Repairs HONDA RIDING MOWER H3011

[John Colquitt]

STARTER WILL NOT SPIN OR ENGAGE BENDIX GEAR.

*BATTERY IS NEW,
*SOLENOID CLICKS,
*HAVE POWER AT STARTER MOTOR

FROM MY INSPECTION IT APPEARS THAT THE ENGINE MUST COME OUT OF THE MMOWER TO GET AT THE STARTER OR THE SOLENOID.

SURELY THIS IS NOT THE CASE.

ANYONE HAD ISSUES SIMILAR TO THIS? IF SO, I'D APPRECIATE GUIDANCE!

JOHN

 

[bertsmobile1]

Starter works on the flywheel which is under the top cover on the engine.
You may have to pull the flywheel of depending upon which starter is fitted.
Bolts from the side , comes right off
Bolts from above then flywheel off first.
Before you start pulling it apart, is it still under warrantee ?
If so take it to your dealer or you will void the waranttee.

Always worth checking the battery, try a jump with a known good battery,
Also worth verifing the earth connection by running a jumper from the earth terminal on the battery to a good earth near the stater,

 

[robert@honda]

First thing to check is the interlock system....like most riding equipment, the starter will not operate if:

--The shift lever is not in NEUTRAL.
--The parking brake is not set, or the brake pedal is not pressed while an operator is in the seat.
--The PTO (blade) lever is ON

So be sure all the safety interlock systems are functioning properly. Set the parking brake, move the shift lever to NEUTRAL, and try it. Double-check all the wires, switches, etc. are functioning okay. A bad switch, for example, on the PTO lever, would cause the engine to be "locked out" from starting.

Honda offers a 200 page shop manual (paper) direct on eBay and Amazon, free shipping:
Honda Power Equipment Shop Manuals on eBay
Honda Power Equipment Shop Manuals on Amazon

 

[ziti]

I've owned my 1989 Honda 3011 for 15 years after buying it used. It was the best $130 investment. The engine has never given me any problems until last year when it wouldn't start. After checking the battery, loose connections, and everything else I could think of, I tapped the relay box and it started. In another forum, I've found other 3011 owners having similar problems. A couple of the members wired a by-pass aound the relay which disconnects safety switches. This was a temporary fix until I decide whether to replace the relay

 

[tom bauer]

i repair the combination relay for your mower and all other hondas, cdi, fuel control, etc. see ad on ebay.

 

[ziti]

This is an update on my post from 2/17/16, where my trusty old Honda 3011H had starting problems. That is, sometimes it would start right up and other times nothing. I removed the bypass and temporarily disconnected the seat safety switch so that I could turn the ignition on while the seat was up. While doing that, I could just barely hear a sparking sound coming from the relay which I suspected was the problem. Replaced the relay and also the negative battery cable and now it's starts every time.

 

[oldyellr]

This is a common problem with these mowers. I bought my H3011H quite a few years ago and the seller mentioned that occasionally it wouldn't start so he'd reseat the connections, spraying them with WD40 and that would fix it. That worked for me for quite some time until it got worse. Reading about this on the forums I learned the culprit was the combination relay. I tried the bypass trick, but got a scare when I could start it with the blade and drive engaged so I bit the bullet three years ago and forked over $132 plus shipping for a new relay. It's been starting reliably ever since.

I notice tom bauer says he repairs these relays and has an ad on ebay, but no link. How do you repair then when they're all potted?

 

[ziti]

When I first looked at the combination relay, I thought I could take it apart and clean the contacts, but like you said, its potted. No choice but to buy a replacement. I've been ordering parts for the Honda from Boats.Net and I happened to catch it on sale for $119.19, shipping extra. I've been thinking about getting the mower in top shape so I can sell it, since I'm running out of room in my garage. I've spent hundreds of hours riding on that mower and the seat is worn out it's begining to look like a Scottish bar stool.:biggrin:

 

[oldyellr]

Those are certainly good mowers and Honda have been expert at designing reliable engines. When they came out they were miles ahead of the competition, who all still used 50-year-old design flathead engines. I was amazed when I first saw one because it ran so quietly.

 

[Brakespear49]

This was my solution:

Recoil starter is from a GX390. Part number 28400-Z1C-802ZA

Putting this together was harder than it would be in the USA or Europe as the Honda 3011 was not officially imported into this country. There are no Honda 3011 or GXV340 specific parts available here. This was put together using genuine Honda parts from other models. This photo was taken part way through making it all work.

As this mower is hydrostatic there is no way to start it in stock form if the electric starter does not operate.

Recoil starter works fine and electric start works 90% of the time. To start the engine with the recoil starter the seat switch must be disabled. The black engine cooling duct under the seat requires trimming to fit over the pull starter.

Next step is fix the electric start so it works reliably. I am pretty sure it is the contactor/solenoid that is bad but I need to start digging through parts books to see whether the contactor was used on other Honda models sold here.

I was a little concerned about whether adding the recoil starter might adversely affect engine cooling but, having looked at the setup on the cheaper Honda Harmony 1011 models with recall starter, this setup is very similar so I think it will be fine.

Other parts used were:

28451-ZE3-W01 x 1 from a GX390. This is the 'cup' into which the recoil starter engages. If you can get a GXV340 specific part use that instead. The GX390 part required minor modding.
90001-Z0T-800 x 3. The three screws for the recoil starter
Weld nuts x 3. These were welded to the underside of the silver engine cover.