick the kids up. She had not cleared the snow on the driveway. I started the Hs35 after more than a year of sleep, it took me several pulls, when it started I cleared the driveway from hardened snow mixed with ice. I wonder at how this older machine does a better job than the hs621... The engine struggled when it faced with snow higher than the height of the snowblower body but snow was gone in 5 minutes.
aa335


Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #30   Jan 6, 2014 3:08 pm
blumonster wrote:
Yesterday I was at my ex' place to pick the kids up. She had not cleared the snow on the driveway. I started the Hs35 after more than a year of sleep, it took me several pulls, when it started I cleared the driveway from hardened snow mixed with ice. I wonder at how this older machine does a better job than the hs621... The engine struggled when it faced with snow higher than the height of the snowblower body but snow was gone in 5 minutes.

That would be surprising if the HS621 didn't perform better the HS35.  Did you had a chance to try out the HS621 after the belt problems were taken care of?
blumonster


Location: Wisc.
Joined: Oct 14, 2011
Points: 163

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #31   Jan 7, 2014 5:30 am
aa335 wrote:
That would be surprising if the HS621 didn't perform better the HS35.  Did you had a chance to try out the HS621 after the belt problems were taken care of?


Hi aa335, I tried HS621 and it works but maybe because of different paddle material, chute type or auger design hs35 throws snow further than hs621. Both paddle sets were bought and installed at the same time. Hs621 is lighter than hs35, hs 621 is easy to slide, move; hs35 is heavier like a tank. Or it might be all my subjective perception... Something is not there with my hs621 or it is because i do not own hs35 anymore....
NJhonda


Joined: Jan 9, 2014
Points: 25

Re: Honda HS621 restoration
Reply #32   Jan 9, 2014 8:01 am
hi all. First post here. I too scored a Craigslist HS624 for a pricey sum of $50. The guy stored it dry so all it needed was new paddle rubber, oil and gas. Fired right up and has been throwing snow for 4 years for me and never missed a beat.. and puched thru 12" wet snow and never stalled. Amazing machine. I am looking for another to buy in case I wear mine out.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/ ... C06542.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/ ... C06541.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/ ... C06540.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v665/ ... C06539.jpg


This message was modified Jan 9, 2014 by NJhonda
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