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Hello!

I own a Honda HRR2163VXA self-propelled walk-behind mower that will not start.

Short story: When I try to start, it may run one or two seconds in choke before dying. Turning the choke off kills it as well. I have checked the carburetor- it appeared very clean. I sprayed some cleaner in there while I was at it. I have also replaced the spark plug. Another clue: If it starts for a second or two, I can't get it to turn over again until I leave it for a minute or more. Does that indicate the fuel isn't getting to the engine?

Longer story: For the previous 1 or two lawn mowings that the mower worked, I needed to keep the mower in choke to keep the engine going. I know that this is cringe-worthy, but I really wanted to get the lawn done and didn't have time to diagnose issues. The last time that I got it to stay running I ran out of gas while mowing. When I put more gas in, it would not start- even with choke.

Please help me zero in on where I should be troubleshooting.
thank you so much!
~Matt

Did you remove the carb, remove the main jet & venturii tube clean out all of the holes ?
If not you have not cleaned the carb

Bertsmobile1- way to call me out! Well deserved trying to take the lazy way out...

SO.. I took it all off, sprayed carb cleaner all over the thing, and used frayed electrical wire to try and clear the holes. It will now run on choke, but surges 1-3 times and dies on idle. Is the hole still partially blocked, or do I just need to adjust something?

thanks!!

Not trying to be a judge
But there is cleaning and there is cleaning.
Some carbs end up requiring several hours in the ultra sound before they come clean & run proper.
There is debris that gets stuck in the float valve and in the fuel tap.
On top of that you get debris in the fuel tank that slowly gets sucked into the outlet enough to cut off the fuel.
Good thing is Honda have been using tha same carb design for a very long time so they all clean out the same
see outdoor power Equipment site

Lookup Steve's small engine saloon, he has a great video called "how to clean Honda style carbs"

Thank you both!

bertsmobile1 said:

Not trying to be a judge
But there is cleaning and there is cleaning.
Some carbs end up requiring several hours in the ultra sound before they come clean & run proper.
There is debris that gets stuck in the float valve and in the fuel tap.
On top of that you get debris in the fuel tank that slowly gets sucked into the outlet enough to cut off the fuel.
Good thing is Honda have been using tha same carb design for a very long time so they all clean out the same
see outdoor power Equipment site

Click to expand...

Say it again Bert.

Spraying carb cleaner into the venturi does nothing for his clogged pilot circuit.

Running continuous with the choke on will foul the plug quickly. Also carbon up the combustion chamber nicely.

slomo

I got it running again with 3 carb cleanings. It's surging pretty badly, even with the blade running. Are there adjustments on the carb that I can make to help that, or is there likely some blockage still in there somewhere? I purchased a torch nozzle cleaner and worked that through the wholes the best I could.

Crunchy409 said:

I got it running again with 3 carb cleanings. It's surging pretty badly, even with the blade running. Are there adjustments on the carb that I can make to help that, or is there likely some blockage still in there somewhere? I purchased a torch nozzle cleaner and worked that through the wholes the best I could.

Click to expand...

Torch tip cleaners are abrasive. You are trying to clean soft brass jets and nozzles. Shall I elaborate on why NOT to use a torch tip cleaner? OK I will. You will enlarge the tiny holes that are calibrated to make the engine run properly. So now if your engine doesn't run proper, you know why.

Your issue is the pilot circuit is clogged. You have a pilot and a main circuit in the carb.

Did you watch the carb video Scrubcadet10 sent you? Oh, THAT'S where you got the torch tip cleaner from. I watched ol' Steve's Saloon Mower Shop video. He got one out, then I cringed. Everything in Steve's video is legit, BESIDES that torch tip cleaner. Use a bristle off a NYLON or plastic brush for cleaning brass carb parts (something softer than brass). Paper clips are hardened steel. DON'T use those either. Brass is soft......

You still need more cleaning to make it run proper. Or buy you a new carb. I would recommend an OEM Honda carb. Or you can get a Chinese carb off Ebay for cheap. Those Chinese carbs are actually pretty good.

Also blow the carb out with compressed air. NOT canned air but from a compressor and nozzle gun. Every tiny hole you can see gets sprayed with carb cleaner and air.

Lastly get a good paper fuel filter if you can fit one. Some engines have filters in the tank and other places. Might need to flush out your fuel tank with Diesel. No doubt it is full of grass and dirt. Check your fuel flow AT the hose that connects to the carb. Pull that hose off and see if you have good gravity flow from the tank.

slomo

Strip the carb down. Place it in the wife's dishwasher. Remove the plastic fuel float in the bowl for sure. Then report back here how mad she got LOL.

Some people clean carbs with Pinesol and other degreasers . You actually need a solvent like Diesel or carb cleaner.

slomo

Final update!

I bought new gaskets (perhaps the missing secret sauce) and used Carb Cleaner + air pressure (for the first time) and these two factors together resulted in a mower running better now than it has for 5 years!! Thanks all for your encouragement and direction

Unfortunately I have to partially take that back...

The mower will now typically start up great, but at least once every 5 minutes it will try to die. I have to put it back into choke, until it starts to drown on choke and then it will stay just fine again on idle. When it's idling well, it's idling better than it has in years- no sputtering at all... but it will frequently just die out, almost as if I had turned the throttle all the way down.

Is there an adjustment that I need to make on the carb? Any other avenues of troubleshooting that I should attempt?
thanks!!