Export thread

New to the forum. Been browsing for a little while, but I finally had to join and figure out why my Honda isn't running right.
The mower starts pretty easily when the throttle is on full "rabbit." However it doesn't idle if the throttle is any lower, let alone start. I've looked at all the linkages, and all the springs feels good still, but when I move the throttle lever, the linkage going across the top of governor arm to the carburetor doesn't move very much.
I'm kind of lost as to what do do here. I've completely cleaned the carburetor and checked over all linkages and everything looks like it's in place as it should be.
Any ideas?

Before anyone asks, it's an HRR2163TDA and the serial number is MZCG-7346141.

Anybody?

The governor is in the wrong position.
Either the governor arm has shifted on the governor shaft or it has broken inside the engine.
At full throttle the spring at the bottom should be stretched with space between the coils.
Yours is barely taking up the slack.
The throttle lever YOU move should stretch that spring.
That spring works against the governor which tries to shut the butterfly off.
With no tension on that spring there is nothing to stop the governor closing down the engine which is exactly what it is doing.

I just took a look at it earlier, and neither the top spring nor the bottom spring are returning to their positions. The governor arm feels hard to turn on its shaft.
When I put it to full throttle (which I just put together is the choke position, which is the only way it'll run) it will pull tight now that I tightened the bottom spring a little bit, however when I lower the throttle, the governor arm does not move back at all.
I went through loosening the nut on the governor and turning the shaft to the right while holding the arm to the right to "reset" it, and it runs better. Still won't run while out of the choke position, but it feels a little smoother than before.
Should I go ahead and replace the springs? The only reason I'm hesitant is because they still look good, but clearly they aren't doing their jobs. I sprayed some white lithium grease on the governor shaft, but that didn't seem to do much. It's still hard to turn.

I bet it is a carb issue. Honda carbs are sensitive to small obstructions. My suggestion is to replace the carburetor.

The bottom spring is the governor spring.
The reason why it has the long mounting loops is when the engine is off & the throttle closed it should be very loose and not take up the slack till about 1/2 to 1/3 throttle.
I don't have a Honda in the shop at the moment to photograph for you but setting the governor is a 3 handed job.
But go to
http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/showthread.php/43009-Gap-Between-Honda-HRR216VKA-Frame-and-Engine
And swap photos with Rich

I think the carb probably does need to be replaced, since when I first got it running (used to be my cousin's, it was sitting in his shed for at least a year and a half) the idle was pulsating. It eventually smoothed out, but again, it still only runs when choked.
I'll replace the carburetor and see what that does, but the governor arm is still not right. I need to figure out why it won't move when I move the throttle.
I just sent Rich a PM too, thanks for the link!

SpoolinV70 said:

it still only runs when choked.

Click to expand...

That's a classic symptom of inadequate fuel delivery, often due to a partially obstructed main jet or slime, gunk, old stale fuel decayed inside the carb. A new carb is quite cheap (<$20 is most cases) and I'd fit new gaskets at the same time. Of course, drain out the old fuel from the tank and fill with fresh unleaded.

robert@honda said:

That's a classic symptom of inadequate fuel delivery, often due to a partially obstructed main jet or slime, gunk, old stale fuel decayed inside the carb. A new carb is quite cheap (<$20 is most cases) and I'd fit new gaskets at the same time. Of course, drain out the old fuel from the tank and fill with fresh unleaded.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll probably order a new carburetor and hopefully that'll get it running right again. I'll update this thread once I get it in.

Alright, so I have replaced all the carburetor gaskets (including the spacer) and it still runs the same. I didn't replace the carb, but I soaked it in some B-12 Chemtool and it seemed to clear out a lot of junk. Now, the only problem seems to be with the governor.
I tried adjusting it, but it doesn't seem to have much movement on its shaft. Every time I start it, it just starts revving insanely high (it sounds like it's about to shoot the piston right out). I tried moving the idle down some with the governor, but nothing happened.
How can I adjust this governor? Like I said, this mower is a bit of a pain with all the arms, springs, and linkages. Way too complicated for a lawnmower.

SpoolinV70 said:

Alright, so I have replaced all the carburetor gaskets (including the spacer) and it still runs the same. I didn't replace the carb, but I soaked it in some B-12 Chemtool and it seemed to clear out a lot of junk. Now, the only problem seems to be with the governor.
I tried adjusting it, but it doesn't seem to have much movement on its shaft. Every time I start it, it just starts revving insanely high (it sounds like it's about to shoot the piston right out). I tried moving the idle down some with the governor, but nothing happened.
How can I adjust this governor? Like I said, this mower is a bit of a pain with all the arms, springs, and linkages. Way too complicated for a lawnmower.

Click to expand...

You can test it by pushing the gov arm counterclockwise If you can achieve stable RPM by doing so, than adjust your governor by loosing the bolt at the base of the arm and rotating it to the left. However, if the engine continues to surge - the carburetor or the valve clearance may still be the problem.

c5vettster said:

You can test it by pushing the gov arm counterclockwise If you can achieve stable RPM by doing so, than adjust your governor by loosing the bolt at the base of the arm and rotating it to the left. However, if the engine continues to surge - the carburetor or the valve clearance may still be the problem.

Click to expand...

I tried turning it down a little (counterclockwise), and it's pulsing again. I had tightened the lower spring on the governor arm before, and when I ran it I was able to turn down the throttle a bit and it stayed running. However when the engine speed slowed down to almost normal, it was pulsing again. I bent the spring back to normal and it started doing what it was doing before (idling slowly, pulsing).
I went ahead and ordered a new carburetor, I'll post back if that solves the problem.

SpoolinV70 said:

I tried turning it down a little (counterclockwise), and it's pulsing again. I had tightened the lower spring on the governor arm before, and when I ran it I was able to turn down the throttle a bit and it stayed running. However when the engine speed slowed down to almost normal, it was pulsing again. I bent the spring back to normal and it started doing what it was doing before (idling slowly, pulsing).
I went ahead and ordered a new carburetor, I'll post back if that solves the problem.

Click to expand...

Yes, that doesn't surprise me. Honda carburetors are hard to clean when they are clogged with stale gasoline. I bet the new carburetor will fix it.

Got the carburetor in the other day, and it runs now in any throttle position. Just today I noticed some odd resistance from the pull start after removing the blade (it seems the blade was causing violent shaking), but it starts still. It still sounds like it's running weird, but it is running.
I think I just need to adjust the governor arm a little bit. It sounds like it might be idling a little low. I'll post back if I can't get it running smooth.