Honda HR173 governor spring

[georgee]

Hello,

I have a problem with my Honda HR173 lawn mower. The engine is OK on the choke position but stops on any other position of the control lever. So, I decided to clean up the fuel line. After cleaning up the fuel line and the carburator, I cannot attach properly the spring which connects the governor lever/arm to the control assembly where the cable is attached. There is a small hole half way up the governor arm where the spring should be connected (see attached picture). On the control assembly, there are three small holes which seem to be created to attach the other end of the spring (see attached picture). But the spring is too long and it falls down when the control assembly is on the idle or stop position. Another owner of a Honda HR173 had exactly the same problem. Let me quote his discussion with a specialist. Eventually, he says he could find a way to attach properly the governor spring, but he doesn稚 explain how he fixed this part of his problem. If someone could explain me how to attach this governor spring, I would be gratefull to him.


Georgee, from Paris, August 17 2013



Quotation :
Resolved Question:
Hi there. I have a Honda HR173 mower. ?I think the throttle linkage and the governor settings are all wrong?.Do you have any idea as to what the correct/standard settings are for all of these items? The spring from the governor to the throttle linkage falls off when I throttle down to kill the engine.

Expert: Vince O. replied 8 months ago.
Vince O. :
Hello,make sure choke closes fully and is wide open when cable is in detent when backed off.Have you tried to adjust the governor? See section 3 in the manual I am sending.

Customer:
Hi there Vince! I tried playing with the governor, but the little spring that holds onto it half way up keeps falling off. The manual that you sent was for a GV 100. I am sure that the method to set the governor is the same though. I tried to adjust the governor arm so the spring doesn'
I have tried adjusting the governor, but either the spring comes off, or the connecting bar across the top is too long to get the thing in.
Are you able to show me a diagram of the governor so I can see where the springs go. I know there is one on the top, where the connecting rod to the choke throttle is, but there is a second spring about half way up the governor that keeps slipping off. I want to make sure I am hooking that up at the right spot.
This is a pic of when I have the lever (throttle) pulled all the way back. Hopefully, you can see the throttle and choke are both wide open. I have other photos of the governor and the spring that falls off, but I can't seem to load them. The arm that goes from the governor to the throttle holds the throttle in the open position. Is this correct? If so, when does it move off the fully opened position?
Customer: replied 7 months ago.
I'm sorry, but it just won't allow me to attach the photos...very frustrating. I'll describe it to you. the connecting rod from the throttle goes to the governor together with the long spring that is around the rod. There is a spring half way up the governor that is connected to the control by at flat panel that has 3 holes in it. it is in the middle hole.

Customer: replied 7 months ago.
Hey there Vince!
I have managed to get all the springs onto the control to work fine now. The mower only starts and runs with the choke butterfly 3/4 closed. As soon as I try to open up the choke butterfly, it stalls. Does this mean it's too lean right now? If so, what do I need to do to make sure there is enough fuel getting into the combustion chamber.

 

[georgee]

Maybe I found a solution to my governor spring problem. Here is a picture. This would mean that the spring is activated only halfway of throttle control extention. Would everyone agree ?

Georgee, Paris, Auguste 17 2013

 

[georgee]

I have a complementary question : when the throttle control lever is at max speed, just before activating the choke, the governor arm keeps the carburator door nearly closed. I can accelerate the engine only by moving the governor arm with my finger, so that to open the carburator. Is it normal ?

 

[robert@honda]

Here's the best art I have for this mower...hope it helps:

 

[georgee]

Here's the best art I have for this mower...hope it helps:

View attachment 16568

Thanks for your help. The figure is helpful and gives very precise details how to hook the springs. I think my lawn-mower works fine as from now. I assume that the governor function is to inject more fuel when the engine rpm falls down due to thick grass or a stone.

 

[Phil White]

I hope that I am posting this in the correct thread. It seems to be the most relevant to my query.
I bought a Honda HR173 as a non runner and found that the con rod cap bolts had migrated loose. I replaced the con rod, Bearing and crank seals as everything else seemed to have escaped damage.
The engine now runs ok but only at high speed, the choke and stop positions work ok but selecting slow has no effect. The spring on the governor rod holds the throttle fully open. When I move the governer by hand it will run at a more realistic rpm.

I have several questions, if anyone can help me I would be very grateful.

Is the throttle butterfly normally fully open, relying on the governor to close it when it reaches max rpm? If so, why does the slow running position have no effect? Is it an adjustment issue or should there be a spring to close the throttle to the idle position?

Is it possible that I have set the governor shaft out by 180 degrees so that the centrifugal device doesn`t actually contact it? I marked it before I stripped the engine and the flat portion of the rod lines up roughly with the rod and spring connection holes on the governor lever? This might explain the engine racing.

A large quantity of oil passed into the air cleaner via the breather. The oil level seemed ok on the dip stick but after draining some oil towards the lower level it seems to have helped the problem but not fully solved it. I checked the breather and the mesh filter and washer valve appear ok. Any thoughts of what might be causing this?

Many thanks
Phil White