Honda HR215 transmissions

[mahaffeymj]

does anyone know if a hydromatic tranny ( 20001-VD6-305) can be used to replace a 3 speed tranny on a hr215 or hr215K1. Seems as if in hrc216 series honda has gone away from the 3 speed and the 2 hr215 mowers I have they seem to not shift well and get stuck on 1 speed after awhile. Maybe someone has some insight on this problem. thanks

 

[bertsmobile1]

What is wrong with your 3 speed tranny.
I fix them regularly
Usually the change pin wears a little short $ 10 part .

 

[mahaffeymj]

the lever is very hard to shift at the handle. what part are you referring to? what do you think may be the cause? thanks for reply

 

[bertsmobile1]

Change the cable
The adjusted cable works an arm
That arm pushes against a pin.
inside the box, that pin pushes against another.
The pin is always rotating so it wears

 

[mahaffeymj]

Bert, are you saying to adjust the cable or buy a new cable due to the cable stretching over time? I hope you are not saying to replace the pin inside the transmission as I suspect that is beyond my expertise as I know they are fairly complex. thanks for your reply.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The are dirt simple.
I can just about pull them apart blindfolded
The only thing that usually wears is the clutch dog.
After that the shift keys can break particularly if shift with the mower moving
I got caught out early on with one and put a lot of big $$$$ into it replacing all sorts of things.
Then it came back after a $ 430 ( Aus ) repair bill twice before I had a chat to an ex-Honda dealer who gave me a bag of pins as he went into sewer tools & no longer did mowers at all.
All of these 3 speeders were used commercally so all have done really big hours.
I would imagine that Honda went to hydros because no one ever reads the owners manuals where it tells you to select the speed you which to use with the mower stationary then engage the clutch.
People are lazy so in place of 2,000,000 warranty claim debates they changed to a shift on the fly type box that is a lot more expensive to make.

My previous answer was for a 2 speed, sorry about that
They are set up a little different.


Now before we go any further
Is yours the model with the drive shaft ?

 

[mahaffeymj]

mine is the one with the drive joint that comes off the engine (no pulley). the hr215sxa and hr215k1sxa are 3 speeds which I have. hr214 are 2 speeds

 

[bertsmobile1]

OK,
Before I go trawling through my Honda data to post the IPL a quick test.
Drain the oil then stand the mower on the front wheels
remove the dust cover under the rear flap ( easier said than done )
remove the shift cable and slip a wrench over the lever
remove the spark plug
next tricky bit rotate the engine while trying to shift the tranny
If it shifts easily then the cable is toast.
Because of the dip in the cable, water accumulates at the gearbox end & rusts the cable
If it has a nylon lined cable, lubing it with WD40 will cause he nylon ineer to go soft & sticky.

 

[Lord_Cavendish]

I realize I am late to the party, but incase someone is using the search function...

On my 3 speed transmission off an HRA215, the nylon key holder (honda part 23216-VA3-J00) had swelled up a tiny bit causing it to bind, making it impossible to change gears. I sanded it lightly, reducing the outside diameter a fraction of a millimeter until the parts moved freely. I like that old 3 speed transmissions since low speed is very slow, significantly slower than low gear on the 2 speed units.

 

[Stive22]

So mine is the hydro. When I start the mower, it is in gear. It can go faster with the handlebar lever. It also will not go backwards as the wheels are locked. When moving the speed lever to change speeds, there appears to be no movement in the cable. The cable end on the transmission looks like it may have about an 1/2” left. Moving the speed lever does not move the cable on the transmission. I’m guessing the cable is bad/rusted open, etc., but I could not find the right transmission cable. I have the HR215KMHA mower. I also could not find a picture of my transmission to see if I could tell a difference. I guess there could be something wrong in the transmission. Any ideas on how I can fix this mower? If I do not connect the hydro, it becomes a push mower and it can go backwards.