Honda Harmony 215 Transmission Problems

Eddie, thanks for the info. my problem started this morning when my son was mowing. the mower got stuck in auto even after he released the auto handle. he had to turn it off and then he could not get it to go backwards. i had recently replaced the cable but now i noticed the arm that the cable attaches to at the transmission did not go back. I manually pushed it back and that got the wheels to go back. However, the next time I engaged the automatic, the same thing happened (the arm did not go back when I disengaged and the wheels would not allow me to go backwards). Any ideas how to fix that?

Eddie, Thanks for getting back to me quickly. I have an older model (HRM215 SXA VIN: MZBB-6043922). Do I have to take off the transmission to replace the springs? If so,how would I do that? If not, what would be the best way to do it? Thanks for your help.

Eddie, I jerry-rigged a spring to force the arm to come back after i release the auto handle and that seems to work (have not tested with motor running as it is getting late). However, I still have a problem with the wheels not wanting to backward. I have to manually push the auto arm back and forth while turning the right wheel and then the axle will turn backward. I cannot understand what that would be. Is my tranny going bad?

Eddie- what if 1st gear works, and 2nd doesn't? Could this still be a problem with the drift key?

Eddie-

Yeah, that is the first thing I tried, sounds like it is an internal thing. I ordered an aftermarket transmission for $119, and my brother in law is owns a small engine shop, and he is gonna put it in for free, he owes me a favor. Thanks for the info, the video was quite interesting. I'll let you know how the install goes.

Hey guys I have a Honda Harmony 215 k3sxa and my rear whell drive just went out. I saw that you have seen them online for around 100 bucks but do you happen to remember where? I have searched for this for the last 2 days and still no avail, I have just been quoted 212.18 for a new transmission and for just slightly more i could get a new mower but I have to say I do love my Honda and so therefore I am wanting a bit of help if any of you are so kind to lend a hand

I forgot if I dont get back here in time anybody can feel free to email me at winnandnico@yahoo.com Any help would be great.

hey - I'm having a problem with my Harmony 215 that seems similar to yours. Don't want to sound like an idiot but, I can't get my wheel off. The bolt is off but the wheel is stuck on the post and does not want to come off (even with a little light help from a hammer). Is there a reason it won't come off? What am I doing wrong?

just wanted to update my comment a little. My mower is a 1993 honda harmony 215. Looks like the wheels do not come off the axle easily. I tried removed both wheels. there is a bolt that comes off but the axle seems to have a "ring" around it to prevent the wheels from coming off. My husband just cut the lawn. the right rear wheel sticks unless the mower is on and you have the self propelled engaged. also - watched your video a couple times. my wheel clicks when it moves forward but nothing locks it - moves clockwise easily. any ideas?(cuts great - just lots of problems with the self propelled).

Eddie

i got to come off- just as you mentioned it was just stuck -cleaned and lubed the bearings on both sides and its moving free and easy!! Great instructions and Maggie

Hi, Eddie, My driving wheels spin when the mower is lifted into the air, but there is no propulsion when they are on the ground. What do you suggest? Thanks, Scott.

Hello, again. I forgot to add that I have an HRR216 three-speed mower. It is only 6 years old and has never taken more than one pull to start! It's only the transmission that has been the problem.

Hi great info. I have an hr215sxa and the ratchet assm. is different. The drive sometimes works in 1 but not 2 and 3. When it is not working it makes a gear slipping noise. The ratchets look clean. Any suggestions?

Dave

Hi, Eddie, I am not sure how to adjust the "shift cable". If you mean the cable that activates one of three speeds, I did disassemble the lever unit to reveal the cable but it seemed stuck in one position. I put some lube into the cable but it is still stuck. The cable continues into the shielded housing of the base and so I don't see any "adjustment nuts". I do have the HRR216, not the HRR215. 1) Why would the shift cable stop sliding in and out of its housing tube? 2) Do I have to dismantle the underside metal cowl to find the "ajustment nuts" in this model? Thanks, Scott

Eddie, You probably know this. Is there any TRICK to installing the spring on the transmission cable to the old Honda HRA215-SXA? The old cable broke and I am installing a new one. I have the end of the cable hooked up, but can't get the spring compressed enough to get it into place. I tried to remove metal cover under deck (3 bolts?) and the head of one of the 10mm bolts broke. I figured I would have better access that way. From the top, compressing the spring DOWN is a pain and from the bottom the axle is in the way. I have placed the spring over a semi-triangular shaped arm on the shift lever. Is that the correct positioning for it? Thanks for your time and helping everyone with their mowers!

Thanks for replying Eddie! Yes, springs can REALLY be a pain sometimes, especially with little space to work in.This tranny is the 3 speed with the selector lever on top of the mower deck, not on the handlebar. Anyway, after finally getting the severely rusted cover plate off (it had 4 10mm bolts and was tack-welded in 2 spots under the transmission), I had better access to the transmission shift lever arm and spring location. I fed the end of the new cable into its keeper on the shifter arm and reaching thru the bottom of the mower deck I grasped the top of the spring with needle-nosed vise grips; compressing the spring in its position on the shift lever. The new spring that comes with the new cable is very stout and stiff. I was a hair away from it being where it needed to go and while holding it in place with the vise grips, pushed it into position with a long shafted flat blade screwdriver. I had tried to compress the spring thru the plastic-door area (from the top) but could not get enough leverage to push it down far enough. I was frustrated at times, but my determination finally won out in the end. IF you are a DIYer, you will find this challenging as well, but hopefully NOT as difficult on the newer models as this unit HRA215-SXA has a steel drive shaft off a PTO on the engine going into the little 3-speed transmission. There is NO belt.

Thank you too Eddie. Most people probably haven't seen a Honda this old in awhile (circa 1990?) An older gent in downtown Orlando, Fl. put it out to the curb with a "FREE" sign on it. My friend nabbed it after asking if I wanted it. I decarbed the head and piston OHV engine (not OHC), installed new head gasket,lapped the valves, adjusted the valve clearance, and had to replace the tranny cable as it broke on the tranmission end (little nub broken off). Not bad for a freebie, so now there is NO room in my shed as I have 1 lawn tractor, 3 push mowers and 5 weedeaters (work on um for fun and to help folks out).

The key in the project was removing the smaller sheet metal piece under the deck. I don't think I would have gotten the spring on without that tip. I didn't realize it was there because the bottom of the deck is severely rusted. Thanks again!

Glad to have found this article. My problem is that the transmission seems to get stuck occasionally to where the wheels lock when rolling the mower backwards. It's a new transmission (appx 1 year). After mowing it seems to get better. Any ideas?

I just removed the transmission from my Honda HRB216. I haven't opened it up yet, but when I do if everything looks OK I will probably replace the greese. What type of greese should I use? Your posts on this are extremely helpful.

Hey Eddie,

First of all I want to say how much I appreciate someone like you taking the time to help people like me out with these problems. It's not too often that you find people willing to give free advice nowadays!

I have a HRM 215 mower that is having some problems. A while back, when I would engage the self propel, the transmission seemed to work intermittently. I would be mowing a strip and out of nowhere the self propel would work, sometimes for quite a while and sometimes for just a few seconds. Now the self propel very rarely works and if it does, only for an extremely short while. Also, the left rear wheel will sometimes get "stuck" and won't turn at all, forwards or backwards. I'm in college and mow lawns as a business and I would really appreciate your help as I don't have the time or money to send the mower to a shop! Thanks again.

Hello, Eddie, This concerns the HRR216 that I commented on some months ago. I dismantled the wheel and gear assembly and the transmission was fine; it seems very robust. The problem was solved by 1) replacing the gear/speed cable that had become mangled at its transmission end and 2) the clutch cable had stretched. You have to remove the geared, driven rear wheels and transmission unit to access the cable attachment - a very painstaking task. On this model, there is no easy clutch cable adjustment but the same nut that holds the choke lever also serves as the clutch cable fixation and you just follow thd shop manual to remove any free play before retightening the choke/clutch bolt. NO NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION UNIT. Cheers

Thanks for the tip Eddie. I will try to work on that as soon as possible and let you know how it goes. Unfortunately, today when I was mowing, the pull cord broke off...so it might just have to wait until school is out until I have the time to mess with it. Thanks again!

Hi Eddie,

I inherited a HRM215 with a broken clutch cable. Is this simple enough to fix without a service manual?

It's the one to engage the wheels. The cable is hanging from the hand control. I assume that I will have to get to the transmission to connect a new cable.

Thanks Eddie,

I will give it a shot. I really appreciate the service you are providing here.

Your not upposto take the plastic cover off all the way that 1 plastic nut is perminit

I got a hra214 I got just replaced the drive cable and now the mower sumtimes Drives sumtimes dosnt and the wheels spin when i lift off the ground but on the ground no go.sumtimes it seems like it catchs a gear and drive its self.But its mostly push rightnow.Im wondering if the tranny fryd or maybe just needs sum greese?

Eddie, I hope your my guy. I have a hrb215fm that is missing a spring(I think) from a cable that ends in a loop at the handle assembly. My wheels also move fwd but lock up going back? Just got this hoping to get it running properly as everything else shows little to no wear. Could this spring on handle assembly be my only problem? Cable enters deck on rear left and goes straight down to where I can't see. I've already read in prev posts that there is a cover underneath. Is there a return spring under this cover as well? Thanks in advance for your time and expertise

Hey Eddie, just found your site..great site..I just picked up a Honda HRM215 last night, for $75.00...the guy didn't want it anymore, because the self propelled quit working. I am going to be taking rear wheels off today when I get home from work, to see what's what. Hoping you'll be able to help me through anything I find. Mower runs great, starts on first pull, and blade engages when you push the little yellow button in and pull the clutch handle back. Just nothing happening when you try the self propelled part. Heck I don't even know the exact serial number of my mower yet...all I know is it's a HRM215, has a plastic mower deck, and 5hp engine.

So....time to dig in.........

Hi again....Ok, hoping you can help me to the correct replacment parts, and what year my mower is and any other info. My mower says HRM215-GK and then another sticker on it says: MZBB - 6352430

Thanks again for any help

;

';;;;

u can help me identify my mower..I got the info off of it...

Hi again Eddie!

Ok..I just now pulled BOTH rear wheels off and put the mower up on blocks..I started it up....I believe there are TWO controls for the rear wheels..on the left side of the handle bar is a "speed" type of control with a red lever..and then there is the black metal "pull bar" the you pull up on when you are actually pushing the mower forward...I set the red level at "full or "fast" and then pulled up on the black pull bar...but neither "gear" turned on either side of the mower. Any thoughts??

Dan

Eddie, OK my transmission is also aluminum not plastic, as well as mine is a 2 speed. I got underneath and found the lever and the lower end of the cable is attached. The lever itself was a little sticky due to lack of use I assume. I hand jockeyed the lever back and forth a couple times and this solved the wheels not spinning in reverse. At this point is there a way(without the spring on the upper handle assembly) for me to start and. At least see if this dog will bark? Also if it DOES statr could this spring be that simple of a fix? By the way THANKS you are the man! Claimer

Also I Can see and access the tranny without removing any cover. Thanks again Claimer

Eddie,

I am faced with the exact same situation as you with the exact same mower. Like you, I can sometimes get the gear unlocked by monkeying with the cable, or by shifting it to low speed. However, when I run it or engage the self propel, the right wheel stays in gear. I'm going to investigate it more tonight. Results may vary depending on my frustration level.

Eddie

I'll check the welds tonight when I get home....also, there is a belt? where is it located, and how do I access it to check??

Thanks

Will do....so I take it, I need to turn the mower on it's side..remove the blade(s) (mine has two blades, one sits just above the other)... so I'll remove the blades, and then I should have access to the transmission belt, correct? I'll give it a go and let you know what I see.

I hope that's all it is!!!

Using what I learned from this site, I've managed to eliminate some possibilities.

My problem is not caused by:

Debris under the wheel gears.

Broken spring.

Loose, damaged, or unhooked cable.

I did manage to get the access panel open under the mower, and yes that last bolt was unreachable for me. I was able to get a good look inside though by removing three of the bolts.

I'm certain now that the problem is in the transmission.

So I see where the cable hooks to it, and how going from in gear to out of gear is controlled by the little metal pivot thing.

What I don't understand is what is going on in the transmission to make it stay in gear. The little pivot thing seems to move back to where it is supposed to when the cable tension is released. Yet it stays in gear.

I can sometimes (but not always) get it out of gear by jiggling the pivot thing.

I suppose I need to open up the transmission, but that seems like a lot of work just to get to it.

Hey guys, just a couple things I wanted to write this morning.

1. I just joined the lawnmower forum and there is ACTUALLY a certified HONDA Factory tech guy that is a member there and RESPONDS to your questions...He has been chatting with me back and forth, and things my issue is a cable issue..he even sent me pages from the shop manual on how to adjust cables, change belt, etc. Good info!

2. I found out our transmissions are indeed Hydrostatic transmissions, and to check, change or TOP OFF the fluid, you have to remove the transmission to do it..as it's on top. (how convenient, NOT!)

so I gotta ask, how do you drop the transmission on these mowers? Is it fairly simple? I guess since I am trouble shooting, I may as well check or change the hydrofluid as well.

Dan

Eddie,

I might get to this over the weekend. I assume I'll have to take the gears off both ends in order to get the transmission off. Would that be correct?

I feel like there must be some easier fix that I'm overlooking. From what I can see in other videos, the transmission is really nothing but gears on the inside anyway. Nothing too complicated about it. Getting it off the mower and opened up looks like a major undertaking though.

My mower is 12 years old now so I'm not sure what I'm going to decide to do yet.

Correction: It's 16 years old.

Hey Eddie..well this guy over at the forum seems to know his stuff....he can even tell me where my mower was originally purchase, and WHO bought it..here is some info he gave me as well.

MODEL-SERIAL NUMBER (PIN).......................: MZBB - 6352430

INVOICED DEALER.................................: 307282

INVOICE DATE....................................: 04/13/98

DATE OF PURCHASE................................: 07/06/1998

SELLING DEALER..................................: 307282

ENGINE NUMBER...................................: 7188523

MODEL ID .......................................: HRM215K2HX

WARRANTY TERM...................................: NON-COMMERCIAL

If you type in the MODEL ID you'll see that my model is:

Honda HRM215K2HXA (Hydrostatic Self-Propelled Harmony, Frame Serial MZBB-6300001 to 6400000)

So it has Hydrostatic right in the name...is this not true?? I can take some photos of it if you'd like to see it....just let me know your email address. I am hoping to get this issue figured out and solved.

Thanks

Dan

Hi Eddie,

My 19 year old 215 still runs except for a small glitch. What happens is sometimes one of two rear wheels doesn't roll backwards which is not convenient when turning around. What do you think is the problem

?

Hey Eddie

well, I am still trying to decide whether I drop the transmission and install new axle seals on each side ($2.35 part) to re-seal the transmission. The Honda tech guy I am talking to said that is enough hydro fluid has leaked out, it would cause the transmission NOT to work..so it's possible that's the only problem..OR not..I just am undecided if I just use it as a non propelled push mower, or fix the self propelled transmission. Decision, Decisions!

Eddie,

When this problem started I was mowing the lawn and there was some kind of audible clunk and that's when my transmission started to stay in gear. It sounded to me like something broke. I also notice that the gear engage cable is a bit looser than before. There is still tension on it though, just not as much. I suspect that whatever that little metal pivot thing connects to on the inside of the transmission is where my problem lies.

Anyway, let that be my official wild ass guess for the record.

Hi Eddie

Well, I figured what the heck..I went and ordered two new oil seals for the axle on either side...so this week I am going to take the transmission off, and open it up to have a look see. I guess for the Hydraulic trans. there really aren't many parts in side, compared to the gear driven, like your two speed. So I'll keep you posted.

Similar to another post - I have a harmony 216. The wheels spin when I lift the mower off the ground, but when I put the mower down, it just sits there. Had some success using the lowest speed, and once got it to run in second, but it is iffy at best. Is the trans shot or is there an adjustment I can make? The clutch IS engaging, so wondering if it's the transmission speed(?) cable.

thanks

No way to adjust up by the controls. Weird - when i lift the mower off the ground, all 3 speeds work fine, but when i put it to the ground, it sits there

May buy another Honda - 216 - but single speed. Issue is, this one runs all the time - the clutch does NOT disengage. Is this an easy fix?

Eddie, just wanted to ask you what you prefer on your Honda for a mower blade? right now mine has the standard 2 blade setup..one above the other...is this the best, or are there better setups out there to look at?

Thanks

Eddie, I started to take apart the mower but couldn't figure out how to get the rear wheel height adjusters off. So I figured I'd wait to see what you come up with on yours.

That answered my question. Thanks. I'll probably have another go at it this weekend. I just mowed yesterday by pushing it, old school style :) .. so that gives me another week to try get it fixed.

Eddie, I'm sure this is posted in the wrong thread. Hope you can help or point me to it. My transmission issue is solved. My mower is surging/hunting. Runs on choke. Replaced air filter and pre. Replaced plug. Going to pull the carb next. Any tips on how to remove linkage without bending them? Thanks claimer Honda harmony hrb 215 sxa

I can't slide it off the studs without bending. Particularly the longer wire going to the throttle arm?If I could slide it completely off I could rotate and they would almost fall off. Claim

Eddie, Just read that on my model the studs need to be removed before the carburetor comes off. Says I should use the 2 nuts on same stud to back it out repeat on second stud, then I can remove linkage hassle free. I will attack this in the morning and let you know. Thanks for your help thus far. Posted this for anyone else with this issue. Claimer

Hey Eddie, What cable would you tweak or bend? Do you mean the rigid wire links or the cable?Mine has 3 linkages. 2 rigid wires( the shorter with a factory bend) and the governor spring wraps the longer straight wire. The spring being the 3rd connect. I live North of Seattle. My mowing window(weather) is short..LOL Thanks again for all your help,Claim

Hey Eddie, It's Claim again. OK Got the studs out no prob disassembled and cleaned the jets re assembled replaced studs re linked getting ready to throw the air filter on and give it a pull, one last Q before I do. I have never used this mower it was a freebie someone left by the road that I adopted as a project... Then my son broke the teeth off the flywheel on my arens self propelled. Anyway,1st 4 stroke mower, Do I need to mix the gas? Or straight unleaded? I drained the tank and the gas has a dark tint to it like it was mixed. Thanks again for all the pointers You ARE The Man when it comes to the 215 216 series. The Claim

Hey Eddie, Claim again. OK. I just tried it and it runs like a top with the choke on but as soon as I back it off it hunts like a dog and stalls still. Do I need to replace the New NGK bpres6 with a better brand. If it purrs on choke why the surge when it gets cut back?

BPR6ES Sorry!

Hey Eddie,. New plug. New air filter and pre filter,new oil. Mower not tipped to drain oil into air filter. Checked to make sure gas cap is vented.starts and runs on choke ONLY!My carb is getting fuel. I also thought "gotta be a gas issue". pulled the line and threw the throttle open seems to get enough on choke but when you drop it back to fast the flow starts right and then slows. Not alot of difference but enough I guess. I was ahead of you on replacing the gas did that yesterday. i blew compressed air through the gas line from the tank end(throttle still open) to blow any thing out of the line. it did get some nasty looking remaining gas out but felt like something seated and sealed line. Put air on the line on the carb side and gave it a quick shot. Went through fine filled and checked it for flow. runs without surging on choke and better on fast but it starts to sputter and die after a bit 1 min or so. The needle is the jet in the center? Has one holle vertical up and down 2 holes that run straight horizontal and a series of rows of 3 and 4 holes respectively(these are tiny)cleaned w carb cleaner blew air through put the carb straw on one end and covered other w my finger an as far as I could tell all the holes looked to be spraying. I will get on my CPU and post a diagram of my carb on here to make sure we are talking about same part The Claim

Hey Eddie Me again LOL Here is the diagram for my carb. I was on my Ipad before and it wouldn't let me post it.http://www.planopower.com/store/images/honda/16100... I think we are talking about 7 and 8 I also pulled 2 and 3 and cleaned them up

Eddie, I was afraid you were going to say that...Lol. Doesn't seem as daunting now that I have done it once and know what's in front of me. I"ll let you know what happens. Your posts and help provided on this page are invaluable. I think I can safely say you have helped a lot more people than you realize. Most of the time I find information on a site,use it and move on. You are providing a great service. I very much appreciate the time you have taken to help me, Thanks, The Claim

Eddie,

Did you diagnose the problem with your transmission yet? If you open up your transmission and find it completely beyond repair, then I probably won't take mine apart. If you find a fairly easy fix, I will probably put in the effort. I don't want to tear mine down until I see whatever video or pictures you'll have because I'm not real sure what I'm doing.

For instance, is there some kind of gasket seal on the transmission? How can I put it back together and be sure it is leak proof?

Eddie , that is some good news.

I'll wait on your video. I only sort of half way understand what your are saying. I can only look at my own mower as a reference so I'm not sure what a good looking lever should look like.

Eddie,

Wow. Well done. That is exactly my problem. I notice you state your mower is 16 years old. So is mine. I guess they all wear at about the same rate.

I'll probably take the mower apart in a week or two to take a stab at it.

Great video. Thanks for making it.

back with my 216 Harmony2 issue. I don't think it's slack in the clutch fork. When the wheels are off the ground, the mower shifts fine and the wheels spin as they should. When I place the wheels on the ground, no movement at all.

Thx

does anyone know where i can buy a throttle/choke mechanism

Eddie, I'm finally taking my mower apart to make repairs to the transmission lever. I have the wheels and snaps rings off, the spring is unhooked, and many of the cables are disconnected, however how in the world did you get that cover guard off on the bottom of the mower. I'm talking about that crazy bolt by the wheel that has no nut on the other end. I can see they don't really want it removed, and I've tried bending the cover out of the way, but no luck. I don't think I'll have to remove the transmission. I just need to flip it over so I can access the top part, however that guard is in my way big time.

Eddie,

Never mind. I unleashed my inner Hulk and just bent the crap out of it. I now have access to the top of the transmission, and mine is a bit different than yours. I think I have a small spring missing. My assembly pushes the arm to engage it, but when released it doesn't snap back into position. However there is a small hole where a spring might go.

Thank you very much Eddie. I enjoyed reading this. I will try this to see if I can get mine to work.

Eddie,

It was the missing spring that was causing my grief. I have it repaired now. I even made a video that I will put up on Youtube next week. I need to get a new clutch cable on Monday before I put everything back together. It's about to snap. I don't want to upload the video and be wrong about it, so I want to confirm it works first.

Eddie,

I just watched your video for taking out the transmission. Good job on it.

Your mower is a bit different than mine. On my mower, the speed nut is located next to the left rear wheel, almost under the height adjuster. I could swing the shield out of the way, but not near as much as yours.

I have a question for you. In your video, there is a part where you say "leave the wheel engage cable attached at the transmission unless you have a new spring clip to hold the cable to the bracket".

That is the cable I need to replace because it's on it's last thread of wire. I seem to be unable to get it off unless I start bending things. Is there a trick to it?

Just for some clarification on my last comment.

If you go back and look at the picture you took of the cable, there is a little circle shaped piece of plastic or metal that locks the cable securely in place. I'm wondering if this thing pops out if I get a screwdriver under it, or will I end up breaking it in half?

I got the cable replaced. It came with a new metal piece that basically has to be put back on by hand. Man, I don't recommend that to anyone. What a nightmare. Anyway, I have everything back together and the tension spring is back on, however I can't see to figure out how to get the belt back on.

If I do it before putting on the spring , then the spring is a nightmare to get back on. If I put the spring on first, it pulls the transmission back too far.

So I figure my best way is to get in on the transmission first. I took the blade off, but I can't get it over the round blade assembly. If I start already on the blade assembly I can't get it over the transmission. How did you do yours?

I've had some time to think about it, and I think the way I need to go is to put the belt on first and then the spring.

I am so not wanting to take that spring back off again. Took me a while to figure out how to get it on. I used some wire, went from the spring to the blade, then turned the blade until the spring was stretched out enough to move it into position.

Why do the wheel adjusters need to be on first? Mine are still off.

Thanks. That's good to know. I'll give it a go tonight.

Ok, done. Here are the video links:

part 1 - http://youtu.be/DCRGMRunYdU

part 2 - http://youtu.be/VB4T4aGntXE

So in order to get the belt on I managed used a chain that I wired to the transmission and looped around my foot. That way I could press it down and still have my hands free.

Anyway, you can use the videos if you want, or not. Won't hurt my feelings if you don't.

Thanks for all the assistance. I would have never attempted this without seeing your videos first.

It is working fine. Nice to have the self propel back. I'm living in Oklahoma (from Maine originally), and the heat is brutal, so the pushing of the mower is not as fun as it could be.

Eddie,

I do like seeing the video up there. I hope it helps other people fix their mowers so they don't have to go through all the hassle I went through. That one dollar spring was way cheaper than the 80 dollars I would have been charged if I had taken it to a repair shop. I hate paying for some gravy sucking slob to fix something I am just as capable of fixing myself.

As for my own hub page, I'll kick the idea around before I decide not to do it. lol.

Hi Eddie,

I wanted to get back to you regarding my HR215 rear wheel locking up when turning.

It turns out to be a wheel ratchet problem. There is one inside each rear wheel. The assembly is different from your videos but the principle is the same. Here is the break down, on the schema, it`s part 1:

http://www.planopower.com/store/honda/honda_rear_w...

On my wheel the keys of the rachet were not oriented correctly and that`s what was causing the lock up. Here is the link to an image showing the part:

http://www.parts-traders.com/servlet/the-13964/NOS...

I didn't have to buy a new one I just used the image as a model to set it up right. You just have to be careful since they are different if it`s left or right wheel.

I'm glad I didn`t have to take the tranny apart. The mower is working just fine again.

Thanks

Great help, great video. I also have a HR215 KSXA that had one stuck wheel. Went forwards, no click, would not roll backwards. One of the drive teeth had slipped out of the seat and would not retract to allow the wheel to roll backwards. Again thank you very much. A 15 minute fix. Spring seems weak am ordering new part.

Eddie, I am also owner of a Harmony HRM215 since May 97; the issue I'm having is the right rear wheel has stopped getting power at all. I watched your video and decided to check what was going on. The first thing I noticed is that there was not ratcheting sound, in fact the wheel could move freely in both directions, I removed the wheel, then the first thing I noticed was the wheel washers were slightly bent, then I removed the circlip and pinion gear collar (your video was quite helpful for this, thank you), I noticed the pinion gear could move completely free forward/backward. When I pulled the pinion gear out of the shaft I didn't see the ratchet key or ratchet return spring at all, they were missing! How is this possible? I guess this answers my question. I will order both. Can you thing of anything else that may be compromised and would be good to replace along with the key and the spring? Thank you, and thanks for the information you posted in your videos and this forum.

Eddie,

Thanks for the feedback. I ordered the key and spring; when I was about to install them I realized the old ones were not missing but were stuck inside the shaft groove. I removed both tapping with a nail, the groove was full of an almost solid mix of grease and dusk which I had to clean before installing the new parts. Everything is working fine now, first I even thought the transmission was broken, awesome dude! thanks for all the advice.

Eddie,

Thanks so much for all the info on the harmony 215 mower!

But I got an interesting problem, and since you are the only person I have found that has actually taken apart the transmission, I hope you can help.

Quick background. I picked up a harmony 215 mower off of craigslist for $65. It sat outside for several years, and was hardly used at all. I don't know the last time it ran before I got it. I cleaned up the carb, fixed the points, adjusted the kill switch and the mower starts on the first pull. Yay. But the rest of the mower is rusty as all hell, since it's been sitting outside.

So along with it being rusty the self-propel did not work, it was slipping and it wouldn't grab the gear. Apparently it was missing the belt tension spring, and the clutch spring broke as well when I was diagnosing the problem. So now the trans needs to come out. Did I mention it was rusty? It is so rusty that the mower will roll forward, but it will not roll backwards. Why? Well, its sooo dang rusty that the axle is rusted into the height adjustments that the only way I can get the axle to roll backwards is by grabbing the axel with vise grips turning with a lot of force. So this thing is freaking rusty. Not to mention that the height adjusters won't come out either, of course. After hitting and pounding and prying and pounding and pounding and pounding, I finally get the axle (and trans of course) to move. But this took alot of pounding with my 4lbs mini sledge. And I still am trying to get the height adjusters out, but that's another issue (I will get them out since I will have to remove the trans). I am finally able to access the trans, even though it is still in the mower. So I go to the dealer grab my springs and other bits I need, come back, reinstall everything, and I fire it up, and the self-propel now works! Yay, I thought, then I moved it a couple more feet, and then it locked it's self on, and would not stop going forward until I killed the mower! From one extreme to the other. Very strange!

After some more diagnosis and testing I finally see my problem... My transmission is moving on the axle! Instead of being up against the left side of the mower, its about 3 inches down! I grab my hammer and gently tap it to the left, and the whole damn thing moves pretty easily! And it's not moving the axle at all, I made sure of that. That transmission is wandering around on the axle, which would totally explain my weird issues. That and all the pounding I had to do to break stuff loose, it doesn't surprise me that something snapped or wiggled loose.

So, with all that being said, what inside the transmission holds the transmission in one place? Can I fix this issue by opening up the trans? It looks like there are a couple of snap rings, and a roll pin by the "clutch" that should keep it all together, so I am guessing those have something to do with it.

I am totally willing to tear this thing apart and fix the issue, but I just don't want to jump in and waste my time. I have also never done anything like this before, but it doesn't look hard, just time consuming and tedious. But I have more time than money, so I would rather fix this thing, than just buy a new trans. But I also have a line on a used trans for cheaper than new, so that's is always an option.

If I was to take it apart, can you tell me what I would need to do to re-grease the trans and then re-seal it? That's really the part that I am most apprehensive about.

Thanks again for all the info man and taking the time to read my long winded question!

Donald

Eddie,

Thanks! This has been an adventure for sure and I am not even done yet.

So am I correct in thinking that the roll pin is what is probably broke inside the trans and maybe some snap rings?

What holds the 1st and 2nd gears to the axle?

These gears are moving along with the transmission obviously, and not just a little bit. I can move the whole trans 6-8 inches up and down the axle by lightly tapping it with a hammer!

Reason I ask is because if they are welded to the axle or something, then I am pooched and should look into getting a new trans as I can't weld and I doubt that they would hold up for a long period even if I could weld them.

I take it from your response that I should open up the case and see what's going on? :-) Are torx bits, screw drivers, and normal sockets enough to get the sucker apart? I might need to go get some new torx...

Sorry for asking so many questions, I just like to kinda know what I am getting myself into before I jump right in. Being on a limited budget really dictates this...

Donald

Eddie,

I love that little hammer. But the rust is what made me use it so much. I tried everything I could to get the transmission to move, but the hammer was the only thing that worked. Go figure :) But I do love that little hammer.

Yes I have watched both of your videos and they are both very informative and very well done. And yes they answered alot of my questions, but not all of them. Your pictures were very helpful as well.

I don't think you quite understand how much my transmission is moving. It moves a good 6 inches to the left or right, then hits the grass shoot or the height adjusters and stops. The axle doesn't move, but the ENTIRE transmission moves pretty freely. So the syncros, c-clips, everything is moving left and right.

The only thing I can think of is that there is something inside the trans that is broke allowing it to move freely on the axle. It's got to be those c-clips you mentioned that are inside the trans, as I have everything reassembled properly outside of the trans, and the trans still moves on the axle. I figured that if the roll pin was installed and working, the trans should not be able to move as far as it does. That's why I mentioned that.

When the trans moves, this ends up causing the transmission to work properly for about 3-5 feet, then it slides over and locks up the syncros so no matter what I do I can not disengage the transmission without stopping the motor and physically lifting up the mower and hitting the trans back into "place". I have to stop the motor on the mower in order to get the thing to not move forward. When this happens, the trans, not axle, has moved over to the right about 6 inches and is stopped by the grass shoot like I mentioned before. I can move it back to where it should be and it works again for about 3-5 feet, but then it slides back on it's own and locks up the syncros again. The axle never moves during this time, just the transmission.

Well either way, I think that I am going to remove the transmission and then take it apart. There is something going on that shouldn't be. The trans should not move like it does.

Thanks for the info on the c-clips, I have a feeling that's where my problem is.

Is there anything else you can think of that I might need to replace that would break causing the trans to move as much as it does?

Thanks for the quick responses and all the work you have done so far! I will report on my progress as I go and I will probably have more questions the more I get into it :-) Hopefully I should be able to tackle this over the next weekend at the latest!

Donald

Eddie,

Glad we are on the same page now :) I figured I didn't explain my problem well enough. It's a very strange problem that's for sure.

Anyways, I will take a vid of how easy the trans moves and post it up on youtube, probably today. I can't get a video of the trans moving with the self propel on because I really don't want to pickup the mower and look at the bottom with the blade whirling around, but I will show how easy the trans moves on the axle back and forth without the motor running. I can almost move it by hand on the axle.

I will get that vid posted up soon, and hopefully have the thing apart by the end of the weekend with some pics and vids to go along with it.

Again, thanks for being super responsive to my questions, you rock man! I will post back soon!

Donald

Here's the link to the youtube vid of my moving transmission: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FhHBPrcGcw

:-)

Donald

I should also mention that my mower is a tad older than yours, but generally the same. Since I pic this guy up off of craigslist, the serial number tags where no there, so I had no idea the model number or when it was made. That was until I removed the transmission cover and saw 9-20-94 written on the inside of the grass shoot. So my mower model number is a HRM215K1SDA.

My transmission is slightly different than yours in that I have plastic clutch and gear change levers, so I don't have the same problem you had with the metal ones. I also found part numbers for them, so I can just order up new ones if I do run into that problem. So luckily my levers are fine and are doing that they are supposed to do.

Now I just need to get the stupid trans to stay put!

Donald

Eddie,

So I got the trans apart last night and too say the least it's not pretty.

Here's the link to my picasa page with the my mower. The first pics are of the trans, the others are of what the carb looked like before and after cleaning it:

https://picasaweb.google.com/115588270967907705563...

And this trans is TOTALLY different than yours. It doesn't used syncros, it' uses 2 ball bearings and a bearing race to accomplish the same thing. Honda obviously learned a very good lesson and redesigned the mower trans in the later years.

As you can see, there is a chunk missing out of the 1st and 2nd gear "holder", and that part holds one of the ball bearing. It took me awhile to figure out how this trans works, but I got it figured out. I am going to take a video of how it works because it's hard to explain, but I will give a quick rundown and follow up with a vid...

In the axle there are 2 divots in it the size of the ball bearings, and the bearings are used to lock the gear holder to the axle where there is enough pressure holding the bearing to the axle. That pressure is created by moving the bearing race over the bearings, allowing them no where to go. That's what the clutch does is move the bearing race of the bearings so that the lock the gear holder to the axle.

I hope that makes sense. If not, my video will show it much better than I can explain it. It took me awhile to figure that out. I have never seen anything like it before.

So regardless of anything, I need a new transmission if I want this mower to be dependable and to last along time. I think I can save it and use it still, but for how long, I don't really know. From my messing around with it, it will work with just one bearing. But that's alot of force being applied to that half of the gear holder, so it's really only a matter of time before the gear holder breaks and then the trans is really done.

The other thing was that one of the c-clips holding bearing race in place was broke and jammed into the gear holder. You can see it in one of my pics. So that was really why my trans was moving. But alot more had broke before the trans started having that problem.

The other big difference is that shift and clutch levers. With yours that are metal, the trans is pretty much sealed up. Not with the plastic levers. There is just a rubber gasket that is keep the trans sealed. And the rubber gasket is anemic at best. So the grease is all brown from water and rust. The levers are fine and have 0 slack in them, but they let water and condensation into the trans itself, which is bad.

So needless to say, honda learned some very important lessons and improved on the design of the trans significantly to make sure those issues don't come up again.

So I am going to put it all back to together and then see what happens. I am then going to be on the look out for another trans to replace this one with. Hopefully I can find one for $50 on craigslist or something. There is no way I am going to be buying a new trans for $140!

Either way I think I am going to be selling this mower and getting a better honda for myself. I really want one with the roto stop feature. As a kid my parents had a HRA214 and that literally was the only mower I have used to mow their lawn when I was a kid, and I loved that thing. In fact that's the one I am going to be on the lookout for. They are bullet proof and well worth the money! Either an old skool HRA214 or a HRC216. Something with a PTO drive and roto stop :) Gotta love hondas!

Vid explaining the clutch mechanism coming up soon!

Donald

Oh, it sat outside most of it's life, that's for damn sure. Did I mention it was rusty, lol? It took me 30 min to clean up the height adjusters once I got them off just so they would move freely and all the axle to move freely as well. They were super rusted!

The mower is alot cleaner looking now. I have cleaned up the bag (pressure washing it worked great in getting rid of the green tinted it had!) and put some Mother's Back to Black on the handles and they are looking more or less new. They aren't that faded out gray anymore. And I just pressure washed the whole mower as well. It's looks a lot better now.

The mower starts on the first pull now after cleaning up the carb.

Have you ever boiled a dirty carb in lemon juice to clean it? It works excellent, way better then carb cleaner. That's how I got the carb so clean. It looks new after boiling it in lemon juice. Now the thing starts on the first pull with no effort.

I also had to sand down the coil and the magnet on the flywheel, they were rusted over completely, and the stop switch for the coil needed a couple of washer to shim it out so that it would work correctly. And the air filter was water logged and nasty. So when I got it it didn't have spark, fuel, or air. Everything you need to have a running motor!

I have also replaced the belt, and both springs on the trans as well. This mower was in sorry shape when I got it. But with a little TLC, it's looking much better now. And more importantly it runs! Now hopefully I can fix the self propel. That's the last thing that needs fixing! Whoever gets this mower when I sell it is getting a good mower, lol.

Donald

Eddie,

So this weekend was kinda of a bummer while working on this mower. The self propel is not fixable. The bearing race can't apply enough force to keep the bearing locked into the axle. So the mower is now a push mower until/if I can find a new transmission for it. I also broke the gear changed cable as well, but that's only like $15 from the local honda dealer. But needless to say, the trans is now sitting on my work bench like the sorry POS that it is.

I totally spaced making a video as I was short on time and didn't remember before I reinstalled the trans, but, since the trans is just sitting on my work bench, I will tear it apart and make a video sometime this week, I hope. If not this week, then this weekend.

Who says I don't work on cars? :-) That's one of my other hobbies. I have a 1990 subaru legacy wagon that I have lifted 8" with 235/75/15 tires stuff under it. That was fun. Took 34 hours and every bolt connecting the body with the suspension, motor, or trans I had to loosen and install something onto. In order to put bigger tires on it I had to put 2008 subaru forrester struts on it with an 3" body lift, and 1" wheel spacer so the tires would clear the spring perches on the forrester struts. I gained about 3" in suspension lift, 3" in body lift, and about 2-3" in tire size increase. So it's about 8" taller now. I got 12.5" from the ground to my rear diff :-) It was a lot of work (I had help from someone extremely knowledgeable with this stuff)

My subaru is an automatic, so I took out the TCU (transmission control unit) and modded it so that I now have paddle shifters and DCCD knob to control the AWD. So now I can lock my AWD up to into 4WD and start in 2nd gear. When you combine that with the rear lsd I installed, my subaru is a snow monster!

I am also into electronics as well, if you couldn't tell by my modded TCU. I got a 62" HDTV for free from a co-worker because it didn't want to turn on anymore, and 114 surface mount capacitors later on 5 "motherboards" later, it's been running for over a year now with no issues.

And for work, I am an IBM Mainframe system programmer. So my hobbies and interests are all across the board :-) I love electronics, but I also love working with my hands and getting dirty.

The reason I am getting into small engines, is because I am just now getting into a house that has a lawn. So now I have a need to get this stuff. So I decided that I would look for broken stuff and fix it rather than buying new. So far it's worked out great. I got an echo SRM-2400 for $15, an echo pb-400e leaf blower for free, and this honda for $65, and all my shovels and everything else for $10 more. Not too mention my other free lawn mower I got from my neighbor since it wasn't running. So I got all I needed for yard work and then some for a little over $100, and they are work great! I love craigslist!

Speaking of new lawn mowers, I am hopefully going to be picking up a much better condition HRB215XA here today. The carb needs to be "rebuilt", and it needs a pull cord, but everything else should work. Its apparently in 10x better shape than my current honda, AND it has the roto-stop feature I want. I am getting it for $75! And luckily my neighbor came over a couple of days ago and bought back his old mower for $50 that I had fixed, so this new honda is only costing me $25! So that is my next project. I just hope this new HRB215 has the newer, better trans in it. I will post back with some more info on my new mower once I get it and have some time to spend with it to see what's wrong. It's nice having a running spare around :-)

I ended up just converting my HRM215 to being a push mower. I removed the trans and all the cables so that it's just now a simple push mower until I can find a new trans for it. So that mower still works, just not the way I wanted it too, for now :)

And as for the lemon juice, yes, it's awesome :-) I did find out one thing about it, if you use aluminum parts, they might be a little bit more gray. Apparently lemon juice doesn't really like aluminum too much. With the honda carb this was not an issue as there are no aluminum parts that I could see. But on a tecumseh carb I just cleaned off of an old craftsmans mower has some aluminum in it apparently. Nothing on the intake of the carb, just for air, so those parts have a little bit of residue on them. Nothing a wire brush can't fix, but something to keep in mind. Let's just put it this way, I will NEVER pick a carb again. I will only boil it and deal with the fallout, if any. It's just soo much easier, cleaner, and more healthy than carb cleaner. Not too mention faster!

More to come soon!

Donald

Oh, I can send you links to all the work I have done to my subie. I am part of a forum for subie owners, so all of my work is posted in several threads on that site. If you want I can post links to them so you can really see what I have done to my subie.

I forgot to mention I have a 1500watt RMS stereo installed in the spare wheel well of my car as well. So I also do car wiring.

Yet another project I am working on is putting a subaru 2.5L motor into a 1985 toyota truck sitting on 38" tires for my buddy. I am going to be doing all the wiring blending of the harnesses for that truck. That's is going to be a real fun project. I am totally looking forward to get that beast running.

I love that type of nerdy stuff if you couldn't tell :-)

Donald

Eddie,

I haven't forgotten about you man! I have just been busy.

My lead on a HRB215sxa fell through (stupid idiot craigslist people), BUT I managed to find a HRC215SXA for only $10 more that the HRB215 I was looking at! The self propel doesn't work because the PTO shaft got disconnected from the gear inside the oil pan, so I am in the process of taking the oil pan off and replacing the locking pin in that guy so that my self propel will work! I am stoked that I will be able to get this HRC215 to work!

But back to the my HRM215 transmission... I will hopefully have time this weekend to tear it back apart and take a video. I will do it eventually here, I promise!

I will get back to you soon man!

Donald

Eddie,

I am still in the process of fixing my HRC215. It's being a little bit of a pain just because I fix one part, then realize I have to fix another part. But I couldn't tell if I need to replace one part until I fix the other because the other needs to work to check to other parts! It's like dominos!

I just had to order a new drive shaft for it. Now that I know a little more about the mower, I now know what caused the PTO shaft to break and I am going to fix it so I never have to worry about it again. It's been interesting learning about how these mowers work, and what will cause stuff to break. This mower would be working just fine is someone would have lubed up the drive shaft at least a few times in it's lifetime.

It's funny how not doing simple maintenance can cause HUGE problems down the road. The honda dealer said that just replacing the PTO pin is about a $200 job just in labor, so right now I would be over $250 in repair costs (labor and parts) if I didn't do it myself. Why people don't do simple maintenance is beyond me! a $5 thing of grease and 3 minuets of my time is a lot cheaper than $300+ to repair it because of being lazy! But for someone like me, it means I can pickup a $400 mower for $85! :-)

I wasn't sure if you wanted me to include information about other honda mowers, but now that I know you don't mind, I will post up some info and pictures I have taken when I get it working as well. I definitely have some tips I want to post up.

If it wasn't for my local honda dealer being REALLY cool and answering all my questions about the tear down and repair of my mower for FREE, I don't think I would have made this much progress. I was really surprised at how much info is NOT on the internet when it comes to these honda mowers. I am going to change that!

More to come as I continue to make progress! Go Honda mowers!

Hi Eddie, I have been following this Honda forum a little for awhile. I spoke with you about 1 year or so ago. I have an OLD Honda HRA 215SX.

The mower has a 3 speed transmission with the shift lever through the deck on the left rear side of the mower. The mower has sat in a shed about 1 year and was shifting fine..but now...the tranny is stuck in 1st gear. Running it and trying to shift after tranny is warmed up did not cure the problem. Will I need to take it apart or is there something else I can try? This is an epic thread on a forum and seems to go on forever! Thanks.

Thanks Eddie ! A cable does not actuate the shift lever. There is a cable that engages the transmission though after you manually select which gear you want. It is connected to the handlebar with a bar just like the dead-man switch actuator bar on a push mower. The shift lever itself is about 5-6 inches long and goes through the deck above the transmission and has 3 settings. It is on the first ( far left) setting and can't be moved to 2nd or 3rd. The mower runs fine and engages the tranny just fine as it creeps along in 1st gear. You have to bend down to the mower deck to manually select 1st 2nd or 3rd gear .Then you pull up the transmission engagement lever on the handlebar and it takes off. There is no setting for neutral. Neutral is default with the actuator lever hanging down. Unit shifted thru fine one year ago.

Hey congratulations!! your hub is hub of the day!! very useful and informative hub. thanks for sharing..

eddie this is an awesome hub, good pics, and covers a lot about the Honda tranny. I use to wrench long ago, now, I cringe at the sight of oily engines... lol. Congrats on the HOD brother. Upvoted/useful/following. Peace. Kawi.

Hi Eddie

Congratulations on HOTD and so well deserved. Awesome hub and fabulous pictures. So many how to's lack the dirty broken parts only showing the clean and we both know that it's not until you find all or most of the broken bits in the oil, grease and dirt that you can order new parts and do a rebuild.

Great hub, great job and voted up.

MJ

Congratulations on making Hub of the Day!!!!

What a great read totally fascinating i do like taking this apart to see how they work, and when you can find the faulty part it's always satisfying, well done on hub of the day.

Some great articles and info here!

Anyone know the best solution to a Honda Harmony lawn mower pull recoil assembly problem? It appears the spring inside the assembly has broken. Can this be fixed or where's the best place to purchase a replacement?

thanks,

i like your post so much because such content is awesome about hero honda....i like it.

I have a Harmony mower which is running to rich. Several years back someone fixed problem where it would not start by increasing the jet opening a bit. I can put a new jet in, but then I will be back to the original problem. I was hoping that different size jets were sold but do not see any. Any suggestions?

How do you adjust the shift cable. My self propelled Honda Harmony was moving fine and then the speed started slowing to half of the full speed.

Had to replace broken drive cable on my church's HRA 215 SXA 3 speed hydrostatic transmission. later the oil seal on the right sidegot torn up from wire ( $ 1.25 for 1 seal got 2 of them. Less than 10 minutes to remove trans and replace both seals. But can't put it back in until I put oil in it as the plug is on top and not accessable when installed. It has no oil abd dealers will not say what type of oil it takes. Is it gear oil or 20/50 motor oil and is it synthetic or not.

Didn't have to open it up. Cleaned left and right sides of shaft with 000 steel wool. afterwards shaft was clean a and smooth. did this before removing the seals so nothing would get inside while removing seals and so I would not mess up new seals while installing them. Used a real small screw driver to pop the seals out then slid then of the shaft.Easy fast in and out Used home made u shaped fork to seat seals and a very small hammer. Trans has left and right side casings not top and bottom as in pics or videos on your or any other site.

Had mower inside my living room on top of assorebent pad. (NO WIFE TO COMPLAIN ) Before removal all oil leaked on to the pad could where oil leaked from by lifting up swinging debrie shield at bottom of mower between rear wheels. While doing seals had it in my lap and could see small amount of oil after deals were out, removed oil plug at top and small spring under it cupped my hand over, turned unit over all I cot was check ball as I new it was there but no oil so opened the two haves of casing ( 5 small 8mm headed bolts). Just oil residue. Cleaned it reassembled i with sealant. But still need to put oil in it. Thinking 20/50 non detergent motor oi l like hydro gears on riding mowers mowers. But want to be sure and how much to put in ( not enough or to much and then I will have more problems.

Also I have one identical to it and it pulls my wheelchair around real easy and fast while cutting my yard. Even pulls my wheelchair out of the steep ditch in front of my house ( have to put it in lower gear coming out of the ditch so it doesn't get away from me (YEAH I HAVE A HABIT OF TYING DOWN DRIVE AND BLADE ENGAGING BARS.)) Being in a wheelchair I wont fall and get hurt, but would recommend that others don't do it. Been doing it for 13 years.

For got to mention that normally I can tell the difference in gear oil and motor oil as gear oil (synthetic or other) has a distinct order besides being thicker. But lately my sniffer is bot working and can't fell differences in tectures of things since a girl making an illegal u-turn and not yealding right of way ran over me. Destroyed my 4 wheel drive wheelchair.

Any ways sold a guy an HRC215 last year He returned it this morning.

His wife ran over it and literally broke the base in have. Don't know if the blade clutch is still good but from the look of the twin blades he doesn't pick up stuff before mowing as the smaller shorter blade is missing 3 1/2 inches on one side and the main cutting blade is torn up and bent from hitting hard objects, drive shaft is intact and doesn't look bent. . a lot of parts missing don't know if transmission is messed up yet. Wanted his money back. No way, but now have it on my carport and will look for another base.

How do I send you pictures of reassembly of HRA 215 SXA ?

Also have pics of HRC 215 that was ran over, and of John deer that I put together, it originally had a Briggs and Stratton 6.75 that threw the rod. Now has a Honda engine I got free (guy was going to trow it away. Replaced it's plug with a used one I had and it ran great and no smoke. Have Weed Eater mower with factory Honda engine to fix but it's a crappy front drive unit Needs carb and all linkage and bracket. Got it for replacing rope on recoil starter on another one that was like it with origanal B& S engine.

Thanks. My sniffer is working again so was able smell the oil residue in the tranny. It was synthetic gear oil.

Gear oil has a distinct smell, and the synthetic smells almost the same just not as strong.

This was the first time to do this type of transmission. Didn't pay much attention on putting the wheels back on. So I didn't hear the clicking sound from the wheels when I manually pushed it forward. When I got it out side and started it and engaged the drive it just sat there. When I looked down I saw the shaft was turning but was quiet.

Had to block up the bacg of the mower and pull off both wheels and swap around the the drive ratchets. They look alike but are a left and right ratchets. Most of the part sights I looked at give the same part number . Found 1 sight that gave me different part numbers. So everyone needs to be aware that they have to go back on the same

side they come off of, There directional.

Eddy,

Great information on Honda mower maintenance. I reviewed all the posts to this site but don't find a response that I haven't tried. I have an HRM215SXA with a two speed transmission.

I have basically rebuilt this entire mower myself including the transmission and blade clutch. My problem still lies in the transmission or an adjustment. It will engage 1st gear strongly with no slippage, but when 2nd gear is selected it will turn the wheels when they are off they are off the ground but will not propel the mower. I have felt the drive shaft it stops turning when the wheels stop being propelled.

I have removed the cables from both the clutch or drive gear engagement lever and the gear shift to ensure it wasn't a cable travel issue. It isn't. I can manually place the gearshift lever in either gear and have the clutch lever clamped down at full travel. Again 1st gear engages but 2nd gear only spins the wheels and clatters or slips.

I have disassembled the transmission and can find nothing wrong internally. Furthermore, this transmission has new plastic levers which exhibit no play or looseness. With it removed it seems to function perfectly when driven at high speeds with an air ratchet/impact wrench. I would question belt slippage except for the fact that 1st gear engages plus I have a new belt and crankshaft driven belt pulley installed. your experience and help is appreciated. BTW this transmission has been in and out 3 times this weekend for troubleshooting! I can do it now in under 10 minutes! Including the belt install. I also have some tips for you on belt installation and tipping the transmission.

Hi Eddie,

I came across your hub page when researching a problem with my mower. About a month ago I bought a used Honda Harmony HRM215K1SDA. The motor works great but I'm having trouble with the self-propelling unit. It's pretty much the issue you described in your first post, the when engaging the transmission the wheels are jerky and it feels like its slipping in and out of engagement. I removed both rear wheels (per your helpful videos), cleaned and greased the drift keys, gears, washers and replaced them. Unfortunately there was no improvement. Same jerky ride. 1st gear seems to work a little better than 2nd gear. 2nd gear does not catch at all and 1st gear slips out every 4-5 seconds. Basically I've been pushing the thing around the yard. Burning calories, sure, but I want the darn thing to work!

Do you think the problem is related to the gear shift cables?

Im new to lawnmower care, but i love digging in and figuring out how stuff works. There's a lot of great information in this hub and I'd just like to thank you for all your time and effort. We all really appreciate it! This page is great!

Eddie,

I own an HRM215K3SDA. Transmission suddenly stopped working. Transmission and axle were free wheeling. So I removed and openned it up.

There is a small, 13 tooth, Bevel Gear, connected to the bottom of the Drive Shaft that drives the entire drive train. It is broke in three clean pieces and needs to be replaced. A very simple fix if I could find one. Problem is: I have been unable to find diagrams or component part lists for the guts of the transmission. Been on-line searching gear vendors but is a real guessing game without specs. Plan to give Spicer, the transmission manufacturer a call in the morning, but not real hopeful to be honest.

Would sure appreciate help from anyone who knows how to access diagrams or parts lists for Transmission components. I can be reached at MHPDLP@aol.com

Thank You...Mike

Quick question Eddie, do you think I have to remove the entire transmission to get to the shift levers? Or am I just able to remove the panel under the deck, remove the wheels and access the levers underneath while the transmission is still attached to the axel, etc.?

Hi Eddie.

How do I get the pulley off of the top of the transmission? The nut turns with the pulley?

Ack...nevermind. Figured it out. The unfortunate news is that I don't have the same model as you. I think mine's the same as Paul's who posted his fix about his clutch spring. In case you can't recall, my issue is with the drive slipping in 1st and 2nd gears. My shifters are plastic and don't show the same wear and tear as your metals ones did. So my fear is that the problem is inside the transmission, which I believe to be FAR out of my area of comfort. Any other ideas before I put her all back together?

Eddie, YOU ARE THE MAN!!! The transmission problem on my Honda Harmony HRM215K1SDA is FIXED!! At least for now... I'm pretty stoked as you can tell. I followed your instructions from your videos and from this post. So here are the details...

First, I removed both rear wheels, drift gears, drift keys, etc. and black wheel guards. Like Paul above, I couldn't figure out how to remove the wheel heighteners so I left them on. From there, I flipped the mower on it's right side and removed the 3 bolts from the blade guard (left the speed bolt in place). I swung the plastic blade guard out of the way as much as possible, although it was still somewhat in the way. Next, I detached the shifter cable from the control handle and pulled as much of the cord thru the deck as possible for slack. Next, I should have loosened the 10mm nut from the shifter cable to the transmission, but I didn't. (I realized this later when I was trying to remove the big transmission spring). At this time I turned the transmission on its axel towards the front of the mower which allowed me to pull off the drive belt. This was not easy...but not as hard as getting the belt back on later. Once I got the belt off, the transmission turned to the back of the mower, but I could not get the spring off. The reason was because I did not first loosen the 10mm nut and remove the shifter cable from the transmission. With that cable still in place, it was pressing the end of the cable wire into the deck keeping tension on the spring. Once I figured out what was happening, I was afraid I bent the hell out of the cable wire to the point it would no longer work. After I removed the nut and shift cable wire from the transmission, the entire unit eased backwards and I easily removed the belt pulley spring. Next, I swung the transmission around so I could see the top side where the pulley wheel is. I left the drive clutch cable in place on the transmission as you mention. I removed the pulley wheel and this is where I became discouraged. I realized my Honda Harmony was a different model than yours when I saw that mine had plastic shifter levers where yours had the metal ones. My levers looked very similar to the ones in Paul's video, and I'm pretty sure he said his was an 'SDA' model as well. You were able to easily see the wear on the holes of your metal levers, where I did not see wear on my plastic ones. My fear, as I said, was that the problem was somewhere inside the transmission...something I did not have the time or knowledge to dig into further. I played with the lever a little bit going back and forth, but it seemed okay to me. I felt what I thought could be a little play in the lever but nothing I could see as far as wear on the lever itself. SO, I decided to put her all back together, start her back up and winterize her for the season-end until I had the time and better understanding of the guts of the transmission. When I had it put all back together, I pulled the cord a couple of times and it started up....ok good, it still runs. Now to test the drive to see if at least it still at least TRIED to go. I was expecting it not to work at all or at the very least hoped it still just slipped around. But to my amazement, 1st gear was not slipping! Wow, very cool. Ok...let's go for broke and try 2nd gear...and WOO-HOO, 2nd gear was not slipping at all. My driveway is on an incline, so when the mower was able to propel itself to the top I knew the self-propel was working again. I guess just playing with the lever going back and forth may have freed up something on the inside or outside that enabled it to work again. I really have no idea. What I do know is that I would never known how to take it apart and put it back together without you or your page. Thank you so much! I'm very excited to be able to hang onto this fine mower for hopefully years to come. I know they don't make engines or parts like they used to on these older models and I'll take pride in caring for this quality piece of machinery for as long as I can.

My only regret is not taking more pictures or video of my efforts. I would've like to share them with other Honda owners out there like you and I. When I became discouraged and thought I was not going to be able to fix the problem, I figured there would be no use for them. However, if anyone has any questions for me about what I did, I'll respond to them when I can.

One more question for you about winterizing your mower...when you winterize, do you drain the entire gas tank of fuel or do you go the other way and fill it up to the top with added fuel stabilizer? I've been trying to find which one is recommended for my Honda model, but haven't found anything. Even the manual is vague and eludes to both. Also, do you ever fog your mower while winterizing? (ok, that's 2 questions)

Thanks again!

I have a Honda 215HXA. I want to lube up the drive shaft and am wondering what type of lubricant or grease I should use.

well thanks for so much info ..

My bro-in-law brought me his Harmony HRT216KTDA to fix. He told me that the transmission keeps slipping on him in 2nd, and gets worse in 3rd... I have successfully (and carefully) removed the trans, but am hesitant to open it up. I will check the axle key springs in the morning, but I "REALLY" don't want to mess withe internals since I'm not too sure if internal parts are readily available at my local Honda Power dealer.

Please HELP! :(

-tkskagen

Axle keys and springs shocked out OK...

Ordered a new (unadjustable) shift cable, not bad for ~$16.00!

Still have no idea what the problem could be since it is a "direct drive"...

Do you Eddie, or any of your other Hondaphiles have any ideas?

I really want to get this out soon since the snow is coming, and I'm not charging family labor!

Thank you for your awesome knowledge, I wish there where more people out there like y'all!

-tkskagen

Seattle, Washington

Levers are all good with no exccesive wear from the exterior. Still very hesitant to open her up though, don't want to damage the plastic casing...

Thanks for the transmission repair video, it was very informative!

I will keep you notified as to which correction I will ho to next.

-tkskagen

Hi Eddie,

I noticed you were saying earlier that the wheels on a Honda should click going backwards ,But mine click going forwards,It does engage when belt is engaged,But pulling it backward the whole axle wants to turn,which it will when I spin it using force by hand .I was thinking since it sat out in weather that the collars where the axle goes through may be the problem,But have put P.B. few days ago still no help,Any suggestions? Thank you!

Bruce.

Harmony Honda is one of the best automobile company in india and the sales in india of Honda is really great.

Hey Eddie,

I went ahead and took that Honda harmony's axle apart,Well actually just had to take the collars off the drive wheels,The axle and transmission stayed put while I removed the axle collars,wheels,etc. Anyway after being able to get to the somewhat rusty axle and then emery cloth the axle till it was nice and shiny I then lubed it all up put it back together and behold it rolled backwards rather nicely,Like I thought the whole axle turns when you pull backward on this model Which I wasnt sure but yes its ok now,When I got it back together another issue popped up and that was it seemed like the brand new belt was slipping at times but notice one piece of the wounded cable was truding out near the transmission so clipped it off and put some pb down in the cable worked it a few times and bam its like new again..although I will need a new drive cable pretty soon but for now all is fine..I have some vid of what Ive done will look into uploading here not sure hoe to do that here yet but If you have the secret available let me know..l0l..Well hope this will help someone else in the future again the model is a Honda Harmony 2 HRT 216.

Thanks Eddie!

Bruce.

Hey Eddie and all,

I have an hrb215sx with a 2 speed tranny which has a second gear that skips. It runs fine with no load but as soon as it hits the ground, it works sporadically.

Now honda sells these at a ridiculously high price here in canada, over 300$, which is more than what the mower is worth and there ar e no parts sold separatly.

So i took the tranny apart and inspected everything but couldnt find any obvious sign of wear.

Then, looking at it closely, the tip of the gears were slightly worn.

I then tried this: take the gears and switch so that they would turn backwards instead!

When you think about it, when the gears rotate, the pressure is always applied at the same contact point, and over time that same point wears out unevenly compared to the other side which remains intact.

Well guess what, after that change, i put it back together and voila, works like new again, no skipping.

I must add that i had tried the obvious stuff like adjusting the cables before taking it apart.

I have some pictures of the transmission i could send if you wish.

I recently took my HRM215HXA to the repair shop because it was making a racket out of the drivewheels. They told me they could put new bushings on the driveshaft for $110 but in a year I'd need a new transmission ($200 just for the part!). I pulled the unit out of the shop and started shopping for a new mower in earnest. However, after reading your site, I was inspired to take my rear wheels apart and inspect it for myself. Sure enough, the guy who evaluated it had pulled the worn bushings out of one side; they had worn so badly that the drive gear in my right rear wheel kept losing contact with the gear teeth on the inside of the wheel. That's what made all the noise. Then, I discovered PartsTree.com and for the measly cost of about $20, including shipping, I was able to get new bushings, C--clips, and drive gears and replaced them myself. Now my mower runs good as new and I don't see any kind of evidence that the hydrostatic transmission is in need of replacement. My 17 year old Honda mower runs just great; so glad I don't have to replace it! So, if you've got an intermittent, grating sound coming out of the rear of your HRM215, you may want to check out the plastic driveshaft bushings. It's an easy job and well worth your time. The Parts Tree construction diagrams are a great help, too.

hi Eddie after reading this thread I was able to repair my mother-n-law's harmony 215 drive by merely adjusting the drive cable,,,awesome information,,,, thanks

Hi Eddie, thanks for this amazing hub!

Fellow New Hampshirite Here. I have an HRM 215 sxa. I cannot figure out where the drive belt sits on the drive shaft end. Any pictures or info you have would be greatly appreciated. I just can't make sense of the two part pulley deal. Thanks again!

-Brandon

Hi Eddie - I just wanted to share with your readers that just because you have a 15+ year old Honda mower, doesn't mean you need to forego modern features! I just ordered off eBay auction # 281261759274, a universal John Deere mower deck washdown kit for just $12.99. You just drill 2 small holes in the deck: one to accommodate the washdown port, which uses a quick-disconect to connect up to your hose, and the 2nd, smaller hole is to anchor the mounting piece. After you mow the yard, you just connect up your hose, turn on the water and turn on the mower with blade running for about 2 minutes. It'll completely clean out your mower's underside and get rid of clumped-up grass bits so you have a clean mower for your next yard job. I've been envying the built-in ports on new Toro's and Husqvarna mowers, but now I can incorporate this same feature on my Honda HRM215 for a measly $12.99 and that includes free shipping! What's more, the unit is made of aluminum, so it won't get corroded when installed through the Honda's

Xenoy deck. Who says our HRM 215's are outmoded?

Wow, what an amazing resource. A neighbor just threw his out because it wasn't running well. It's old, but it looks brand new! I know the engines are strong, but having some issues with the drive train. It will do self-propelled, but only in gear 3. It seems to be maxed out as the other 2 do nothing. It's somewhat inconsistent. I thought it was possibly the trans, but looking at all those amazing metal gear I agree with you that it's built to last. Where do you suggest I start trouble shooting?

Hi Eddie I have a 215 hxa hydrostatic drive mower that I recently changed the seals for the trans on. Before I did this job the mower would wheels would rotate in both forward and backwards directions no problem.Now the wheels will turn freely in one direction or the other depending on witch way I have the drive gears on the shafts. I can actually have one wheel lock up when going backwards and have the other wheel lock up going forwards.I've tried switching the gears from one side of the mower to the other and have the same problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Hi Ed thanks for the quick reply,I have now taken the trany apart and I think I broke something inside by banging on the axle trying to get it freed up and turning. It seems that I forced a snap ring into the housing and it's suck or wedged there for now. I will take it to work in the am and press it out to see what can be done with it. The bad part of this story was that before I changed the seals on the trany after adding quite a bit of hydraulic oil the trans worked fine. The mower was a great find for $30.00 bucks,so I will definitely try to fix it. By the way thanks for the site and these mowers are built like tanks. I will let you know what happens.

Hi Ed just an update. I pressed the shaft off part of the trany housing. I guess I bugged it up bad enough to buy a new shaft and the spring clips that go with it. My problem is finding the schematic to put it back togetherDo you have any ideas in that area? Thanks again Al

Al - go to PartsTree.com and look up your mower's model and serial number. They have generally helpful blow-up diagrams of the various subsystems of your mower, which will help show you how parts are arranged. Not quite as detailed as a service manual, but probably enough for you to know how things fit together. It worked well for me when I rebuilt the driveshaft bushings attached to the rear wheels of my Honda HRM215HXA. Also, your problem with one wheel turning freely opposite the other most likely means you installed the pinion gear (part # Honda 42661-VE2-800) backwards on one side. There are a number of YouTube videos that show how to install it correctly, and the issue is covered at the top of Eddie's original posting, telling you the drive gear (the pinion gear) is directional.

Hi Ed been there and everywhere,any parts diagrams that I have seen don't show the trans parts that I need to see. I think I may have to buy a Honda service manual. I will probably start by looking this evening. I'll keep you posted. Maybe someone has one on ebay to start things off.

Hi Ed I looked at that site briefly but didn't see any Honda stuff. I will look at it more carefully this coming weekend. I seems that Honda wants you to buy the service manual.

I got mine running with cable adjustments. Had a shop double check and told me that it would need a new trans in the next year our two as it has maxed out adjustments. Thinking of selling this one now and then buying a new one this fall on clearance. Best cut over!

Ed,

Great, great information. I have a HRM215K3 SDA that I rescued from a neighbors trash about 3 years ago. For $75 in parts, I had an awesome machine. I have encountered a slight problem that I didn't see mentioned in any of your previous postings.

The internal gear on the left side rear wheel engages the drive gear on the very outside edge. Only about 1/8". After awhile, the edge of the drive sprocket wears away and the drive stops working.

This is what caused the previous owner to dispose of it.. I'm now in the process of ordering another drive sprocket.

Any suggestions as to what I can do to get the gears to line up better?

Thanks.

Sounds like you may have a washer mounted on the wrong side of the wheel. The wheel should fully mesh with the gear drive.

Thanks but I know it's not a washer. With nothing on the shaft but the wheel and with the wheel fully seated on the shaft, it only catches the outer 1/8" of the drive gear.

I'm beginning to think that maybe, just maybe I was sent the wrong wheels when I first repaired the mower. Once I get home I'm breaking out the micrometer and taking some measurements of both rear wheels.

So after looking at the current wheels I see that the wheel gear needs to be about 5/16" closer to the outside of the wheel. Almost in line with the end of the wheel bearing.

So any suggestions? How do I find out if there are different sprocket dimensions for other wheels?

No, I have looked at the transmission and the axle and it's all r9ock solid....BUT, I do believe I have figured out my problem. I think the current rear wheels are a 42710-VE2-MOOZA. What I should have put on were 42710-VE2-800. If you look at the placement of the sprocket on the 800 you'll see that it's more in line with the end of the wheel bearing. It looks like the sprocket on the MOOZA is set back about 1/4". I think the 800 wheels are what I need.

Thoughts?

Wow, $40 for a wheel!! But my local outdoor power equipment dealer has 6 in stock . And $80 is still a cheap price to keep this mower running for many more years.

Figure I'll take the old MOOZA wheel with me to compare it to the 800 model. If it's a go, I'm replacing both rear wheels. If it works, and as soon as I figure out how to post pics, I'll update this thread.

I did a search also and I couldn't find the 42710-VE2-800 wheels any cheaper than my local guy's $40 per. I did see a bunch of the 42710-VE2-MOOZA wheels for alot cheaper. They also popped up when I put in the 800 number, had to take a real close look at the associated information and pics to make sure.

Anyway, I'll send you the pics when it's back together...parts are due in Friday.

Amazing how things work properly when you have the right parts! Picked up the new wheels on my way home from work on Friday. First thing I noticed was how much beefier the wheel sprocket is on the new wheel as opposed to the old wheel. I also noticed that the new sprocket is a little larger so it meshes with the axle sprocket better. No slop or play in the wheel. Both sprockets now line up perfectly.

I got home, $80 lighter and sitting at my front door were the new parts for the drive assembly. Twenty minutes later and the mower was back in business.

Where can I find internal parts for honda transmission? Looking for the clutch arms that shift speeds and engage forward motion.

Eddie. Wow your Honda Harmony video is so helpful. However, the height adjuster won't come off. I already remove the 1st snap ring, the gear, then the plastic cover and the second snap ring. But the height adjuster still won't come off. I put lot of WD-40 on it, banged and pried on it but only moved about 1/16 inch. My next try will be be to buy a "puller" tool.

It's annoying since the transmission and shaft can freely move back and forth and so it's almost free. But since the height adjuster is still on, transmission shaft cannot swivel out enough to come off.

What am I missing? or is getting a puller the right move?

I joined hub now. hoping to get notified when you reply.

Yes. There is another snap ring! I looked for one before but didn't see it. Now I do see it. But it's difficult to get to it unless I flip the mower on the other side. The guy who sold it to me told me it's "dangerous" to flip the mower on one of it's sides. Is that true? I saw in your video you had it flipped on the short shaft side to work on it. So I guessed that is okay. But what if I flip it to the long shaft side to get this o-ring off?

Well found out about flipping on its side via google. Got the snap ring off and the transmission is out!

Now how to get the pulley off it to get to the other bolts to open up the transmission? There's whole in the pulley..looks like to put a shaft through it to hold it still but the nut (even with wd-40) seems to be frozen...it won't move even with a 1/2 inch breaker bar.

Am I doing something wrong?

Nevermind. There's 2 holes in the pulley. When put a screw driver into each of them then it held still enough to pop the knot off with a 1/2 inch drive breaker bar. Wow it was on tight. Now I'm watching your video about the fix to the transmission.

Oh wow. Good idea to create a shim. But how did you do create a shim? I'm googling this. But never created a shim before. I'm one of those, just replace it guys but I love to repair things rather than replace if possible. That just feels more awesome. So I want to learn how to make shims.

Wait. My lever has some play in it but it's not worn at all where yours was. In fact, my lever is plastic instead of metal and clearly designed to eliminate that point of failure that you found. Seems mine is a new model where the engineers tried to improve that weakness. It's now a large lever with a large body that fits down over the "arm" so that is has a lot of surface area to contact the arm and avoid wear and tear. In fact the lever is in perfect condition after many years of abuse.

However, I found the problem in my case was at the opposite end of the arm to engage/disengage the transmission. At that end the metal arm has a round plastic piece that is slotted to fit over the arm and fit into the transmission housing to give is a point to swivel. However, that plastic piece was broken at one side so it was flopping and giving play.

Then I noticed the other level to change gears was designed the same and the plastic piece there was not broken so I swapped them. And I think I was able to reassemble the transmission so that the it doesn't matter the other one is broken, it is firmly seated and won't come lose since the gear shifter gets much less abuse than engage/disengage.

Now it only remains me to re-install the transmission!

Thanks for all the videos and help, you really gave the confidence to give it a while and fix it myself.

Yikes it's difficult to pull the spring and line it up for the belt tension. I cannot do it. I tried pulling it with a clothes hanger to do it without it slipping from my pliers but it's almost impossible to pull it enough and then line it up properly to slip it into the hole.

Is there some special tool for pulling a spring?

Found a video of a guy removing and putting the spring back to change the belt. He makes it look so easy to do with only his hand. My spring requires long pulling to get it back in the hole. Makes me wonder if someone put a different spring on here than the original one. I started to think I was using the wrong spring but I double checked that's the only large spring that removed from the mower. I'm considering to go buy a longer spring.

I figured out that put the spring on first before putting on the belt.

unfortunately my fix doesn't work when the mower is all back together. It's weird because I tested it out before re-installing the transmission.

Why would a hra 215sxa have uncontrollable high rpms?

Good Day Larry,

I recently had the transmission on my Honda HRB 215 Harmony mower worked on, got it back, and the rear wheel height adjustors will move forward and backward but does not raise or lower the mower. Go figure. I would take it back, but it took the repairman 4 months just to fix the transmission. The question I for you is is there away to and how to adjust the height adjustors?

To take tension off the spring I wrapped bailing wire around it and used a short screwdriver to tighten it. I've heard this called a Alabama u bolt.

Hi Eddie, you certainly seem like you know what you're doing. You were the only one that was able to help diagnose my initial transmission problem, which was being caused by stuck drift keys. So I got that fixed. Thanks! Now, I'm not getting enough torque to self propel the mower. When I lift the back wheels off the ground they freely move. As soon as I place it on the ground they stop. I replace the belt and tightened the tensioner. Any suggestions? Could really use some help! Thanks

To close the loop on my questions about not getting enough torque, i figured it out. I thought I had put the axle gears on the right direction, but I didn't. They were backwards. So what was happening was when the mower was lifted up there wasn't enough friction to allow the wheels to move, but as soon as it was put down, the gears didn't engage. I turned the gears in the proper direction and my mower's working great! Lesson learned?--make sure gears are in proper direction...

I have a Honda Hormany 215- 5horse.The belt for the self propulsion keeps coming off. Does the mower have an adjustment for this belt?

Hi Eddie,

I have an older Harmony HRB215 SXA MZBA 6339444, it's gotta be maybe 15+ yrs.old easy. So heres my problem I have , when I engage the drive I feel a studder like something is slipping and it will not go UNLESS I give it a shove OR lift the back up, the wheels start spining and I put it back down and the thing takes off strong most of the time sometimes a little slower ,then other times it wants to pull out of my hands, very inconsistent .....Mine has a plastic deck and I love the thing,it's nice and light and dont really want to get rid of it Any ideas.....Thanks!!!!!, Andrew

So I have a problem with the top pinion Bering it is very loose and the pulley is very wobbly?

Does anyone know what the Bering part number is?

Or has anyone else ever seen this problem before?

I have the transmission out of the Mower already just haven't taken it apart yet.

If anyone has any ideas for the fix please let me know.

Thanks for taking the time to post such great info! Cheers!

Hey Eddie! Well I'm thrilled that you have this resource..... I purchased a Honda hrm 215 last month with the owner telling me that it was working the year prior and it prob needed a tune up.... anyway I bought it in hopes of using it.... little did I know that he canabalized it! Linkages were missing and off... carb was loose etc.... anyway got it all out back together... cleaned it and put a new bowl on it cause it had pitted badly..... I GOT IT TO RUN! I could believe it.... but much to my disappointment I noticed a small oil leak buy the cylinder head..... I'm hoping it's the gasket? :( any suggestions? And how difficult is it to change? Thanks