# Anyone having issues? Honda HRX217HZA



## Donttreadonmining (Jun 29, 2018)

So....I purchased a new Honda HRX217HZA about 5-6 months ago. It has the new GCV 200.
I have started having idle and surging issues. This is while it's under no load. When I engage the blades the engine comes up to speed/full power and sounds much better. But under no load the darn thing sputters and shakes. It will even stall when I pull the throttle back to "slow".
Any advice or ideas much appreciated. 
This mower has only been used twice a week for the past 5 months. I really don't think I should be having these issues with a darn near $1000 mower.

Thanks in advance everyone!


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

The first thing that comes to my mind is a fuel and/or contamination issues in the carburetor.

It is very easy to have fuel go bad, get water in the fuel, have contaminants from inside the fuel can get into the carb etc.

All these thing can cause your issues, IMO.

First thing I would do is get some product like this:

https://lucasoil.com/products/engine-oil-additives/complete-engine-treatment

or Sea Foam type fuel system cleaners. Follow the instruction or watch a YouTube video about it.

May be as simple as putting some Gas line Antifreeze in the fuel tank to remove any moisture that got in the fuel container:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gold-Eagle-12-oz-HEET-Gasline-AntiFreeze-HEE28201/207078276

Look out for fuel with a lot of ethanol in it too. Use a good fuel stabilizer with all stored fuel all year round.

Good luck, it is likely just junk in your mower's carb, this stuff will help remove it.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Your mower is under full factory warranty.

Take it back to where you bought it and have them fix it for free.

Problem solved. Have a cold drink, chillax, and let them do the work.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

FlowRider said:


> Your mower is under full factory warranty.
> 
> Take it back to where you bought it and have them fix it for free.
> 
> Problem solved. Have a cold drink, chillax, and let them do the work.


Unfortunately things like "fuel contamination or deterioration" and "carburetor cleaning" are listed as exclusions in the Honda Warranty.

Not saying a friendly dealer wouldn't help him out, but most of the warranties I've seen for small gas engines find a way to exclude coverage of most fuel system issues.


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## Donttreadonmining (Jun 29, 2018)

DIY......
Appreciate your time!
I did have a bottle of Seafoam in the garage and gave it a dose this afternoon. My thoughts (and hopes, too) were in the same area of crap in the fuel. I ran out of time today to completely run the Seafoam / fuel mix through. Hopefully tomorrow I can run the rest through and try some fresh fuel. In my area (Southern California) its very hard to find ethanol free fuel. I do use a stabilizer that is supposed to counteract it's effects. I may pick up one of the ethanol free , packaged fuels at Lowes or Home Depot and give that a try.

Thank you again for your time and input!

Mainly I'd like to try and avoid having it in for service for the next month! Gave away my trusty Briggs Craftsman....man I'm a idiot! No backup any more. &#128528;
Jim


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Ware said:


> FlowRider said:
> 
> 
> > Your mower is under full factory warranty.
> ...


This. And most things that seem to go wrong on small engines when under warranty are fuel related.


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## Donttreadonmining (Jun 29, 2018)

Thank you for everyone's time. I do appreciate it! 
Would it seem odd to you guys that the poor running is only under "no load"? Maybe this is a dumb question, if so I apologize. I just NEVER had ANY issues with my old Craftsman. Like a dummy, I gave it to the neighbor....still here him using it over there every week. Sounds as good as when I bought it 12 years ago! &#128528;


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## DIY Lawn Guy (Jun 19, 2019)

Donttreadonmining said:


> Thank you for everyone's time. I do appreciate it!
> Would it seem odd to you guys that the poor running is only under "no load"? Maybe this is a dumb question, if so I apologize. I just NEVER had ANY issues with my old Craftsman. Like a dummy, I gave it to the neighbor....still here him using it over there every week. Sounds as good as when I bought it 12 years ago! 😐


A 2nd thought about your new Honda. I see that you live in CA. That fact may a part of the problem. I would be wondering if all gas mowers sold in CA must meet a stricter emission standard than outside CA. It is true with CA automobiles, so why not gas lawn mowers too. If true, that could make your mower more fuel finicky IMO.

A 3rd thought, also related to CA. The fuel that you buy may be reformulated several times a year as required by C.A.R.B. It could be that your mower does not 'like' the latest seasonal blend required in CA.

I would call a Honda tech support line or chat line and run these ideas by them. Also, go to a Honda mower forum, others may have the same issue. It may be that a change to different fuel maker or a change to a different spark plug could cure the idle/surge issue. I swapped out the OEM spark plug on one of my small engines and installed a 'Split Fire' brand spark plug. That made a noticeable improvement in the engine performance right away. There is a spark plug cross reference at the Split Fire link. You can find the correct replacement plug there.

https://e3sparkplugs.com/lawn-mower-spark-plugs/

One last thought. In the carburetor, there may be two paths for the fuel to take. A more narrow path/bore for idle/no load and a larger path/bore for full power. The smaller path could be where the contamination is.

I'm sure that over time you will find the solution. Honda makes some of the best engines in the world, there IS a solution.

Good Luck


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## Donttreadonmining (Jun 29, 2018)

Thanks for the input, DIY!

I'll update when I find that solution.

Take care


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## LawnRat (Mar 22, 2019)

Donttreadonmining said:


> Thank you for everyone's time. I do appreciate it!
> Would it seem odd to you guys that the poor running is only under "no load"? Maybe this is a dumb question, if so I apologize. I just NEVER had ANY issues with my old Craftsman. Like a dummy, I gave it to the neighbor....still here him using it over there every week. Sounds as good as when I bought it 12 years ago! 😐


Sputtering without load and smoothing out under load often means it's running too rich. The most common causes would probably be a partially closed choke, or a dirty/over oiled air filter. Remove your air filter and see how it sounds (don't mow without it of course).

If it's not something simple, use the warranty.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Ware said:


> FlowRider said:
> 
> 
> > Your mower is under full factory warranty.
> ...


@Ware The warranty also excludes "Any damage or deterioration resulting from...improper repair...."

The problem with these threads is we are being asked to diagnose an engine problem based on a written description in a thread post, with none of us actually seeing or hearing the motor run (or sputter, stall, shake, or whatever words are chosen) so it is a bit of a fool's errand to try and guess what is wrong based on less than full information.

I have worked on motors for 49 years. I think he has debris in his pilot jet. He also may have debris in the idle screw or idle circuit. But I am basing that on his written description, and nothing more. We are all relying only on the information presented.

But it could be a bad spark plug, a spark plug that has a loose plug or plug cap connection, a vacuum leak, a bad fuel cap, crud in the fuel (as some have mentioned), an intake leak, bad gasket seal, auto choke leak, etc. And that is off the top of my head without me really thinking about it too hard....

A supposition that it is fuel related is contraindicated by the fact the mower is new, has only been used 10 times, ran well before and only recently developed the reported issues, and runs well at wide open throttle under full load but begins to stall and sputter at low rpms.

My point is, if the OP used good gas, which one would assume, but like you, I do not know what fuel was used, fresh or otherwise, then fuel is not the issue, and he has a different problem, albeit one that could be in the fuel supply system.

I do not know if the OP knows how to pull and clean a pilot jet, if he even knows what one is or can find it on his mower, and if he can, if he has the tools or knowledge to be able to properly remove and resolve the mechanical problem(s) he has.

So, if I was him, and he does not know these things or have these tools, he would be better served to use the warranty.

If they tell him he used bad fuel, I would be surprised - but he would know that better than anyone else here about that.

At the end of the day, I think he ought to take it in, unless he can spin the wrenches and a wire drill to clear the pilot jet.

But otherwise, your guess is just as good as mine. But I am going with pilot jet. Perhaps he will take it in and advise us....

Or maybe the OP is the second coming of Smokey Yunick and he can fix this with his eyes closed and a paper clip.

But my impression from reading this post is he may be pretty handy, but he is asking for help because he is not sure.... Another reason I suggested using the warranty, because you cannot void one by having a service tech do the work.

You own a Honda, I own several Hondas, so we know these things are as reliable as a stove. I still advise: use the warranty.

If he is worried he has to wait a long time to get service, he needs to negotiate a better turnaround time since he is down and does not have another mower to tide him over until this one works. That may get him moved up to "today's work...."

All I know is I want him to either tell us he used bunk fuel, or he didn't, and then have an authorized service tech tell us all.

He paid almost $1000 and I think he got a five year warranty, right? If I was him, somebody else is doing the wrenching!! :nod: :thumbup:


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## mytmouse (Jan 28, 2019)

I can't really help troubleshoot more than what has been recommended, but if you're still in Riverside, there looks to be a gas station that carries Ethanol Free gas in Riverside. https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=CA .


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I am actually pretty curious to find out what the cause is. Rare for a Honda to have hiccups in the motor gonna run arena.

I am thinking a little piece of black plastic wedged in the pilot jet.

But I could be wrong.


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## TLFU (Aug 4, 2017)

I experienced the same issue today. Please update us on your outcome, OP!


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## avionics12 (Jul 2, 2018)

I experienced the same symptoms with my HRX. When it was happening I noticed one of the idle arms moving slowly front to back, in sync with the surging. Located on the right side of the engine as facing from the front.



I used CRC QD Electronic Cleaner to remove gunk and debris on all connector points, springs, and linkages associated with this.



I haven't had the symptoms listed by the OP after cleaning this area.


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