HRR216K9 VLA Electric Starter spins but Starter Drive won't rise and engage

[OldToroGuy]

I've read the posts I could find on this problem but nothing I read is very specific. This HRR216 mower belongs to an elderly relative, is about 10 years old, is used a lot each summer, and last fall the starter stopped engaging the fly wheel. It starts fine with the pull rope. I have now removed the starter and was surprised how clean it actual was in the gears and starter drive area. I cleaned what little dirt I found with Brake cleaner and the starter motor spins freely along with the starter drive. When I first put power to the starter, the starter drive initially jumps up a little and then settles right back down in its off position while the starter mower keeps on spinning. The battery has 12.47 volts and I bench checked it yesterday with a charged car battery but the starter acts the same way. Initially the starter drive jumps up a little (never up as far as the flywheel teeth), and just spins.

Is this typical of a bad mower starter? It looks like these are sold on "boats.net" so I assume these must be used on Honda outboards as well.

I'm assuming the only solution is to replace the starter. Any suggestions I would appreciate it before I spend $80+

 

[Scrubcadet10]

Check the voltage at the starter while it is spinning... if it's 11.5 or higher, i would suspect the starter. Doesn't appear any repair parts are available for the starter, besides buying a new one.
Post the serial number of the mower, just in case a different starter was used at some point.

 

[OldToroGuy]

The mower is listed as a "HRR216K9 VLA MZCG-8865322" . When I look up any parts I find a 216K9 VLAA mower but only shows the VLA on the data plate sticker, not VLAA. Starter part number I find is a 31200-Z0L-822.

I've got to figure how to get my leads on the starter motor while it is cranking, I don't think there is enough clearance down there. When I check it at the battery while cranking it is about 2 volts less, about 10.4-5. The battery might be a little low, I don't have the charger for it, and it has been sitting all winter.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[OldToroGuy]

Scrubcadet. I decided to use a motorcycle battery that had been on my Battery Tender because the lawn mower battery has been sitting for 5-6 months. The motorcycle battery was reading 12.4-5 volts at the battery and checking the voltage at the starter was 9.7 volts and the starter drive was NOT engaged. I'm thinking that if the starter drive engaged the flywheel and was spinning the motor, the voltage would be even lower because of the load put on it. The motorcycle battery is about twice the size of the Honda mower battery and I would consider fully charged.

You said "......if it's 11.5 or higher, i would suspect the starter." I still suspect the starter is bad. Even with this motorcycle battery the starter drive doesn't spin up to contact the flywheel.

 

[StarTech]

What is the voltage at the battery when cranking?

 

[OldToroGuy]

StarTech: I didn't check it with the charged up motorcycle battery but with the mower battery in place it had been 10.4-5 volts at the battery. It had dropped about 2 volts.

 

[OldToroGuy]

Ok guys, I don't have a clue why the starter motor wasn't working but I decided the only thing to do was to buy another motor. I had tried two different fully charged batteries, one car battery and the other a motorcycle battery and neither one would spin the starter drive into the flywheel. Put the new starter motor on and "Voila", it spins up and engages the flywheel.

That problem is fixed, now I've got to attack the rust on the stuck right rear drive wheel.

 

[OldToroGuy]

One last comment about the mower battery. As near as I can determine, my MIL has never bought a battery for this mower since it was new, about 10 years ago. It hasn't been charged/used for about six months and the battery had just enough charge to kick the new starter in and start the mower! I ran it for awhile to charge it up some and will run it longer before returning the mower.

 

[clarkie68]

One of my friends facing the same problem with the Honda HRR216k9VKA. That problem turned out to be the starter was running backward because the battery was hooked up backward.

 

[OldToroGuy]

Interesting issue. The way the battery fits in my HRR216, it’s hard to believe somebody could hook it up wrong. It has a firm plastic, double spade connector that looks like it should only push on to the battery one way. Either somebody put a different battery in with the terminals reversed or they could have somehow twisted the connector upside down or something like that.

When I was on active duty in the Army, we always said the best way to test a piece of equipment was to give it to a soldier. Regardless of how an engineer designed equipment to be used or repaired, soldiers could always think of different way to fix or operate it. ??