Repairs Honda rear wheels locking on pull back - Any Fix? - Which models affected??

g4fne

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  • / Honda rear wheels locking on pull back - Any Fix? - Which models affected??
Hi folks. My first post ... sorry its a problem

Im hoping for some advice please. I have a Honda Izy HRG536 VKEA (variable speed/paddle on handle bar). I am struggling with the dreaded wheel lock when pulling back. I have disconnected the clutch cable (attached to smart drive paddle on handlebar) in case it wasnt releasing properly but that has made no difference. Ive also greased up the little key and the bearings.
I have done lots of research, seen lots of videos and it seems the bushes seizing up on the axle shaft (shaft across the rear connecting the wheels) are the common problem.

Has anyone come up with a permanent fix for this or is it still case of stripping it down and regular lubrication of the bushes??

Has anyone found a lubricant that works well for this??


Lastly .... Is it just the variable speed/smart drive Honda mowers that are affected with this problem. Does the single speed (ie not smart mow paddle controlled) Izy suffer also?
 
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robert@honda

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  • / Honda rear wheels locking on pull back - Any Fix? - Which models affected??
I have done lots of research, seen lots of videos and it seems the bushes seizing up on the axle shaft (shaft across the rear connecting the wheels) are the common problem.

I confirmed with our Service Team here at American Honda that the IZY mower is pretty much the EU-equivalant of a Honda HRR mowers. American Honda issued a Service Bulletin a while back that addressed this issue on USA-spec HRR mowers. At fault was the rear bushings were not made to spec when installed on a limited number of mowers. Honda says to replace both the adjuster AND bushing at the same time, and the mower will be good to go. Here's a link with details:

http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/42592-Honda-HRR-Models-Rear-Wheels-Locking-Up-When-Pulling-Backwards

You should probably check with a dealer over there in the UK and see if Honda UK ever issued a similar bulletin "rear wheels lock up or difficult to pull backwards" for IZY models. Chances are good some IZY mowers got the bad bushings fitted at the factory.
 

Edolsen

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  • / Honda rear wheels locking on pull back - Any Fix? - Which models affected??
Hi folks. My first post ... sorry its a problem

Im hoping for some advice please. I have a Honda Izy HRG536 VKEA (variable speed/paddle on handle bar). I am struggling with the dreaded wheel lock when pulling back. I have disconnected the clutch cable (attached to smart drive paddle on handlebar) in case it wasnt releasing properly but that has made no difference. Ive also greased up the little key and the bearings.
I have done lots of research, seen lots of videos and it seems the bushes seizing up on the axle shaft (shaft across the rear connecting the wheels) are the common problem.

Has anyone come up with a permanent fix for this or is it still case of stripping it down and regular lubrication of the bushes??

Has anyone found a lubricant that works well for this??


Lastly .... Is it just the variable speed/smart drive Honda mowers that are affected with this problem. Does the single speed (ie not smart mow paddle controlled) Izy suffer also?

Ed Olsen Longview WA. hope this helps
#1 I shut the fuel off and run i't out of gas. Remove the air filter so if there is some gas left in the carburetor it won't get on the filter.
#2 Turn mower on it's side and remove the rear wheel. You need lock-ring pliers to remove the lock ring.
#3 Pull the pinon-gear off the shaft and remember how it came off, Has to be in same position for the key to lock into the gear.
#4 Take the key off (it already fell out) remove the spring (about the size of a ball point pen spring) I would replace the spring's and key and the pinon-gear
if it looks bad. I wash out everything with spray carburetor cleaner and even get in the hole and scratch around with a toothpick, should be really clean.
#5 Put the spring in the hole and the worst part is getting the key against the spring and the wheel back on. String would work I use a strand of wire.
Make a circle with the wire at least 12 inches or bigger and put over the shaft and on the key and keep tension on it to hold the key in against the spring.
#6 Put the Pinon gear back on (has to be the same direction as it came off-upside down creates a big problem ha) If you get it on the first try your doing
great, usually take's me 3 or 4 time's and the pinion gear has to come back off and start over holding the key against the spring.
#7 When you get the pinion gear on I use WD-40 and as I'm getting oil on the shaft and inside the gear I want to have the spring getting enough oil.
#8 Put the lock ring back on and the wheel.
I mow 4 and 5 yards a day and around 3 or 4 month's I pull the wheels off and oil inside the pinon gear and shaft. Before every mowing season I replace
the key's and spring's if needed. If I have to change the pinion gear I change the rear wheels so you have new teeth against new teeth.
 

g4fne

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  • / Honda rear wheels locking on pull back - Any Fix? - Which models affected??
please accept my apologies for not thanking you for the responses. I didnt get any notification .... thankyou chaps ... im at the point i may sell it but would prefer to find a fix.
 

g4fne

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  • / Honda rear wheels locking on pull back - Any Fix? - Which models affected??
Just an update for any UK users with similar problems. I have spoken with my Honda dealer about this. He has no record of any service bulletin from Honda UK, however the part numbers for replacement rear height adjusters do include bushing and are the same part number as in the US bulletin. I can only hope that Honda UK stock has the updated bushes. I have placed an order and will update once fitted.
 

g4fne

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  • / Honda rear wheels locking on pull back - Any Fix? - Which models affected??
Another update - New bushes and adjusters fitted and solved the problem for only a month! .... before the problem re-occurred. I cannot believe Honda have got away with such a poor design.
 

Roymg

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  • / Honda rear wheels locking on pull back - Any Fix? - Which models affected??
Another update - New bushes and adjusters fitted and solved the problem for only a month! .... before the problem re-occurred. I cannot believe Honda have got away with such a poor design.

I can't take ownership for this fix and I can't find where I got this article from to be able to give credit to the originator. But I tried the fix he suggested and it worked for me. Why I'm not sure, but heck I was willing to try something to take care of the problem. I have a HRR216K9VKA Honda mower. I got my thrust washers from ACE and even though they were not an exact match, they worked. So far I cut my yard only once with this fix and ran this mower for an hour and one half, with good results.



14 year old HRT216 would no longer backup (rear wheels would not release when the drive handle was released, and the wheels just "locked". My remedy below is uniquely different from any others I have seen on this subject. Honda Mower Rear wheel xmission has a unique design that uses Thrust Washers to help release the drive from the rear wheels so that the operator can easily back up the mower when the Drive Handle is released.
As the machine ages, these washers lose their load Thrust and the rear wheels will not properly release to enable an easy back up. This makes the mower very hard to operate due to its "braking weight in reverse". A Simple Fix in lieu of replacing the entire transmission ($175 or so) and repair bill of $175 (total xmission repair is very difficult and time consuming) is to place two thrust washers (Pt # 90505-VG3-000) (13 x 27mm) in series and add one more spacing wheel washer (Pt # 90455-VA2-000 (13 x 27 x 1mm) to each Rear Wheel Assembly instead of just one thrust washer and spacer washer.
These are items #16 and #19 in Jacks-Parts-Lookup/Model-Diagram. Adding these washers "in series" will double the Thrust Force and aid the wheels to release. I used the existing Thrust Washer and Spacing Washer from the existing mower and added one Thrust Washer and One more Spacing Washer to each Wheel Assembly and got excellent results. Put the Spacing Plain Washers on each end of the Series Assembly of two Thrust Washers (i.e. Top and Bottom Sandwich with Thrust Washers "back to back" as shown in the Solon diagram referenced below: **. Be sure to orient the Washer Assembly as shown in Solon Belleville Spring Features via **.
One of the Thrust Washers Convex Head must be oriented to point towards the Wheel Axles Bolt Head, the other Trust washer Convex Head must point towards the Wheel Cover Item #6. Two Thrust Washers and two Wheel Washers will cost about $6.00. Time to un-assemble and re-assemble each wheel is about ten minutes each. Clean the large driver perimeter gear(s) on each inner wheel if badly caked with lubricant, grass, and dirt. Apply a thin coating of Gear Grease or Heavy Motor Oil to each driving gear
 
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