I have a very old HR215HMA Honda rotary mower, frame serial MZAM-6269619 and engine serial GJAB-660448. I have several hundreds of running hours on the unit and wish to inspect and replace the hydrostatic transmission fluid. Can you provide pdf file on Honda shop manual for service procedures and a part list so I can properly service this drive train component?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Mad Ogre
The full procedure to remove, inspect, refill, bleed and test is a full 12+ pages of material. You probably should invest in a paper shop manual, as they are the only official service documents provided by Honda. Any digital copies you might find online are pirated and might not apply to your specific serial number units.
Here's a link to the correct manual Honda offers on their eBay store; free shipping, and includes automatic updates for three years after purchase.
Honda HR215 Shop Manual, $34.95.
Now the good news is if the mower is running/propelling fine, and not leaking, just leave it alone. You can use the dipstick to check the level, but this is a good case where if it ain't broke...Honda does not have any recommended replacement or service interval for this transmission. It is designed to last as long as the rest of the mower. Finally, when inspecting the fluid, it is normal to see a tiny bit of metal and dark color; this is absolutely normal for this model, so tells me the engineer here who's worked on them for almost 25 years.
Oh, one last thing. Due to the specific requirements of the fluid used, this is one case where only Honda-brand hydrostatic fluid should be used. There is no aftermarket equal for it; it's a special formula that's required for all Honda HST transmissions. Any Honda dealer can get you a bottle, Part Number 08208-HST01, available in 1-quart bottle (you only need about 6-8 ounces to fill).
Oh, and one MORE last thing. It's not documented in the shop manual, but if you do go through the full process to drain, inspect, refill, and bleed, expect to loose/drip some fluid during the draining procedure. Some of our Honda techs try avoid doing this, and end up not bleeding it correctly, and it won't perform correctly. A proper bleeding will result in some spillage of fluid, FYI.
