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I just bought a honda hrx217vka yesterday. I brought it home and put it together put the oil in etc. started first pull no issues. I started mowing the grass and fast forward 10 mins I empty the bag and go to start it again and it takes 4 pulls to start. I figure just the first time no biggie. The remaining times I emptied the bag (5-6) times it never starts first pull. I would say I averaged 3-4 pulls per start. Possibly defective autochoke? Anything I can check myself?

The other thing I noticed it doesn't pick up leaves as well as my old snapper did. If it matters it was a 1990ish commercial hi vac snapper. Don't get me wrong it easily picks up loose leaves on the top but if there were any that were previously wet and had dried almost pasted to the ground it didn't budge em. The old snapper would grab that no issue. Thoughts? Am I expecting to much from the Honda?

Pigpen said:

I just bought a honda hrx217vka yesterday. I brought it home and put it together put the oil in etc. started first pull no issues. I started mowing the grass and fast forward 10 mins I empty the bag and go to start it again and it takes 4 pulls to start. I figure just the first time no biggie. The remaining times I emptied the bag (5-6) times it never starts first pull. I would say I averaged 3-4 pulls per start. Possibly defective autochoke? Anything I can check myself?

The other thing I noticed it doesn't pick up leaves as well as my old snapper did. If it matters it was a 1990ish commercial hi vac snapper. Don't get me wrong it easily picks up loose leaves on the top but if there were any that were previously wet and had dried almost pasted to the ground it didn't budge em. The old snapper would grab that no issue. Thoughts? Am I expecting to much from the Honda?

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Could be autochoke. That should start on first pull after being run for 10 mins (all warmed up) or cold. Some say that if it's started and shut down before warm, a couple pulls may be required, but 10 mins is fully warmed up.

Some things I would check right off the bat is:
1) fresh fuel (i use reg 87 octane. never had a fuel issue)
2) proper venting from the gas cap (see if it restarts one pull with cap loose)
3) verify fuel valve is fully open
3) check the spark plug connection

If its none one of those, I would take it to a dealer and have it checked out. You should have gotten the 6 year warrantee I assume?

I think mine does a fine job picking up leaves. Try setting the front wheels a bit higher than the rear wheels as mentioned in the manual (if you haven't done so already) or try lowering all of them a bit. Make sure the clip director is fully in the bag position. Open the bag hatch and verify the deflector is fully open (not with engine running of course)

loco-diablo is correct on all points.

The Honda autochoke relies on engine temp to determine the choke position. If you start the engine, and then shut it down, and try to re-start BEFORE it has fully warmed up, the choke thinks the engine is warm, and stays open. It can be hard for a not-fully-warmed-up engine to start if the choke is open. To avoid this, when starting a completely cold engine, keep it running at least 5 minutes before attempting a shut-down and restart.

Last year, Honda did issue a Service Bulletin for some models that may have a defective Autochoke. Here's a link to a detailed posting on the subject: Honda Autochoke FAQ