Honda Commercial HRA216-SXA revival, lots of pics

[freeloader700]

Hey All,

New to this forum. I have two Honda mowers. One is a Honda Harmony that I picked up last fall. Had some deck rot issues (more on that in a different thread) and picked this one up last week. Its a 1988 HRA216-SXA that was purchased in '92. I bought it from the original owner who used it for home use. He was asking $200 for it and we settled on $100

Pros
- Decent shape
-Minor surface rust
-Low cost
-Cold starts first 1/4 pull

Cons
-Hole in the top of the deck
-Loud vibration @ certain RPMs (CHECK THE VIDEO OUT)
-Leaky carburetor (CHECK THE VIDEO OUT)
-Little/No oil when I looked at it

So the plan is to get this thing running smooth without leaks, attend to the rust and patch the hole in the deck. I am going to use this thread as sort of a journal/timeline for my project. I appreciate any feedback/suggestions any of you may have.

Did I get a decent deal?

 

[robert@honda]

The engine is a beaut; GXV160-series, very rugged, commercial grade. Shaft drive trans (I believe), and love them vintage chrome handlebars. As you might expect, some parts are No Longer Available, and those that are may be a bit pricy.

If you'll PM me with the full serial numbers (sticker on the mower deck, MXXX-1234567) I might be able to pull up some history for both mowers...

Honda has paper shop manuals for both on eBay and Amazon. Many dealers have parts catalogs online too.

Keep us posted on the resto.

 

[freeloader700]

Rugged is right. This thing is an absolute beast. It is actually a challenge to control with the transmission on high and full throttle. I just sent you a PM with the details.

Here is the other thread with the Harmony...I think it might be toast...

CLICKY CLICKY

 

[exotion]

That rust makes me nervous....

 

[freeloader700]

Yeah I was a little nervous at first but it doesn't look too bad. From what I was able to see it is just surface. A really good cleaning and sanding/wire brush should take care of it. I am hoping to tear into it this week and get the deck welded up. The take apart the carb and get it all cleaned up.


edit

Any tips for getting the light surface rust off of the chrome handles without harming the chrome itself?

 

[robert@honda]

Any tips for getting the light surface rust off of the chrome handles without harming the chrome itself?

A Brillo pad (steel wool) with some spray rust penetrant and a gentle buffing will make 'em shine like new. I use the Hondalube product:

Part Number 08732-RP000, about $6

 

[freeloader700]

So tonight I got to working on it

First, 2 x 14mm bolts to remove the blade. Use a block of wood to prevent it from spinning



Next use a philips screwdriver to remove the throttle cabel linkage. Its a good idea to mark the position on the cable where it was was clamped. I used a green marker




Next remove 2 x 10mm bolts securing the throttle cable linkage bracket in place. It may not be necessary however I found that it made it easier to remove.



Align the cable in the the slot and pull the whole cable end towards you. Should you have difficulty removing it, apply pressure on the backside with a hook of some sort



Next up is the transmission cable cover, 4 x 10mm bolts





Then proceed to remove the clutch cable bracket. 2 x 10mm bolts



Once the bolts are removed you can slide the bracket out to the side. To remove the cable use the same method as for the throttle cable. For this one I needed to use my hooked aull.



Now to unbolt the motor from the deck, 4 x 12mm bolts. Carefully remove the last two bolts. I had the mower tilted just barely enough for me to get my hand underneath the finish removing the bolts. This will prevent the motor from sliding abruptly/snapping bolts/bending bolt/metal




Once the motor is off, it is time to remove the clutch cable from the center ring (not sure on what the name of the part is), I pushed the rubber grommet back and then wiggled the bracket out of the hole.



All off! (minus the stuck transmission cover...more on that later)



Calling it a night, hopefully to continue tomorrow

 

[OutdoorEnvy]

Neat project man! This will be a fun one to follow. Restoring quality equipment and tools is always fun :thumbsup:

 

[freeloader700]

Thanks man, I am enjoying it so far. I am trying to figure out what I am going to do about paint for the top of the deck. I was thinking a similar grey/silver Duplicolor engine or wheel paint. I know some people think it is blasphemy to paint other than the factory colors, any suggestions on what color to get?

 

[OutdoorEnvy]

It's your mower so whatever you want.

I do like the grey colors or a darker charcoal grey would probably be cool. Then again I like lawnboys too so a green Honda might be the coolest thing ever