I recently picked up two Honda powered mowers for a grand total of $20, one being a Honda buffalo Hru194 and the other was a masport wide cut with a Gxv160.
The masport deck was cracked and buckled beyond repair but I have transplanted the gxv160 onto a Rover chassis.
The Hru194 is still in relatively good condition however the starter assembly needed to be reassembled. I completed the reassembly this morning but it appears to be slipping when pulling on the cord (which is probably why the cord had snapped initially).
Is there an easy fix to have the 'tang' engage without slipping or is a new assembly required?
If the starter is slipping at the tang ,I usually use long nose pliers to rebend the tang .
If the starter recoil spring is slipping off the centre plastic starter drum then sometimes the spring can be rebent so it's more u shaped ,occasionally the springs will snap when you try this or the spring after bending is too weak , if the spring is too weak after bending or it snaps, usually you can cut off the old end of the spring and make a new bend but if the spring keeps snapping after making a new bend then the spring material is too brittle and you would need to replace the spring or heating the end with an oxy to make the new bend may work .
Before bending the spring you would need to know the centre plastic starter drum is not damaged where the spring clips on.
New complete starters are $20 with free postage on eBay.
So I took a dremel to the plastic piece that had signs of wear thinking that it may not have been engaging properly. I shaved off the rounded tip to create a sharper edge.
This seemed to help but has not elelminated the issue.
The metal spring tangs are still attached and the plastic (drum) is not damaged where is hold the spring.
If I have the mower in front of me i just measure the starter diementions and make a starter fit , you just need the measurements of the old starter and the new starter ,sometimes you need to change the starter cup with the new starter.
Ok wait there are 2 problems here. is it that the rope doesn't go back in or that the rope doesn't pull the engine over? Looks like the pawl (bit that looks burnt) has been rubbing the cup and has half melted. it may just be as simple as replacing the pawl (ratchet). Also make sure the 2 springs #8 and #6 are in place and working as they are what should prevent this happening. part number #28422-896-010 Ratchet
Yes I just thought the spring was slipping off because of the first images and mentioning the tang.
If the starter is not turning the motor over it can be a starter pawl problem as it does look a little worn, I'm not a fan of starters with only one pawl if it was me repairing this I would still replace the starter and starter cup if the original cup won't suit the new starter ,I've googled Honda HRU 194 starter pawl and haven't found any for sale.
For further context the engine is turning over. Initially if I was care with how I pulled the starter cord I could get it to fire up, despite it slipping.
After shaving the starter pawl the slipping was reduced and it fire ld up much more easily but still not without slipping.
Max, it reads as if you suggest changing the entire starter assembly so as there is not just a single pawl engaging, if this is the case are all Honda starter assembly bolt patterns the same?
Not all Honda starters are the same bolt pattern Lockstock ,I don't have a HRU194 motor here to check the bolt pattern measurements ,but if you have the measurements ,I can check a few other Honda mowers and see if the pattern is the same.
Yes I would just change the starter to a duel pawl starter ,even an old starter off a chonda can be adapted, you just use a compass to mark out the circle diameter and drill the holes or make an adaptor plate if you can't redrill the starter.
I've had a few second hand Sanli mower starters (Pic of Sanli starter below) that I've redrilled because they have a fair amount of metal around the bolt holes that can easily be redrilled.
Thanks for the info Max. As you were repsonding I was in the garage tinkering.
I ended up taking the starter assembly off the gxv160 (dual pawl) to see if it would fit. The bolt pattern matched up and after some very minor reshaping of the cowl the cup was spinning without fouling too.
As I went to pull the cord it resisted the recoil and remained extended and slack. I figured that the black plastic drum was just being held up on the metal cup. I jammed a few washers under the 10mm bolts as a 1mm spacer and voila! She pulled over and started up without slipping or fouling.
I now know to get a double pawl gxv160 starter assembly and away I go!
After mowing the front lawn with excitement I've now decided that the chassis of the Honda is far better than the Rover chassis the gxv160 is sitting on. As such, I'll swap the 160 onto the Honda chassis and find a 19inch victa or similar for the hru194. The rover chassis is just too cumbersome and needs new bearings for the wheels.
