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Honda Smart Drive barely turns the wheels. The belt is good, the cable is good, the thumb levers on the handle are good, everything seems to be connected and in work order but no go. Is there something that commonly wears out on the Smart Drive?

Stephenfb said:

Honda Smart Drive barely turns the wheels. The belt is good, the cable is good, the thumb levers on the handle are good, everything seems to be connected and in work order but no go. Is there something that commonly wears out on the Smart Drive?

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Maybe the cable is out of adjustment? How old is the mower? Get me the serial number off the back of the mower deck (MXXX-1234567) and I can look up service details.

The mower is about 6 to 8 months old. I am a contractor however we only use this mower about 4 hrs a week. Other than the drive problem the mower is in great condition. I inspected the cable... it's in new condition. I tightened the cable... made no deference. I looked under the deck to see if the thumb control is working the lever on the trans and it is. Thanks for responding - serial # MZCG-7819047.
Stephen

Stephenfb said:

The mower is about 6 to 8 months old. I am a contractor however we only use this mower about 4 hrs a week. Other than the drive problem the mower is in great condition. I inspected the cable... it's in new condition. I tightened the cable... made no deference. I looked under the deck to see if the thumb control is working the lever on the trans and it is. Thanks for responding - serial # MZCG-7819047.
Stephen

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Stephen, that unit was originally registered in 2009, and is it possible it was a refurbished unit purchased at Home Depot? Any chance you'd have any paperwork showing when you bought it? We're trying to establish if there's any factory warranty time remaining or not. If there is, and the problem is shown to be a factory defect, Honda will typically pay for any necessary repairs. If it is out of warranty or not a factory defect, you can still get it repaired by a Honda dealer or attempt to DIY. Let me know what you might have for proof-of-purchase or history and we'll go from there.

Robert, It is a refurbished mower purchased at Home Depot. I do have proof of purchase, the mower was purchased less than a year ago and I am sure that Home Depot and Honda, both fine companies, would stand behind this purchase. However unless the part to repair the mower is expensive and or it is not practical for me to do the repair I would rather DIY it today because I need it tomarrow for work. Is there a parts drawing on the internet for this mower, are you familiar with this problem, is there a clutch part that wares that causes this problem?
Thanks, Stephen

Stephenfb said:

Robert, It is a refurbished mower purchased at Home Depot. I do have proof of purchase, the mower was purchased less than a year ago and I am sure that Home Depot and Honda, both fine companies, would stand behind this purchase. However unless the part to repair the mower is expensive and or it is not practical for me to do the repair I would rather DIY it today because I need it tomarrow for work. Is there a parts drawing on the internet for this mower, are you familiar with this problem, is there a clutch part that wares that causes this problem?
Thanks, Stephen

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Okay, you have an HRR216(K5)VXA; there's a few specific pages from the shop manual to troubleshoot a "no drive" condition. Take a look at them to get started and let me know what you find out. (FYI, the Service Bulletin (black box) is about upgrading the Smart Drive control from a fixed position to an adjustable position design, and is not related to "no drive" issues).

The way Honda <--> Home Depot and factory warranty for refurbished units like this was explained to me by the warranty analyst like this: Honda wholesales the mower to Home Depot and an "invoice date" of that transaction is documented. In this case, it was 2009 and that's when the factory warranty countdown clock starts ticking.

Next, the unit was sold to the first retail customer, who, for whatever reason, returned the unit to Home Depot. Home Depot then elected to sell it again at retail as a refurbished unit. It's up to Home Depot to tell the second retail customer of any remaining factory warranty on the unit. For this specific mower, there is no factory warranty remaining (sorry).

FYI, the warranty clock may also start ticking *after* the wholesale invoice date but only if the first retail customer registers the purchase with Honda. Since this did not happen with this specific mower, the only date Honda has to work with is the wholesale invoice date.

Robert, I took a look at the shop manual pages. As you push on the thumb control and pull the mower backwards there is some resistance but the wheels do not lock, this after I tightened the adjustment on the cable. Is there a clutch assembly that wares out? Is there an exploded parts view somewhere on the net so I can see this assembly?

As to the warranty, in this case is not an issue with me. But the sales person at Home Depot, maybe mistakenly, did say they would warranty the mower as if it were new at the time of purchase.
Thanks, Stephen

Stephenfb said:

Robert, I took a look at the shop manual pages. As you push on the thumb control and pull the mower backwards there is some resistance but the wheels do not lock, this after I tightened the adjustment on the cable. Is there a clutch assembly that wares out? Is there an exploded parts view somewhere on the net so I can see this assembly?

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It is normal for there to be some drag if you press down on the Smart Drive control and try and roll the mower backwards. Pressing the control down starts the cone clutch engagement. Always fully release the Smart Drive control when pull the mower backwards.

Spoke with the model engineer, and he rattled off a few things:

1. Does the clutch arm move when the Smart Drive control is fully pressed?
2. Confirm the belt is on the crankshaft and input pulley of the transmission.
3. With the Smart Drive control released, the ratchets/pawls in the rear wheels should click-click-click when the mower is pushed manually forward. If they click-click-click when rolling backwards, the pinion gears in the rear wheels are in backwards
4. There aren't any serviceable parts inside the transmission, but you can confirm it's working by removing the belt from the input pulley and manually turning it while a helper holds down the Smart Drive control. The rear axle should turn if all is well inside the transmission. Confirm the pulley isn't loose on the input shaft of the transmission too.

This parts listing is the only other service material I have available; hope it helps!

Robert, The clutch arm moves, the belt is on both pulleys and pulled tight by the spring, both pulleys are tight and not spinning on there respective shafts, and the pawls click when the mower is pushed forward.
With the clutch arm fully engaged and while turning the wheels there is some resistance but they do slip and the transmission pulley does not turn. Does this mean the transmission is worn out and needs to be replaced? The clutch in the transmission is not serviceable?
Thanks, Stephen

Stephenfb said:

Does this mean the transmission is worn out and needs to be replaced? The clutch in the transmission is not serviceable?
Thanks, Stephen

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I can't say for sure the clutch is worn out, but I do know there aren't any serviceable parts inside the transmission (you saw the parts list) so it' s kind of a moot point. It would seem by process of elimination that everything else that could be wrong is actually okay and within specs, then there must be some fault/internal issue in the transmission. For what a new one costs, it might be worth getting a trained and experienced Honda tech to inspect and see what they can determine. I'd hate to see you buy a new transmission and the problem remains. At least if you get a shop to do the work, it's on them to make a correct diagnosis and repair. Lastly, you may wish to discuss with Home Depot and see what they might be able to offer to help.

Robert,

Thank you so much for you help.

Stephen

Honda Smart Drive Control Bracket Covers

I have disassembled the drive control at the handle, and I'm trying to reassemble it. The service manual says to verify the pin and cable move smoothly. I can move it with a screwdriver, and the cable springs back into the sheath. I am wondering how easily this cable is supposed to move. When I put the upper and lower bracket covers on, with the roller pin in the cable end and engaged into the grooves of the covers, the covers rotate with resistance, then click and go round with stops.

Re: Honda Smart Drive Control Bracket Covers

mowlow said:

I have disassembled the drive control at the handle, and I'm trying to reassemble it. The service manual says to verify the pin and cable move smoothly. I can move it with a screwdriver, and the cable springs back into the sheath. I am wondering how easily this cable is supposed to move. When I put the upper and lower bracket covers on, with the roller pin in the cable end and engaged into the grooves of the covers, the covers rotate with resistance, then click and go round with stops.

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The trick to success is to wedge something under the mower that holds the clutch at mid position. The assembly of the hand control is then easy. But with the cable at full retraction (relaxed), it seems impossible to close the bracket covers without the roll pin cocking out of the grooves.