Honda mower, won't run > 3 seconds

RatLabGuy

RatLabGuy

You look like a monkey and smell like one too
Joined
May 18, 2005
Location
Churchville, MD
An old lady neighbor moved, and left a Honda push mower w/ another neighbor, who gave it to me for my son to learn how to do man-work...

All we know is, she said "it didn't work for a long time" and then it sat awhile. No air filter in it, but otherwise no sign of being monkeyed with.
After draining the gas, I pulled the carb and cleaned it well, no obvious sign of blockage. It will spin fine and pull start, start to spin up and just about the time it hits peak RPM then dies. E.g. only runs about 3 seconds. If I keep trying to start it, each time it runs a little shorter time.

Seems like an air or gas flow issue but I can't pinpoint it?
This model is odd, in that it has no throttle cable or adjustment. Just a single choke bar - on or off.
 
Main jet or fuel needle sticking. You can probably salvage the carb if you clean the main jet and pull the needle and clean the vanish off it and it's bore. Don't use carb clean on the needle or you will swell the viton tip. Stranded wire works well as does a weld tip cleaner for clearing the main jet.
 
Also check the shear pin. Maybe someone ran over something that shifted the pickup just enough.
 
DLOR said:
Also check the shear pin. Maybe someone ran over something that shifted the pickup just enough.
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?? where would this be?

I had already cleaned out the carb, twice, doused in fluid. I didn't soak the need specifically though.
I broke down and dropped a whopping $26 and just ordered a new one, seems really digging into it isn't worth it. we'll see Friday if that does it.
 
my Honda pressure washer engines have done this and it's been bc of fuel pump 75% of time... I'm speaking 18-24hp Honda engines tho not sure what type pump this has in it
 
Give me the serial number off of it and I'll check with one of my techs at work, I'm a service writer at a Honda motorcycle dealership and we work on a lot of the power equipment. Should be 4 letters then 7 numbers for the serial number.
 
untchabl said:
Give me the serial number off of it and I'll check with one of my techs at work, I'm a service writer at a Honda motorcycle dealership and we work on a lot of the power equipment. Should be 4 letters then 7 numbers for the serial number.
Click to expand...
MAGA-1697682
Thanks!

C.Berry said:
my Honda pressure washer engines have done this and it's been bc of fuel pump 75% of time... I'm speaking 18-24hp Honda engines tho not sure what type pump this has in it
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It's just a little thing, I can't find any kind of pump, seems the gas is just gravity fed down into the carb?
 
That thing have the auto choke or manual? I know the 20hp is diff but we had a auto choke Honda replica that the auto choke shit out after 300 hours and acted like it wasn't getting fuel and air properly...
 
Had the same issue with my girlfriends moms Honda. Cleaned the carb, same issues. Finally dumped new gas with a generous mixture of seafoam in it, used starting fluid to keep it running long enough to clean out whatever was the issue. Runs perfectly ever since......
 
If you didn't pull the emulsion tube out, you haven't cleaned the carburetor. Honda is set to run just about as lean as possible from the factory. Otherwise, sounds like there's water in the fuel to me.
 
Shear pin = flywheel key, which is definitely not sheared if it runs for a few seconds. Fuel is the problem. Bet if after it stalls, you feed it some fuel it fires and dies once fuel runs out.
 
I bet it is fuel related. But worthwhile to check the shear pin and the pick up. Usually located under the top cover under the pull start recoil. Should be matching keyways with a small woodruff key there. Not too sure specially w Honda but done a couple others and that's where they were.
 
All behavior to me seems like fuel. When I first try after it's been sitting, it runs the longest (meaning about two seconds, never makes it all the way spun up), then each successive attempt right after gets shorter and harder. Like it's starving.
The fuel has been completely replaced and flushed out.
I'll try pulling the float and tube apart and carefully cleaning. Fri afternoon a new carb is coming anyway but I'm mostly just curious/stumped, and want to show my son why it doesn't work.

C.Berry said:
That thing have the auto choke or manual? I know the 20hp is diff but we had a auto choke Honda replica that the auto choke shit out after 300 hours and acted like it wasn't getting fuel and air properly...
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I guess it must be auto choke? There is a lever that I think temporarily opens the choke that is spring loaded, like you could open it for a second but it springs back, and it's on the motor housing itself... and I can't hold down the primary choke bar on the push handle (to keep it running) and wiggle that thing at the same time (would need 2 6' long arms).
a_kelley said:
Fuel is the problem. Bet if after it stalls, you feed it some fuel it fires and dies once fuel runs out.
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Don't really have a good way to "feed it fuel". The intake is sideways (horizontal hole) so I can't just dump a little in there like on my 12hp B&S.
 
Spray it some non chlorinated brake or carb cleaner. It'll run on that.. wait it's not fifty state compliant so you may not be able to buy it in Maryland.. check compression too.
 
Does it have a low oil shut off like a lot of hondas? Might want to check that if it has one.
 
My money is still on the bolt on the bowl. It will have a hole in top and usually two on the sides. That's where fuel gets pulled into the carb and an easy place to clog up. Compressed air is your friend here.

Its a fuel issue either way. When you are done chasing the dream if an easy fix, buy a ome carb and it should purr like a kitten.
 
Talked to a couple of my guys at work today. If the new carb doesn't fix it, it's probably going to be the auto-choke. It has a wax element inside that can get stuck and no longer operate properly, we've seen several go bad. The choke assembly for your mower is discontinued from Honda.

Your mower was bought new in 2011, forgot the print out at work or I could tell you the exact day.

Let me know if the new carb gets it going or not.
 
If you eliminate the thermo-choke a super light spring or dashpot to open the choke with bacon (vacuum, stupid Auto correct.. had to leave that, well, because bacon) or a manual linkage will work.
 
To trouble shoot I use old detergent bottle with trigger squeeze pump filled with gas. It will squirt just about any angle.
 
a_kelley said:
If you eliminate the thermo-choke a super light spring or dashpot to open the choke with bacon (vacuum, stupid Auto correct.. had to leave that, well, because bacon) or a manual linkage will work.
Click to expand...
I made the one on our machine a manual choke with just old fence wire and a plastic knob! Lol good ole cheap redneck engineering...
 
Update:
I pulled the carb apart once again. couldn't get the actual needle/seat out of the pickup tube, but poured in cleaner as best as I could, flooded the whole thing w/ cleaner.
It ran, but was till pretty shaky and inconsistent.

I said OK F-it and replaced the carb w/ a new one. Runs like a top now.

I still don't like this auto-choke thing and no throttle control. I realize technically it may not be necessary but I don't like not being able to control it.
Now I just need to figure out if I can slow down the gearing on the self-propulsion b/ it moves too fast for my son to keep up...
 
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