Got a new project

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pottymouth

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Picked up this Honda HR214SX for free this week. An older lady just wanted it out of her garage. Years ago it started to run a little rough and her husband "tinkered" with the carburetor. After that, it never started again. They decided to hire landscapers and never looked at the old Honda again.

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It's in very good shape, a little dirty but it's all superficial. This thing is built like a tank. Weighs nearly 100lbs. The deck is very thick aluminum. It has a 2-speed drive system which appears to be shaft driven. I've never worked on an OHV small engine so it should be fun. I've got the bag and it is also in good shape.

She's got spark but still won't even sputter if I spray ether in the carb. I know the carb needs rebuilding and I'll have to go through the whole fuel system, but I still thought I would get some sign of life with the ether. I'm hoping a valve isn't hung up, but I'll check compression tomorrow. Even if I have to spend a few bucks to get her running again, I really don't mind. I would rather push this old behemoth around than some made in China POS with a stamped steel deck that will rot through in a few seasons.

Anyone familiar with this engine? It's a GXV120. I'm wondering if there are any weird quirks I should watch out for.
 
Holy [censored] that thing is mint, and it looks like its tough as nails too.

Good luck getting it going, I'm curious to see what the hang up is!
 
That thing IS a beauty. I don't see a deadman control (I think) so it must be really old. I would bet anything the carburetor is junked up with [censored] (old gas), an easy fix.
 
I have that exact mower. Bought it 23 years ago new.

The fuel system is its only weak point. It does NOT like storage.

Be sure to drain the tank before each winter and run it dry with some Sta-bil mix. Change the air filter every couple years, and make sure the foam around the air filter is clean and in good condition. Change as needed.

Other than that, you should be good.

As a side note, I've been running mine the last two years with some straight 50w AeroShell that was left over from my father's Cessna.
 
Do a compression test. It will tell you if a valve is hanging. I'm surprised that the thing doesn't at least cough with ether blasted into it. Go easy on the ether. It pull the oil off of the cylinder. If compression is good, pull the carb and give it a good cleaning. Find the adjustment specs put it back together and give it a shot.

Unless there is a broken gasket/seal or o-ring in the carb, I wouldn't be buying a kit for it. Just make sure you take it down to it's smallest components (jets) and make sure they are clean. While you have them out, clean all air and fuel passages with a fine (tie wrap) wire and blow out with compressed air.
 
Wow, our landlord has that exact same mower. He was having engine trouble with it. It wouldn't start, and when it did, it was hunting and surging. The plug was very clearly overheated. Still works, but he doesn't use it so much anymore.
 
Thanks for the positive comments. The valve adjustment vid will be helpful.

There's no deadman switch, this one has a blade brake so the engine can run without the blade spinning. I prefer this. I hate having to restart the mower each time I have to move a dog toy or something. I'm figuring a mfg date of somewhere in the mid-'80's. I was still in high school back then
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I may just buy the carb kit to avoid delays. Gaskets have a bad habit of getting stuck and tearing apart after 20+ years. If I get the kit, I won't need it. If I don't I will. You know the luck.

I'm just really surprised I got nothing with the ether. I've rebuilt motorcycle engines in the past with carbs so bad I replaced them and they still showed some sign of life with a squirt of ether. My fear is that one of the valves is hung from sitting for so log. Looks like I can get a new cylinder head for about $70 if I really need one. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I'll let you guys know what turns up.
 
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If you pull the valve cover and have someone pull the pull start, you can watch to see if the valve(s) are moving freely. If the valves are working as intended, and you have good spark, you likely have a fuel issue. GX series Honda engines are very robust and reliable. As previously mentioned, a compression test will tell you quite a bit. Have you tried a different spark plug? This may be very unlikely although not impossible but I've had spark plugs work just fine out of the cylinder but under pressure, they failed.
 
Well, I got up early today and figured I would take a crack at the little Honda. Checked the valve clearance and it was spot on. Oil looks very clean. Saw some sediment and very foul fuel left in the tank. Pulled the carb and began dissasembly. Found this nastyness:

IMG_0334.jpg


So I completely cleaned the carb out, re-assembled and she started on the second pull! Quiet, no smoke, smooth steady idle... I'm very pleased. The blade clutch and 2-speed drive work properly. Only minor problem is the throttle cable is pretty well stuck. Had to shut the fuel cock to turn her off. Not sure if I will replace the cable or try to free and lube this one.

Either way, so far I'm into it for one NGK spark plug at about $4 and a can of Berryman carb cleaner that wasn't even full. Gaskets were all in good enough shape to re-use. Once I change the oil and sort out the throttle cable it's a full season of mowing for this old girl.

I had expected this to take me a few weeks to figure out and source parts. Guess I need another project now.
 
Take your the defective cable off and bring it to a bicycle shop. They can probably match/make a cable for you. Their cables are usually made from stainless steel components. You'll never have trouble with it again and it will cost next to nothing compared to what you'd pay at a Honda dealership for a replacement cable.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
That was probably a $600 pushmower ~25yrs ago. Good find!

Joel
Spot on! I got the human propelled version of this mower for $650 Canadian just about 25 years ago. Still runs like a top.
 
Originally Posted By: boraticus
Take your the defective cable off and bring it to a bicycle shop. They can probably match/make a cable for you. Their cables are usually made from stainless steel components. You'll never have trouble with it again and it will cost next to nothing compared to what you'd pay at a Honda dealership for a replacement cable.


Thanks for the tip. I'm going to give it a try.
 
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