Year of Mower?? Not self-propelling

[Deanna's Honda]

Hi there!
We have a HRM215-DM Honda Harmony / MZBB-6099137 / Engine Serial #GJAB-6487238. Can you tell me with this info what year our mower is? Also the self-propelling mechanism is not working but the engine purrs like a kitten and immediately starts up everytime. We bought it used for $100 two years ago and would like to repair it but the cost would be excessive. Thanks for any advice you can give us. Do you think it's worth fixing?

 

[Xbbork]

Hello,
It sounds to me like a bad drive belt for the wheels. The way you can check this is by tipping the lawn mower on its side but be sure to tilt it so that the air filter is facing up once you have your mower on its side look for a v-belt going either from the center of the motor to the rear of the rear or front wheels depending on the model. You may have a guard you will have to pull off.
Good luck! I hope this helps

 

[robert@honda]

Your mower was originally invoiced (wholesale) on 3/21/1994, and sold (retail) on 8/20/1996. The warranty expired on 8/29/1998. There are no open recalls, campaigns or recalls associated with this mower. The original retail owner was Ted J. of Poway, California. In cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Comission, I'd like to ask you to send me a private message with your name and address so I can get this mower registered with you as the new owner. This is only if Honda needs to contact you regarding a possible safety recall in the future. You won't get any junk mail or spam from Honda.

Now about that no-propel, as others have mentioned, first check the belt and make sure it's not come loose. Next inspect the drive clutch cable and confirm it's moving the arm on the transmission. While looking there, check for any signs of leakage around the transmission and axles.

If the transmission is toast, a new one is $140. For a nice old Honda like this, I'd consider it for sure, especially if everything else is running good. To replace this mower for a new Honda would run you $400+.

 

[Mini Motors]

I'm with Robert, and I don't work for Honda(although, I used to work for a Honda Dealer). Worth repairing for sure, but your local dealer may make it expensive, depending on how much labor they charge. Unfortunately, there are dealers that inflate a service estimate just to sell a new unit.

I have two Honda mowers, and love them. I just replaced a transmission on my newer mower. It took me almost 3 hours, and took a somewhat special tool(snap-ring pliers. Maybe not "special", but certainly not an everyday tool), but it saved me money. Well worth it!