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Hi Guys,

I have a Honda HRX 217 that won't start unless I give it a squirt of starting fluid. One thing I noticed is that when the engine is not running, the throttle plate is at wide open throttle. Any suggestions on how to proceed?

Thanks,

Pat

I would start by taking the carb off and giving it a good cleaning. Today's ethanol fuels have a habit of gunking up the passage ways. Throttle being wide open in the off position is just the way it should be.

I did take off the carb and gave it a full cleaning.

Have you made sure that the choke butterfly is fully closed when you are trying to start it.

I believe the HRX has an auto choke feature. You might look into how that is supposed to function.

You don't mention how old, or which version your HRX217 is. Take a look at this bulletin from Honda and see if it might apply to yours. It was issued in July of 2008, so if yours is newer I would guess that it doesn't, but worth a look anyway.
http://powerequipment.honda.com/pdf/Recalls/PTB54024-A_HRX.HARD.START.poster.pdf

My HRX does have the autochoke feature. I don't know how old it is because someone was throwing it out.

If you have the auto-choke feature, then I should have said that the throttle vane should be open and the choke vane should be closed when the unit is off and in the cold start position. You will have to adjust the choke to make sure it is fully closed.

Throwing it out!? Are you saying you got it for free? Darn it all. I must live too close to the American Pickers headquarters. Everybody around here thinks they've got the next best find and nothing is cheap, or free that's worth having.

Does the Serial number fall into the range of that service bulletin? If it does I'd be looking into what sort of fix there is for it. Given the price of one of those mowers new, it might be worth out of pocket money to get it done.

Down at the bottom of that bulletin, there's a recommended way of trying to start the mower. Try that out.

1. Make sure the gasoline in the fuel tank is fresh, or has been stored using a fuel stabilizer.
2. Start by pulling the starter grip two times; then pause for 3 ~ 5 seconds and pull the starter
grip again.

Getting good spark? If so, the problem is surely with the carb or choke.

What is the serial number off the back of the deck; it's in the form of MXXX-1234567?

I can share some images of the linkage, spring, etc. FYI, if the carb's been off and worked on, it, and all the gaskets, must be perfectly assembled or the mower won't start.

Your time is worth something, so keep that in mind. A brand new HRX carb and gaskets are only $20~$50 depending on the model.