Honda HRR2168VKA manual needed/mower will not start

[exotion]

The auto choke issue is 1) it gets sticky and the butterfly the connecting rod sits in gets stuck when dirty. 2) pita to restart if you fail to warm up all the way before stopping engine. I'm guessing dirty carb

 

[davidjlynch]

robert -- i think i have this problem on my honda, which has suddenly become impossible to start. (changed spark plug and air filter, which improved situation for two cuts. now won't start again.) anyway, is there any way to check online whether i'm still covered under warranty? thanks for your help.

Okay, your mower IS in the affected range of units that may benefit from the improved autochoke control assembly. Records at Honda indicate it was purchased at Home Depot, but never registered, so the official start date of the 36 month warranty is 7/30/2012.

Here's what to do:

1. Contact your nearest Honda dealer, and tell them you have a mower that is part of Service Bulletin #100, and would like to have it inspected and checked for the starting problem.
2. Some dealers may charge a fee to troubleshoot a mower, but will not bill you for it if the problem is verified to be a factory defect and payable under warranty. Double-check your dealer's policy BEFORE you take the mower in, and be sure to let them know to get your authorization before performing any repairs.
3. Please understand this time of year is the most busy season for mower repairs, so keep that in mind.
4. If you have the mower repaired at Honda dealer, please ask them to register the mower so Honda can contact you in the unlikely event of any recalls or updates in the future.

 

[robert@honda]

robert -- i think i have this problem on my honda, which has suddenly become impossible to start. (changed spark plug and air filter, which improved situation for two cuts. now won't start again.) anyway, is there any way to check online whether i'm still covered under warranty? thanks for your help.

I can see if there is any factory warranty remaining on your mower; just get me the serial number off the back of the mower deck:

Keep in mind the warranty covers factory defects, and if your no-start is due to decayed gasoline, for example, repairs are not usually covered under warranty. But, if it has a sticking Autochoke, and is within the affected range of mowers, pretty good chance repairs to the autochoke would be covered if you have warranty remaining.

 

[davidjlynch]

robert -- thanks very much. serial # is MZCG - 8518377.

appreciate any help.

I can see if there is any factory warranty remaining on your mower; just get me the serial number off the back of the mower deck:

Keep in mind the warranty covers factory defects, and if your no-start is due to decayed gasoline, for example, repairs are not usually covered under warranty. But, if it has a sticking Autochoke, and is within the affected range of mowers, pretty good chance repairs to the autochoke would be covered if you have warranty remaining.

 

[robert@honda]

robert -- thanks very much. serial # is MZCG - 8518377.

appreciate any help.

Okay, that mower was never registered by the first owner, so the warranty clock starting date is when the mower was invoiced to the dealer from Honda, 3/3/2012. With a 3-year warranty, it will expire on 3/2/2015, so plenty of time left. That serial number also tells me your mower is in the affected range of mowers that may have a sticking autochoke. Note if you are the original owner, and have paperwork showing the date of purchase to be after 3/2/2012, a Honda dealer can update the records in the Honda system and reset your warranty to the date on the paperwork + 3 years.

The first thing to do is to determine if the no-start is actually caused by the a sticking autochoke. Your Honda dealer can do this, but if it is determined not to be sticking autochoke, nor any kind of factory defect, any repairs you authorized will be out of your pocket. Please note some dealers might charge a diagnostic fee to troubleshoot this kind of problem, others will not. All Honda dealers will cancel any diagnostic fee for repairs covered under warranty. Be sure to discuss the options with your dealer and tell them not to do any billable work without your prior authorization. Be aware this is a very busy time of the year for most mower dealers, so it make take a few days before they can make progress.

You can locate the nearest Honda dealer at this link; be sure to check on SERVICE and LAWN MOWERS then type in your ZIP code:

Find A Honda Dealer

It is best to get this problem resolved by a dealer, especially as it sounds like it may be covered under warranty. I don't recommend DIY for this job, as it is kind of involved to remove the air cleaner, carburetor, all the guides, gaskets, springs and linkage rods, then extract the thermowax cylinder from the engine block, etc. Not for the faint of heart. :confused2:

 

[davidjlynch]

robert -- first, thanks very much for taking the time to look this up. big help and much appreciated. second, changing the spark plug was the outer limit of my DIY capability. so i will definitely take it to a dealer. best, dave

Okay, that mower was never registered by the first owner, so the warranty clock starting date is when the mower was invoiced to the dealer from Honda, 3/3/2012. With a 3-year warranty, it will expire on 3/2/2015, so plenty of time left. That serial number also tells me your mower is in the affected range of mowers that may have a sticking autochoke. Note if you are the original owner, and have paperwork showing the date of purchase to be after 3/2/2012, a Honda dealer can update the records in the Honda system and reset your warranty to the date on the paperwork + 3 years.

The first thing to do is to determine if the no-start is actually caused by the a sticking autochoke. Your Honda dealer can do this, but if it is determined not to be sticking autochoke, nor any kind of factory defect, any repairs you authorized will be out of your pocket. Please note some dealers might charge a diagnostic fee to troubleshoot this kind of problem, others will not. All Honda dealers will cancel any diagnostic fee for repairs covered under warranty. Be sure to discuss the options with your dealer and tell them not to do any billable work without your prior authorization. Be aware this is a very busy time of the year for most mower dealers, so it make take a few days before they can make progress.

You can locate the nearest Honda dealer at this link; be sure to check on SERVICE and LAWN MOWERS then type in your ZIP code:

Find A Honda Dealer

It is best to get this problem resolved by a dealer, especially as it sounds like it may be covered under warranty. I don't recommend DIY for this job, as it is kind of involved to remove the air cleaner, carburetor, all the guides, gaskets, springs and linkage rods, then extract the thermowax cylinder from the engine block, etc. Not for the faint of heart. :confused2:

 

[Ed62]

Hello Robert, I have a Honda HRR216VKA serial number MZCG-8467009 with the same hard to start symptoms. I am pretty sure it suffers the auto choke (hard to start) problem. Do you know if it is still under warrantee and if the serial number falls into the range of affected serial numbers? Thanks

 

[robert@honda]

Hello Robert, I have a Honda HRR216VKA serial number MZCG-8467009 with the same hard to start symptoms. I am pretty sure it suffers the auto choke (hard to start) problem. Do you know if it is still under warrantee and if the serial number falls into the range of affected serial numbers? Thanks

That serial number shows the mower was wholesaled by Honda on 2/29/2012. This would be the start date for the 36 month warranty, as Honda never received the registration card from the original owner. If you have proof-of-purchase, a Honda dealer can reset the warranty start date for you.

That serial number is in the possible affected range of mowers that may have a defective autochoke. If you are having hard starting problems, best to have a Honda dealer inspect the mower and find the cause of the problem. If the autochoke is defective, the mower is still under warranty, so repairs to replace the autochoke should be at no cost.

You can find a Honda dealer in your area using this link: Find A Honda Dealer

 

[jaimiez]

That serial number shows the mower was wholesaled by Honda on 2/29/2012. This would be the start date for the 36 month warranty, as Honda never received the registration card from the original owner. If you have proof-of-purchase, a Honda dealer can reset the warranty start date for you.

That serial number is in the possible affected range of mowers that may have a defective autochoke. If you are having hard starting problems, best to have a Honda dealer inspect the mower and find the cause of the problem. If the autochoke is defective, the mower is still under warranty, so repairs to replace the autochoke should be at no cost.

You can find a Honda dealer in your area using this link: Find A Honda Dealer

Hi Robert! Can you help me too?!?! I'm wondering when my warrenty is up as well. model # HRR2168vka, serial no- MZCG-8597705. Can you tell me what year this came out? 2012?
Thanks!

 

[robert@honda]

Hi Robert! Can you help me too?!?! I'm wondering when my warrenty is up as well. model # HRR2168vka, serial no- MZCG-8597705. Can you tell me what year this came out? 2012?

That HRR2168VKA was wholesaled by Honda to [Home Depot?] on 7/13/2012. Honda did not receive any registration information from the original retail customer, so the 3-year warranty clock start date is also 7/13/2012. This mower was manufactured, including engine casting and machining, at the Honda plant in Swepsonville, NC, probably in early 2012, late 2011. Note Honda mowers do not have "model years" like cars, but use a K-number, which is like a version number, to document running changes and updates. The HRR has been built for many years, starting with K0, and yours is a K8; new ones built now are K9.

If you are the original owner, and have proof-of-purchase, the warranty start date can be reset and this unit registered into the Honda warranty system by any Honda Dealer. Find a dealer near you using this link:

Find A Honda Dealer

If you are not the original owner, Honda would still very much like to get your name and address in the system for this mower, in the unlikely event there's ever a product safety recall on the unit. Drop me a PM with your name and address, and I can update it for you.