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I just bought the Honda HRX217HYA I went to use it today and I noticed with the blade off the self propelled feature has a slight grinding noise. It still does it with the blade on, but you don't notice it as much. I used to have a older model with the smart drive and it never made this kind of noise.

Does anyone with this mower know if this is normal for this model. Sounds like its coming from the transmission area.

Joeyg023 said:

Does anyone with this mower know if this is normal for this model. Sounds like its coming from the transmission area.

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I know that when I first got my HRX there was a different sound than I was used to when the drive was on, but that was just because the NeXite deck sounds different than a steel one. But I don't think there should be a grinding noise.

I find a grinding noise means bad bearings. As a mechanic I pick up on that type of noise hear it.

I've heard the noise and that deck seems to amplify it. If the machine passes the "spin the tire on pavement" test and you know all of your cables are adjusted properly, I would leave it alone. But if you want to pursue tearing out that transmission, you are in for QUITE a job.

First thing I look at is rear tire wear or does it have brand new tires (new tires meaning the previous owner changed them because they were bald). Drive tire wear is your "poor mans" hour meter.

Also, Those machines tend to get old grass and string wound around the axles and that causes some slight binding. I fixed one last summer that had about 12 feet of thread wrapped around the shaft.

Thanks guys ill keep a eye on it and see what happens. The mower is brand new out of the box so nothing should be wore out. It's definitely just a noise I'm not used to hearing. I'll wait and see if it goes away or gets worse.

Spray some spray lube on the gears and the dares inside the wheel bet it'll fix it

Joeyg023 said:

Thanks guys ill keep a eye on it and see what happens. The mower is brand new out of the box so nothing should be wore out. It's definitely just a noise I'm not used to hearing. I'll wait and see if it goes away or gets worse.

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You should have some warranty (4 years) remaining, so I'd quickly get it a Honda dealer for a full inspection and evaluation. If the noise is due to a factory defect, Honda would usually cover the cost of repairs under warranty. I say quickly because dealers area already starting to get backed up for service work.

Use this link to find a dealer in you area that's authorized to provide Honda warranty service:

Find A Honda Dealer

robert@honda said:

You should have some warranty (4 years) remaining, so I'd quickly get it a Honda dealer for a full inspection and evaluation. If the noise is due to a factory defect, Honda would usually cover the cost of repairs under warranty. I say quickly because dealers area already starting to get backed up for service work.

Use this link to find a dealer in you area that's authorized to provide Honda warranty service:

Find A Honda Dealer

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So should the transmission have any sound coming from it? I can take it somewhere or swap it out from a new one since it's only a couple days old. Just want to make sure it's not a normal sound. It's a mix of a grinding sound and vibration sound. Any self propelled motor I've used. All you ever hear is just the motor.

Joeyg023 said:

So should the transmission have any sound coming from it? I can take it somewhere or swap it out from a new one since it's only a couple days old. Just want to make sure it's not a normal sound. It's a mix of a grinding sound and vibration sound. Any self propelled motor I've used. All you ever hear is just the motor.

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Really hard to say what is actually making the sound (belt, guide, internal part?). If you bought from Home Depot, they will just exchange. Take it to a Honda Dealer for possible warranty repairs. If nothing else, a trained tech at the dealer would be able to tell you if the sound is "normal' or not.

robert@honda said:

Really hard to say what is actually making the sound (belt, guide, internal part?). If you bought from Home Depot, they will just exchange. Take it to a Honda Dealer for possible warranty repairs. If nothing else, a trained tech at the dealer would be able to tell you if the sound is "normal' or not.

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I bought it at Home Depot so I'll more than likely just exchange it. I did make a short video of the noise. This is with out the blades on. The noise sounds way louder in person than on video. I did notice if you lift the mower up it doesn't make the noise but once it touches the ground and has some resistance it makes the noise. It's worse at low speeds. Here is the video.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWSJwzfmaM&feature=youtu.be

It's probably the moving parts in the wheels.... Spray lube will probably fix

exotion said:

It's probably the moving parts in the wheels.... Spray lube will probably fix

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Do I need to take the wheels off to do this?

Yes make sure you get in between all the gears if possible I would try to spin the gear while your spraying helps get in all the nooks if the noise is still persistant I would exhange or take it to a Honda dealer but I have a feeling they aren't lubed. When I bought my Honda every thing was dry when I pulled it out of the box while lithium grease is my favorite wd40 doesn't work needs something thicker

If you want to examine the rear wheel / gears for yourself, here's a page from the shop manual. Careful, small parts ahead!

Grease should be applied where indicated; use general purpose NLGI #2 grease (at any auto parts store).

I went ahead and exchanged the mower for another one and this one is good. It only makes that noise when I first pull the handle but it immediately goes away. Another thing I noticed..the other mower wouldn't even start or stay running on SLOW until it was warmed up. I had to start it on fast or half way in between. This mower starts right up on slow no problem.

Joeyg023 said:

I went ahead and exchanged the mower for another one and this one is good. It only makes that noise when I first pull the handle but it immediately goes away. Another thing I noticed..the other mower wouldn't even start or stay running on SLOW until it was warmed up. I had to start it on fast or half way in between. This mower starts right up on slow no problem.

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For best results and consistent starting, always move the throttle lever to the FAST position when starting the mower. This ensures it will get the proper amount of fuel to start easily, and warm up quickly. It can take about three minutes for the engine to fully warm up, and then you should be able to get smooth operation with the throttle set in any position (SLOW<-->FAST).


Remember, always keep the throttle set to FAST when mowing. This keeps the blades spinning at the best possible speed for smooth and finished cut.