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Hi all - this is my first post. Yes, I joined because I have a problem....who'd a thunk it? So here's the problem: I bought a new HRX217 at Home Depot on Monday and it surged/hunted terribly at idle. I returned it today and got another. I read that maybe the ethanol in the gas might be contributing to the surging, so this time I bought a new gas can and drove halfway out of town to get some ethanol-free gas. So I filled 'er up with my new gas from my new can and pulled the cord and....the new mower surges, too. And my question is....is this normal? It settles down after 20-30 seconds, but it just doesn't seem right to me. I should mention I have two other Honda mowers - an old harmony and an HRR216 and neither of them have ever exhibited this problem. If this is normal, then I'm all good. If not....I sure hate the thought of returning a second lawn mower.

I just bought a second Honda HRX just the other week because I love it so much. It is the 2nd HRX217HYA I have at the moment. When I started it the first time before I loaded it onto the trailer at the dealer, it surged as well. One of the employees was starting another one and it did the same thing. It evened out after a few seconds, and after the first day of mowing (keep in mind I use it hours each day), it stopped doing it. For me it was just the mower was so new it did that.....since I am not in your shoes I can't tell you that is what is happening with yours, but it might be. Just my 2 cents.

Dang, Fanatic....that was a quick reply. And I'll be honest - it does ease my mind to hear what you said. I really like this mower and would like to keep it if it doesn't have a problem. It cuts great, pulls strong, and looks sharp. I'm willing to put some hours on it, see what happens, and hope for the best. Thank you.

FlapJack said:

Dang, Fanatic....that was a quick reply. And I'll be honest - it does ease my mind to hear what you said. I really like this mower and would like to keep it if it doesn't have a problem. It cuts great, pulls strong, and looks sharp. I'm willing to put some hours on it, see what happens, and hope for the best. Thank you.

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Keep me posted on what happens. Good luck.

I will. I'll post in a week or so and share my results. Thanks again!

For anyone wondering what the end result was .... check this thread: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/honda...-hunting-oscillating-idle-problem-solved.html

Don't know why but Hondas seem to suffer from water condensing in the carbs a bit worse than other brands when not used for a while.
So the little bit of water sitting in the bottom of the float bowl goes through the mower causing it to surge a bit for a few mows.
Honda goes to the effort of putting that knice little fuel tap on th side of the carb but every one seems sared to use it.

Surging on a brand-new mower with fresh gas is almost always due to to the fuel/air mixture, and is normal on new Honda's that have the Autochoke. It does indeed take a few minutes for the engine fully warm-up and present the appropriate temp for the autochoke mechanism to function "all the way."

The key to the autochoke is a clever wax cylinder that expands when heated and pushes a piston to hold the choke open. A spring otherwise keeps the choke closed. As the cylinder heats up, it piston moves to force the choke to open, but can "surge" a bit especially at low engine rpm. Heat (or lack of heat) from the engine can cause the wax to flutter a bit, and the spring will attempt to close the choke. Once the engine is at full operating temp, the wax cylinder fully extends the piston that keeps the choke open.

On earlier production units, some autochoke linkage could bind, albeit slightly, but enough to cause problems. Newer production models have been built with to a looser tolerance, and should not have any issues. Depends on the serial number; see this link for more details.

Honda Autochoke FAQ Discussion