Honda Mower Carb Issue?

[1911Sooner]

I bought an Ego electric mower and that thing has been super impressive. Light weight, goes an hour on a charge, and never ever bogs down and is very quiet. No more gas or oil changes either. And the Ego trimmers and blowers take the same battery.

 

[Shadowrider]

I had this exact problem on my Honda. It would do this when the air filter got dirty which was often as not much gets past the Honda filter and they clog up pretty quickly. Cleaning or replacing the filter always fixed it until it didn't (which took several years).

I bought a brand new factory Honda carb and all the gaskets for about $35 or do, I think the carb was $19 itself. Problem solved. They really aren't worth rebuilding even if you can find the parts. Just replace it with a new one.

ETA: Changing the carb is a little fiddly but not difficult.

 

[xseler]

the governor is hunting. move the little spring on the governor control arm to a different hole.

Bingo. Usually , surging is related to a governor issue.

 

[HFS]

Only run 100% gas in it. I’ve rebuilt a hundred carbs. Once they start that surging crap, it seems tough to rectify even after a rebuild. Honda’s can be a pita. Chenesium copies can be had for less than $8 on fleabay.

Agree. I've not worked on a Honda but for B+S, yeah just buy cheap replacement carb and fixes the issue.

 

[chadh2o]

Crap gas! When the blend gas started, I didn't pay attention and totally screwed up a mower. Gummed that sucked shut. Repair guy wanted a buck fifty to fix my 10 yr old mower. Gave it to him and bought a new one.
2 years later, same thing. I didn't buy the gas for the last can or specify what to buy when I sent my son to the store. Repaired this myself.
I have used only 100% Premium (89 or better) for mowers, weedeaters and blowers since. Still have and use all with no issues cept, for the spring tuneups.

 

[Kenneth Braud]

My neighbor has a Ryobi electric 40 VDC 20" mower. They are ALL PLASTIC. (except motor and blade, obviously) It mows very well and he can finish his large corner lot with 1 1/2 batteries... it comes with two. I've used it on my postage stamp lawn and it does well. My issue is with the batteries. How long will they last and how much does a Ryobi 40 VDC battery cost? Over time probably as much as the initial cost. All the motor does is power a very light weight (1/2 the weight of a gas powered mower) blade (doesn't require the weight and torque of a gasoline engine) and the transmission for propulsion. Easy start, easy controls, easy storage. A lot to be said positively for it. My 20+ year old lawnboy has given me great service and still does. Sharpen blade 2-3 times/year. Grease Wheels, Use proper fuel mix, Change filter and fuel lines regularly. Found out after first 5 years what parts need attention and it is cleaned after each use. Never spent over $10/year for fuel and oil and the chassis is in great shape.

 

[BryanDP]

My mother and stepfather have a Honda 160 series mower. I am being told that it is 'surging' when idling without the deck engaged. When they engage the blades, the surge goes away. It sounds like a carb issue to me. I've worked on a lot of stuff, but never taken apart a mower carb before. Part of me is thinking about just putting up my Gen 5 G34 with the Delta Point Pro 2MOA RDS up here for sale, and taking the proceeds to buy them a really nice electric mower and just forget about any future issues. I've offered to buy them a lawn mowing service in the past but they still want to do it themselves, which I can appreciate.

What say you OSA? Is there a good small engine shop around here in the OKC/Moore/Norman area than does carb work for a decent price (quickly as well, lol), or should I just alleviate any future hassle and get them something new?

I haven't put 200 rounds through that G34 since I bought it new last year. The plan was to use it in GSSF, but I haven't been able to go to any indoor leagues or practice matches for quite a while now for one reason or another. The thought of letting it go doesn't seem to hurt as much as I initially thought it would.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I did not read through all the other responses so this may have already been said, but a "surging" issue on a Honda mower is almost certainly a very simple carb issue. We had this problem on the one of our Honda mowers that we keep at our rural property. I'm not really handy at all when it comes to working on engines and so forth, but it's so far away to get a mower worked on that my wife and I searched on youtube for an answer were able to follow instructions to get the carb cleaned up a bit. It was fixed for that day. The next use we had a similar problem so we ended up buying a new complete carb on Amazon for like $35 and that completely fixed the problem. I assume if someone was a little handier than I am at clearing the jets and so forth that they could probably save themselves $35.

I believe our issue was leaving the gas sitting in the carb at the end of a season. Usually we run the gas down and run the mower out but I don't think we did because we didn't realize the last time we mowed would be the last time and didn't think about it.

Anyway, I'd hate to see you sell a gun over a $35 carb.

Good luck!

 

[dennishoddy]

Nowadays you can just spend $15 on amazon and get a brand new Chinese carb and you're back in biz. No need to tinker with anything.

I have an 18 HP Kohler on my log splitter that needs a new carb. I might go this route and see if it works. Water got into the factory carb while it sat over the summer. It's not repairable and I've worked on more than a few carbs.

 

[GC7]

I have an 18 HP Kohler on my log splitter that needs a new carb. I might go this route and see if it works. Water got into the factory carb while it sat over the summer. It's not repairable and I've worked on more than a few carbs.

The funny thing is some of the chinese carbs are built with better components (metal instead of plastic) than OEM. The only area where they typically can be worse is usually pliable materials like hoses and primer bulbs.

 

[dennishoddy]

The funny thing is some of the chinese carbs are built with better components (metal instead of plastic) than OEM. The only area where they typically can be worse is usually pliable materials like hoses and primer bulbs.

At one time the Norinco firearms including the rifles and pistols exceeded some of the manufacturers in the US keeping to specs. Hard to believe but we have some gunsmiths on this forum that can confirm that.