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used mower given to me w/ a no start problem, drained old gas, removed gas filter, flushed lines to carb., drained carb. bowl 3 times, has new plugs, has spark, cranks over real good, still won't start, any suggestions on what to look for next????

Hummmm.OK,has spark..is it getting gas to plug....guess not.Probably needs carb rebuilt.I guess gas is getting to the carb?Do you know what the situation was when it didn't run for the first time?

Gas is getting to carb., was able to open drain screw on bottom of bowl and drain gas out , after each drain, did it 3 times, turn key on, fuel pump worked fine filled bowl up, drained again. Situation why i got machine was the owner got on it, tried to start it, wouldn't start, so he got pissed off, left it sitting in his back yard and went out and bought a new mower. One thing i'm not sure of is if gas is getting into cylinder, will have to try and start it again, and pull one plug out right after to see if it's wet at all. Have another question, not sure if your familiar with honda's but on side of carb. there is what i think is a small solenoid, any idea what this does????? thanks

I'm not familar with Honda's either.But having said that.....were the plugs wet?Is so....if you have gas and have fire....you need correct timeing.If they aren't wet,still suspect carb.It just takes a tiny piece of debris to mess up a carb.Have you adjusted it just in case someone had messed with it?

The solenoid on the carb likely turns the fuel on, with 12 volts applied...

You can spray starter fluid, carb cleaner, WD40 or anything flammable into the carb to see if it will start ...
:smile:KennyV

From the H4514H shop manual:

If you're getting fuel to the carburetor, inspect the plugs. If they are wet, inspect and replace as needed; check for broken or frayed spark plug caps and resistance of the ignition coil.

If the plugs are dry, check fuel tube and strainer for clogging. Verify fuel pump is working. Check the fuel control unit, and the fuel cut solenoid valve (see attached images).




You can buy the complete shop manual from Honda's distributor (Service Manuals, Owner Manuals, Wiring Diagrams, Service Bulletins - Helm Incorporated) or from Honda direct's eBay store: manuals, wiring items in Honda Power Equipment Publications store on eBay!

Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding was my opinion alone.

took carb. apart, was not getting gas, now it is, seems like a very weak spark when i ground out plugs, trying to get to magneto in rear of engine, not easy because of back cover, looks like an animal made itself a home back there, lots of crap falling out when i pull back cover open a little, think i should replace magneto if and when i get to it???

You may just want to check the magneto and flywheel. If they are rusted, all you need to do it use emory cloth, clean magneto and flywheel magnet, and set the air gap when you put the magneto back on, and i think you said new plug. Just may need to be cleaned. I also found this website as I was looking around for a "No Spark" problem of my own. After talking to the local Small Engine Repair guy, it was the Kill switch wire insulation had rubbed and exposed the wire and it was grounding out on the mower, but had to take some stuff off the mower to see it and test the wires with a multimeter.

http://gardentractorpullingtips.com/ignition.htm

Once I removed magneto I found a couple of things, one was that the mag. and flywheel were very rusted up so I took a fine piece of sandpaper and started cleaning up the flywheel, had to turn the engine over several times to get it half way decent, and also noticed that there is a small wire that comes off this mag. that was frayed very badly, almost fell apart when i wiped it off, so i bought a new magneto, waiting for it to come in as we speak, but did i throw the timing off when i turned the engine over to clean flywheel, ??? Also you mentioned set the air gap when i put it back on, don't know what you mean by that, and how do i do it??? THANKS

mordeux said:

Also you mentioned set the air gap when i put it back on, don't know what you mean by that, and how do i do it??? THANKS

Click to expand...

The ignition coil has slotted holes to allow you to position within a specified gap from the flywheel. Here's a screen grab of the procedure from the shop manual:



Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding was my opinion alone.

that is good picture, but if you go to this You Tube Page, he explains it and shows you how to do it. Just use a business card, feeler guage is more difficult. he says index card, any old Business Card will do

Small Engine Repair: Easy way to adjust Ignition Armature Air Gap on a Briggs & Stratton Lawn Mower - YouTube

I hear what your saying about the air gap, but my magneto does not have slotted holes, not even the old one, it just has 2 bolt holes and they are perfectly round, no slots? and once installed has little to no play in it .