HRN216VKA purchased last year does not start

[ironv]

If you call Honda ask if this unit has ever been registered with Honda as being sold . Pay attention to when it was registered if they say , yes, it's been registered and they will have the information of who registered it and when .

I bought it from The Home Depot. I opened the brand new box in first week of Sept last year.

 

[Pauljp]

I removed the filter housing and took a picture. This is how it looks closed, doesn't it? I also sprayed some Engine starter fluid (with the filter off and housing back on) and tried to start it. It seems like it is about to start for a second and then stops. I am at a loss -- brand new unit!!!!

Yes, that is closed. Exactly how it should be.
So you are either missing fuel or spark. An easy way to find out which is to remove the spark plug and squirt a little bit of fuel in the hole and put the plug back in. DO NOT USE STARTER FLUID it is much too strong for a small engine and could damage it. Once your plug is back in and connected, pull the cord. If the motor starts for a few seconds and dies it is telling you that you have good spark and you are missing a steady supply of fuel. If the motor doesn't kick over then you most likely are missing a good spark.
Try this and tell us what happens.

 

[sgkent]

Also, the fuel in the bowl and line will be old. Just because the fuel in the tank is new doesn't mean it has made it thru the carb yet. Put a quarter teaspoon of so of new fuel in thru the spark plug hole and try again. I find that mine starts easier if I pull the handle until I feel firm resistance then pull hard. If the cord is too far out I let it in at that point and pull. What used to take 6 or 7 pulls starts the first time each time now.

 

[Pauljp]

Did you solve the problem?

 

[ironv]

Yes, that is closed. Exactly how it should be.
So you are either missing fuel or spark. An easy way to find out which is to remove the spark plug and squirt a little bit of fuel in the hole and put the plug back in. DO NOT USE STARTER FLUID it is much too strong for a small engine and could damage it. Once your plug is back in and connected, pull the cord. If the motor starts for a few seconds and dies it is telling you that you have good spark and you are missing a steady supply of fuel. If the motor doesn't kick over then you most likely are missing a good spark.
Try this and tell us what happens.

Motor starts for a few seconds and dies.

 

[ironv]

Also, the fuel in the bowl and line will be old. Just because the fuel in the tank is new doesn't mean it has made it thru the carb yet. Put a quarter teaspoon of so of new fuel in thru the spark plug hole and try again. I find that mine starts easier if I pull the handle until I feel firm resistance then pull hard. If the cord is too far out I let it in at that point and pull. What used to take 6 or 7 pulls starts the first time each time now.

I tired with a 1/4 tsp of new fuel, and pulled the handle till I felt firm resistance. Motor starts for a few seconds and dies.
I have seen YouTube videos and even a sticky post on this site on how to clean a Honda Lawnmower carburetor. Given this has only been used twice, is there a possible shortcut to that which does not involve remove the entire unit, the two screws to access the ignition, etc.? I removed the filter housing again and sprayed compressed air into the carburetor (without taking it apart). No luck.

 

[slomo]

Carb is dirty as long as the fuel shut-off valve is open. Remove carb bowl and clean the little guy out. Needle might be stuck closed too.

 

[Pauljp]

Motor starts for a few seconds and dies.

Excellent. This tells us the carburetor is clogged and the motor is not getting fuel. We are almost there. If you want to go a bit further you can clean the carb and you will be happily cutting grass again.
Unfortunately the carb is very close to the mower deck thus making it difficult to work on while still attached. It doesn't need to be completely removed, just enough to tilt it to access the main jet inside.
Maybe first take some pictures or a video of the carb and all the stuff connected to it so you have a good reference on how it all fits together.
Maybe the first thing to try is to see if in fact you have fuel in the bowl. You can do this without removing the carb. Take a thin marker and make a line from the top of the bowl up to the carb. This marks the position of the bowl in relation to the carb. The bowl is fairly uniform on this carb so it probably won't make much difference but I always like to put things back exactly as it came off.
Turn off the fuel supply valve. Take a shallow small container that can fit between the bowl and the mower deck, perhaps a small pie plate and undo the screw on the bottom of the bowl and see if fuel comes out. If it does then chances are the needle valve on the float is working properly. To test this further open the fuel shut-off valve to see if more fuel comes out, then close it again.
If all is working to this point then the carb is getting lots of fuel from the tank, it is just not sending any to the motor, chances are you probably have a clogged main jet and you will have to loosen the carb to angle it to get a screw driver inside.
We are almost at the end and I am not sure if you are comfortable going further. The only issue we might have is that you need the proper screw driver. It is a regular flat head one but you may need to grind/file the shoulders off of it so it fits up inside where the jet is.
Try testing up to this point, let us know if the fuel supply is good and if you want to continue.
We are all here for you and will help you through this if you want. Let us know.

 

[slomo]

Unfortunately the carb is very close to the mower deck thus making it difficult to work on while still attached.

I lift push mowers on top of our city plastic garbage cans. Makes a perfect work bench for free. Perfect height too for carb work. Don't forget, cleaning the cooling fins on the block.

 

[ironv]

Maybe the first thing to try is to see if in fact you have fuel in the bowl. You can do this without removing the carb. Take a thin marker and make a line from the top of the bowl up to the carb. This marks the position of the bowl in relation to the carb. The bowl is fairly uniform on this carb so it probably won't make much difference but I always like to put things back exactly as it came off.
Turn off the fuel supply valve. Take a shallow small container that can fit between the bowl and the mower deck, perhaps a small pie plate and undo the screw on the bottom of the bowl and see if fuel comes out. If it does then chances are the needle valve on the float is working properly. To test this further open the fuel shut-off valve to see if more fuel comes out, then close it again.
If all is working to this point then the carb is getting lots of fuel from the tank, it is just not sending any to the motor, chances are you probably have a clogged main jet and you will have to loosen the carb to angle it to get a screw driver inside.

I was able to empty the bowl. The moment I loosened the bolt at the bottom, fuel started dripping till what was in the bowl came out. First I did that with the fuel line closed. Then I opened up the valve and more fuel started dripping.

Based on your post looks like the next step is main jet. Would a product like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gumout-14-oz-Jet-Spray-Carb-Choke-and-Parts-Cleaner-800002231/204802432 help in "unclogging" the jet? That combined with compressed air can to dry things out? And where would I spray this? Sorry complete idiot here. Thanks for your help.