HRX217HYA Idle Problem

[bblueser]

I bought an HRX217HYA a year ago, and put 42 hours on it since new. I am a stickler for maintenance, use too-tier gas with Sea Foam fuel additive, always turn off the fuel and let the engine die, keep the air filter clean, and so on.

Everything's been great until today, when the mower was slow to start and when it finally did so, idled erratically. Full throttle is fine, with no surging, but anything less results in surging. Idling speed varies a lot, and the engine eventually slows to the point where it dies.

The symptoms indicate a problem with the pilot screw, pilot jet or pilot air path clogged. I'm a mechanic myself, but find it hard to believe this would occur on a mower that is maintained as well as mine, and with so few hours on it.

Yeah, I know that stuff happens, but it seems the carbs on these mowers are borderline fragile and clog easily.

Am I missing something here?

 

[bblueser]

Update on HRX217HYA Idle Problem

The erratic engine idling problem I mentioned yesterday has gotten better, but something's still not right. Recapping what happened, the engine on my HRX217HYA that had always ran flawlessly since I bought it in 2012, suddenly became hard to start and when it did start, would only run at full RPMs without surging and dying at idle speed.

Today, the engine starts on the first pull, runs a little ragged at idle and mid-throttle, and still runs perfectly at full RPM. It also coughs/backfires a little more than usual when quickly moving the throttle from fast to idle speed.

Should I just install a new $20 carb, or is it possible that the problem will go away on its own?

 

[SRJMow]

I think your initial diagnosis is correct. Same exact symptoms I had with a mower I purchased from my neighbor that had left gas in the tank which gummed up the carb. My main jet was partially clogged, and the pilot jet was completely plugged. It now runs perfect after cleaning. A new carb for my mower is $50, so I tried cleaning it. I also have an HRX217HXA mower, and I think the carb for that is about twenty bucks. At that price I might just get a new one, although I might not be able to stop myself from cleaning the old one to use as a backup. (Too much time on my hands)

Since your mower started having problems suddenly, its likely that some piece of dust, dirt, or whatever made its way past the air cleaner and is stuck in one of the areas you mentioned. It might work its way out, but I doubt it.

At least the carbs are cheap now. Not sure if the quality of the carb is why it went so soon. Dual air filters would be a nice preventative.

 

[bblueser]

I think your initial diagnosis is correct. Same exact symptoms I had with a mower I purchased from my neighbor that had left gas in the tank which gummed up the carb. My main jet was partially clogged, and the pilot jet was completely plugged. It now runs perfect after cleaning. A new carb for my mower is $50, so I tried cleaning it. I also have an HRX217HXA mower, and I think the carb for that is about twenty bucks. At that price I might just get a new one, although I might not be able to stop myself from cleaning the old one to use as a backup. (Too much time on my hands)

Since your mower started having problems suddenly, its likely that some piece of dust, dirt, or whatever made its way past the air cleaner and is stuck in one of the areas you mentioned. It might work its way out, but I doubt it.

At least the carbs are cheap now. Not sure if the quality of the carb is why it went so soon. Dual air filters would be a nice preventative.

Believe it or not, but two days before the problem began I installed the two-stage filter from Honda's commercial mowers. I hope adding the oiled foam filter in front of the pleated filter will prevent future carb problems.

Parts to upgrade the filter cost less than $10 at the local Honda dealer.

 

[GregGA]

Believe it or not, but two days before the problem began I installed the two-stage filter from Honda's commercial mowers. I hope adding the oiled foam filter in front of the pleated filter will prevent future carb problems.

Parts to upgrade the filter cost less than $10 at the local Honda dealer.

I just ordered all the parts from jacks small engines for about $21.
.

 

[SRJMow]

I just ordered all the parts from jacks small engines for about $21.
.

That should take care of your problem. Did you order new gaskets, or will you reuse the old ones?
Ten bucks is a pretty good price for an updated filter. I thought about adding that to my HRX217. Since my mower has been running okay as is I will probably leave well enough alone. But if I did a lot of mowing in dusty, dirty conditions I would definitely try out the upgraded filter.
I thought about using Seafoam as a treatment but worried about adding more alcohol to the fuel. I believe Seafoam has some alcohol and wondered if that might cause the alcohol content to exceed the 10% that is considered safe and start to eat away at the rubber gaskets and O-rings.
Instead I try to replace my fuel after 30 days, and drain the carb for winter storage. However, I messed up and forgot about the fuel in my chainsaw and left some in it for several months. Since I do not use it much, I tend to forget about it. Looks like I may get some practice cleaning out a two stage carb :frown: Oh well, live and learn.

 

[bblueser]

Upgraded Air Filter-HRX217HYA

That should take care of your problem. Did you order new gaskets, or will you reuse the old ones?
Ten bucks is a pretty good price for an updated filter. I thought about adding that to my HR217. Since my mower has been running okay as is I will probably leave well enough alone. But if I did a lot of mowing in dusty, dirty conditions I would definitely try out the upgraded filter.
I thought about using Seafoam as a treatment but worried about adding more alcohol to the fuel. I believe Seafoam has some alcohol and wondered if that might cause the alcohol content to exceed the 10% that is considered safe and start to eat away at the rubber gaskets and O-rings.
Instead I try to replace my fuel after 30 days, and drain the carb for winter storage. However, I messed up and forgot about the fuel in my chainsaw and left some in it for several months. Since I do not use it much, I tend to forget about it. Looks like I may get some practice cleaning out a two stage carb :frown: Oh well, live and learn.

Upgrading the air filter to dual stage doesn't require replacing any gaskets. All that's needed is a grid that goes on top of the existing pleated filter, a foam filter (pre-oiled by Honda, btw) that goes on top of the grid, and a new outer filter shell to accommodate the additional filter thickness. That's all there is to it.

Before I did the upgrade, I noticed a small buildup of dried grass on the standard pleated filter, which I now believe May have gotten past the filter and clogged the pilot (small) air passage in the carb. Just a guess, but something got in there and prevented the engine from idling. Incidentally, that problem seems to have mostly cured itself, but we'll see as I mulch leaves this fall.

The added air cleaning provided by the oiled foam filter should help prevent carb problems in the future.

 

[SRJMow]

I know that the air filter does not require gaskets. I was referring to your new carb. That usually requires new gaskets, but sometimes you can get by using the old ones. I thought that was what your $21 purchase was for.

Anyhow, good to hear that the problem seems to be going away on its own. :smile: Perhaps it was a tiny bit of grass that is slowly making its way out as it breaks down.

If I start having frequent problems with my carb I will consider adding that upgraded filter. I have seen pictures of it, and I am aware of how it is installed. Although I did not know that it came pre-oiled. I took a look at my paper one today after I bagged about ten bags of dusty leaves, and it was pretty clean. Just shook out a little dry grass. No problems so far with the HRX217 for the past seven years. Nice mower, that's for sure.

Before you know it I'll be gassing up the snow blower. I got it ready to go last week.

 

[bblueser]

Pre-Oiled-TMI

In the category of too-much-information, I suspect Honda sells foam filters pre-oiled so customers know how much to apply when they clean and re-oil the filter.

May sound like a "duh" statement, but not everyone knows the correct amount of oil to use. One other tidbit is Honda no longer sells Motul filter oil, but Motul is available at motorcycle shops, as are other brands.

 

[robert@honda]

Re: Pre-Oiled-TMI

In the category of too-much-information, I suspect Honda sells foam filters pre-oiled so customers know how much to apply when they clean and re-oil the filter.

May sound like a "duh" statement, but not everyone knows the correct amount of oil to use. One other tidbit is Honda no longer sells Motul filter oil, but Motul is available at motorcycle shops, as are other brands.

My parts guys says the foam air filter elements are usually shipped dry, and should be oiled before use. Note the plastic grid that goes between the foam and paper elements is a stand-off, so the oil does not get absorbed by the paper filter.

Honda does indeed sell genuine MOTUL oil for foam air filters (it is branded with the Honda logo). It's part number 08207-MTL-100, 4 oz bottle retails for $7.56. Google the part number or use this link to find a local dealer:

Find A Honda Dealer