honda HRX 217 versamow propelling problems

My home depot bought HRX 217 starts, runs and mows fine. It has the smart drive system. It is propelling very slow. I adjusted the turnbucle on the cable with no results. The only thing i have done to this mower is changed the oil and air filter. I have used this mower for 2 seasons. growing up i mowed my fathers lawn with a honda self propelled mower for 10 years with no problems, he still has it! I bought this mower with the same expectations and now i'm dissapointed. I paid 600 bucks for a push mower and i'm allready having problems! Any suggestions? Please help.

 

Have you raised the thumb control to allow more travel?

 

Hi, I have a very similar problem after the recent replacement of the traction drive cable. In addition the rear wheels seem to lock up when pulling in reverse. Have you received a resolution to your problem and would you know what the reverse lock issue maybe or who to talk to. I would much rather repair myself than have to pay $$$ to the dealer.:wall

 

Your problem has to do with the adjustment of the cable near the handle, as you know.
BUT I just heard from Honda (while discussing another problem) that there is also an adjustment of the cable AT THE TRANSMISSION BOX END. Good luck getting in there.
BTW, my problem was that the threaded feedthru holding the cable to the handle broke right between the two nuts that hold it to the handle. My opinion is that there is sideways stress on this joint because the cable is tied to the handle. It's a flimsy part, and costs about $100 to replair/replace the cable. I recommend reinforcing it even if you use just metal epoxy. I think it should be covered by the warranty.

 

I had the same issue after replacing a broken clutch cable. The problem was that honda changed the cable end on the replacement cable so I had to get a new lever that connected the cable to the transmission. I don't know whether they changed the angle of the lever or whether I reassembled it wrong, but the return spring under that lever did not have enough tension. To test this on your mower lay it on it's right side. Take a screwdriver or punch and lightly tap the lever to turn the shaft the way the spring turns it when disengaging the clutch to make sure that it is fully disengaged. If this is the problem you can now turn the wheels in reverse by hand. To fix this you need to remove the roll pin that holds the lever on, lift the lever off the shaft. turn the spring so that it will be tighter by putting the end that hooks into the transmission housing into the next indentation that will make it tighter. Put the lever and roll pin back in and then pull the spring around to hook behind the lever again. To describe this is easy. To figure out how to do this took one and one half hours and small punches, needle nosed pliers, an ice pick, a home made wire hook, screw drivers and time. This is in a tight hard to get at space but I did it without taking the whole mower apart. I could probably do it in a half an hour now. I bet most of the locked wheel problems is because of this spring. If your clutch hoop does not return quickly when you release it because of a weak spring then this is probably the problem. Good luck.

 

The return spring problem relates to the rear wheels locking when you try to pull the mower backwards. I don't think it has anything to do with the slow speed that the original post complained about.

 

I have a 4 year old HRX 217. I have replaced the plug and filter. It starts fine but will not idle down, it stops. When on fast run without a load(blade) it surges. The self propelled state is also not as fast as it once was. Any help with this?

Thanks, john d williams.

 

The high idle and surge are due to a dirty carb. It needs cleaning. The propel speed might be fixed with a belt.