I recently purchased this new mower and would like to adjust the low idle as well as high idle as per the owner manual's specs. Is this something that should be done by the dealer where it was purchased from or can this be done at home with some simple tools. I also recently purchased a rpm/hour meter. I do not have a shop manual for this yet. Would it be wise to invest in one?
Honda hrc216hxa idle speed
- Thread starter Bczapl
- Start date
Very good idea. This is something that most dealers never check and it can hinder a mowers performance is the rpm that it is set at. There is a noticable difference from 2900ishrpm compared to 3250rpm. I use my snap on digital tachometer that is for small engines as it can do 2 and 4 stroke with 1 or 2 spark (thats because newer stuff sparks also on exhaust stroke for cleaner emissions. it was 330 bucks but so worth it and can tell how stable the idle really is.
That mower is I believe 1700ish rpm as low idle (turtle) and fast idle (rabbit) is 3100rpm + or - 150rpm. I set all of mine at 3,250-3,300 rpm and at this it is a BEAST. I see so many freekin idiots that say oh its under powered or something stupid and i am like thinking do you know if it is even adjusted correctly. I can tell you that if a hrc216 is set up to spec from honda, they are a beast you will not kill it or bog it down and if you do, your an idiot and are not using the product as it was meant to be used. On that note
There is a black plastic philips screw in the front of the carb and that is for the (turtle) low idle. 99.9% do not even touch it because even if you back the screw all the way out, it will idle how it is suppose to most times. The fast idle has to do with cable adjustment and spring hole and making sure the govener is set up correctly. Kinda hard to explain but if you contact robert@honda here on the forum, he will get you instructions on how to do it so your mower is set up to honda specifications.
For the record, i have heard and spoke to many people who set these at 3,600rpm and I have heard horror stories also about this. They loosen exhaust bolts,cylinder head bolts/nuts and remember that when you rise the idle that high, you need more fuel to keep it cool and raising it runs the risk of overheating and damaging the engine. It is not worth it. The torque curve is so smooth and flat that your just beating a dead horse by raising it that high IMO. set to 3,250 -3,300 call it a day! Let me know how you make out and how much better it runs.:thumbsup: PS Buy a honda oem shop manual.
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Thanks for the replies. I adjusted the throttle cable at the throttle lever to get the fast idle to 3100 rpm(blades not turning). The factory had it set up at 2900 rpm. This was a noticeable difference in performance and cut quality. As a result of this adjustment, my low idle is now at 2000 rpm and I would like to bring it down to 1700 rpm. Is there a picture of this black screw by the carb? I did go ahead and order the shop manual as I will probably hold on to this mower for a while.
When you adjused your cable, make sure the choke lever arm on the carb is opening and closing as it should. Also if you look at the linkage when you move the throttle to FAST you will see a little arm that when on fast it should just barely touch the choke arm. Then when you put the lever at the handlebars on the choke, you should see the arm move up and if you look at the carb, it should close the butterfly on the carb. Also keep in mind that there are 4 holes on the plate where the spring is into probably hole # 3. Just make total sure that when you put the choke lever that it is working on full choke and when the lever is on fast that the choke is no being engauged as this will also rise the idle. Check the governor spring also. OK as for the low speed idle. if you look in the front of the mower you will see a small hole in the plastic airbox cover. If you take a flashlight into there you will see a black plastic phillips head screw that is about the size of a dime. THAT is the slow idle (turtle) adjustment. I TOLD YA THAT these mowers i never see set correctly from the dealer or even when i get them used and people do not know that they do not know. If they are set to spec 3250rpm aprox they run night and day better and you are not doing anything wrong to the mower or bad and of corse like I said, IT IS A BEAST. there is no other 21" mower on gods earth that can touch one of these things. TRUST ME I have owned them all at some point or another. GOOD LUCK:thumbsup: