My Honda HRR216 self-propelled mower has been kicking my butt lately because the self-propelling feature stopped working and it has turned into a push, push, push, mower. This mower model has an issue with the rear wheels locking up when pulling it backwards. Honda issued a service bulletin that documents how to correct the problem. A couple of years ago, I followed the service bulletin step-by-step and replaced all the parts it said to replace and performed all the necessary tweaks. It was basically cleaning up the axle ends where they enter the bushings (adjuster arms) and adding new grease in the bushings. It did the trick and I was able to pull back on the mower without the wheels locking up and it also restored the self-propelling movement back to its original condition. So that continued for a couple of years and probably around the 150 hours that Honda recommends to add new grease in the bushings.
A few months ago I noticed a considerable weakening of the self-propelling feature. The wheels would spin if I lifted the rear of the mower but once they hit the ground there was not enough power to propel the mower forward. I proceeded to do the 150 hour servicing and added grease to the rear wheel bushings and adjusted the drive cable. That did improve the self-propelling feature a bit but not for long. It quickly started to weaken so I pulled it into the shop to give it a thorough inspection. I discovered that the rear wheels were again locking up and no cable adjustment would correct the problem. So now I have the wheels locking up again and no self-propel. I pulled and inspected the drive belt and it was somewhat worn but not really stretched so I just replaced it. I also added more grease to the wheel bushings as that always helps the wheels to move better. The rear wheels no longer lock up but the cable is not responding properly to the adjustment procedure.
I then proceeded to adjust the cable and found that I'm not able to adjust it as I had in the past. I've always followed Honda's procedure on adjusting the drive cable which is to tighten the cable incrementally and pull back to check wheel resistance and stop when the wheels lock up and then back off 8 turns on the adjuster. This time when I did that I never got to the point where there was any wheel resistance at all. I tightened the cable as far as it would go and I could not get the rear wheels to lock up. I'm now at a loss to figure out what the problem is. The cable seems to be OK and so does the spring on the transmission. So I'm wondering if these cables stretch over time and eventually need to be replaced because of that? They're kind of pricey and I hate to play whack a mole just replacing parts so I'm hoping somebody here has some info to enlighten me on this mysterious case of the cable that refuses to do its job.
One last thing regarding this cable adjustment. From the very first time I adjusted the cable, the adjuster had to be totally tightened to the point where it came off of the threads. That was the point that the wheels locked up and from there I loosened it 8 turns to get it to the Honda specification. I thought it odd that it had to come completely off the threads to be adjusted correctly but it did and wonder if that has anything to do with the problem I have now? Maybe I got a defective cable from the get go, factory fresh, straight out-of-the-box? Do these cables really stop functioning as they should over the years? Aside from breaking, which is of course obvious, what else can wrong with a steel cable? The only thing I can think of is that they maybe stretch but can someone confirm that?
Thanks in advance for any help you folks can provide. I sincerely appreciate it!
A few months ago I noticed a considerable weakening of the self-propelling feature. The wheels would spin if I lifted the rear of the mower but once they hit the ground there was not enough power to propel the mower forward. I proceeded to do the 150 hour servicing and added grease to the rear wheel bushings and adjusted the drive cable. That did improve the self-propelling feature a bit but not for long. It quickly started to weaken so I pulled it into the shop to give it a thorough inspection. I discovered that the rear wheels were again locking up and no cable adjustment would correct the problem. So now I have the wheels locking up again and no self-propel. I pulled and inspected the drive belt and it was somewhat worn but not really stretched so I just replaced it. I also added more grease to the wheel bushings as that always helps the wheels to move better. The rear wheels no longer lock up but the cable is not responding properly to the adjustment procedure.
I then proceeded to adjust the cable and found that I'm not able to adjust it as I had in the past. I've always followed Honda's procedure on adjusting the drive cable which is to tighten the cable incrementally and pull back to check wheel resistance and stop when the wheels lock up and then back off 8 turns on the adjuster. This time when I did that I never got to the point where there was any wheel resistance at all. I tightened the cable as far as it would go and I could not get the rear wheels to lock up. I'm now at a loss to figure out what the problem is. The cable seems to be OK and so does the spring on the transmission. So I'm wondering if these cables stretch over time and eventually need to be replaced because of that? They're kind of pricey and I hate to play whack a mole just replacing parts so I'm hoping somebody here has some info to enlighten me on this mysterious case of the cable that refuses to do its job.
One last thing regarding this cable adjustment. From the very first time I adjusted the cable, the adjuster had to be totally tightened to the point where it came off of the threads. That was the point that the wheels locked up and from there I loosened it 8 turns to get it to the Honda specification. I thought it odd that it had to come completely off the threads to be adjusted correctly but it did and wonder if that has anything to do with the problem I have now? Maybe I got a defective cable from the get go, factory fresh, straight out-of-the-box? Do these cables really stop functioning as they should over the years? Aside from breaking, which is of course obvious, what else can wrong with a steel cable? The only thing I can think of is that they maybe stretch but can someone confirm that?
Thanks in advance for any help you folks can provide. I sincerely appreciate it!