This is an interesting discussion. I didn't mention that before purchasing the new Honda, I had a 12 year old Honda that never had a problem with the engine. I only replaced it because the transmission went bad and, since Honda makes you buy a whole transmission instead of replacing the cheap plastic part that broke, I decided to cut my losses. The old Honda engine was bullet proof. It started first pull for the new owner when I was showing it. I never used stabil or Seafoam prior to buying the new mower. I was pretty good about maintenance, oil, air filter, plug, etc. The gas that supposedly caused my new mower's carb to go bad was used in a Briggs four cycle edger and in a two-cycle blower and weedeater without problems. I'm starting to come to the conclusion that my original carb problem was not due to bad gas, but to a problem that is inherent with the carb, as Saxman said. I'm just going to sit back and see what happens with the replacement carb. If it gets to the point where it is just as bad as the original carb, I might go back to the dealer and try to get the first carb covered under warranty. I'm still wondering about the additives. I seem to have some pretty good experts on both sides of the argument. I guess since I'm working with a dealer that told me to use additives, I had better keep doing it at least until I get the carb situation resolved. Boy, am I glad I didn't buy it at a big box store. It wouldn't be fun having to deal with them in this situation. Thanks again to all!

I just purchased a 2013 Honda HRX217HZA a couple of weeks ago. It supplants a 2003 Toro 20033 SR push mower here, which still is in mint condition. After recent spine surgery, I decided to finally purchase a self-propelled mower! Here are my thoughts on the HRX217HZA which cost me $849, plus tax (high here in IL (9%) - at a local mower shop. - Versamow System... So far, I exclusively use it in the mulch position, as I always mulch here. This fall I will try it out in the partial mulch and partial discharge when the leaves begin to fall. I never bag, as I have no way to get rid of the clippings. The mower mulches very well on par with the Toro SR. - The 190cc engine starts immediately with either the recoil or electric start. NOTE: With the 2013 HRX217HZA, Honda eliminated the "wall wart" charger for the battery. The battery is now charged from the engine's electrical system when the mower is running. No engine surging is noted, either at partial or full throttle. However, I am using non-Ethanol gasoline provided by the selling dealer. I will see if any surging begins when I start using the 10% Ethanol gas sold at all gas stations in this area. I do use an additive called Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment - I find it superior to Sta-Bil. - Blade Brake... the blade brake feature is very nice, especially when you need to pick up something from the yard which was overlooked prior to mowing. I know this adds to the complexity of the mower, but it's a big plus for me. When the blade brake bail is pushed in which engages the blade, or more specifically, the blades, the mower's dBA noise level increases significantly. The HRX217 is definitely a louder mower than my Toro SR 20033 with the flat-head B&S 6.5HP Quantum engine. - Nexite Deck... The Nexite deck is very nice, and rugged, but it may be more sensitive to spilled gas, fluids, etc. than a cast aluminum or steel deck. This is not confirmed, but it is noted in the HXA's owner's manual. - Ball Bearing Wheels... This mower is heavy (102 lbs.), but I honestly can't tell much of a difference between this mower with the ball bearing wheels and the Toro with sleeve bearing wheels. Granted, the Toro is only 69 lbs., but when I drop the Clutch Bail on the Honda to either trim or go back and forth around obstacles, the Honda is not necessarily easy to maneuver - ball bearing wheels or not. Not that it's hard to maneuver per se, but simply more so than my Toro push mower. - Hydrostatic Drive... The Hydrostatic drive is wonderful in operation. I can set it to its lowest setting, and it will simply crawl at a snail's pace. I will never use it at its highest speed setting, as I don't enjoy jogging when I mow the lawn! It's very nice to be able to change the speed on the go, and when you want to disengage the drive, you simply drop the Clutch Bail. You can also "feather" the drive system by partially dropping the Clutch Bail similar to a single drive or variable drive system. As to potential cost-of-repair, yes, I expect the Hydrostatic drive to be most costly to maintain, and certainly to repair than other systems. I've heard stories here on this site of high repair bills on the Hydrostatic drive, so I am a bit concerned about this myself. I understand the Toro's Personal Pace (originally designed by Lawn-Boy), and the Snapper Disc design is more simple, and thus, less-costly to repair. - Honda Warranty... The HRX comes with a 5 year warranty, but since I purchased the mower on or before May 31, Honda added a Bonus 1 year, so it has a 6 year warranty. I've also read on this site where Honda can be quite picky about some warranty claims, thus this also concerns me a bit. I never had the need to test the Toro 5 year warranty on my 20033 SR, as it never had one single problem in the 10 years I've owned it. The only negatives I've discovered so far are as follows: - When mowing laterally across a slight rise or hill, the mower wants to slide sideways down the incline a bit. This is due to its weight. It's not a significant problem, but it does occur. - The HRX217 is a complex walk-behind mower... from its OHC 190cc engine with a belt-driven cam drive to its Hydrostatic drive, it's likely the most complex walk-behind mower available for residential use. Unlike the Toro 20033 SR with the "old" B&S flat head engine which has only required annual oil changes, annual air filter replacements, and annual spark plug replacements, plus a thorough cleaning after each use, the Honda's maintenance schedule "reads more like an automobile maintenance schedule." The dealer strongly urged me to consider annual check-ups at $69+ per service, and the owner's manual directly addresses this, such as checking the valve clearance on the OHC system, as well as checking the Hydrostatic drive. Thus, this mower will certainly be more costly to maintain than the Toro I own. During the 6 year warranty period, the dealer will pick up the mower and deliver it back to my house for no charge - other than the service fee of course. Just a thought to consider, as I doubt HD would do this for you. One of the benefits of buying from a locally-owned dealer is that they generally provide excellent service. redballoon - I hope this answers some of your questions. I know this is not the exact model you are considering, but I have tried to cover most questions on the mower's features.

I don't know about the rest of the tiller, but I do know something about the GX31. The Honda small engines can run at all position BUT it can't sit on the side or up side down!!!!! VERY IMPORTANT!!!. It has a oil chamber to whip the oil into mist so you can run in all position. But when the engine stop, oil is going to go to the lowest level due to gravity. If the engine sit side way or up side down, oil will sip through the rings and go into the combussion chamber. If you leave it sit long enough, the engine not only hard to start, also it will smoke for a while. But it will clear up. That is the reason the foam filter soak with oil. So do not just tear the engine up until you run more test. You might want to clean the carb. I just did one on my GX31 and is not that hard. But If you can start the engine, I don't think you even need to do that. Just wash the foam filter with soap and water, put oil and put it back. Change the gas filter and check the plug. You check the oil but putting the engine with cylinder upwards, on flat level. Remove the drain plug and make sure the oil just not overflow. Start and let it run for a little while, the smoke should clear up. Then you can continue testing whether it has power. I am not saying the engine has no problem, just say the smoking is normal if the engine sit in wrong position.

Bluestoneclay, Many thanks for the help comment. I've been struggling with the WX10 for the last year and was totally frustrated. I had just placed it on the work bench in the garage so I wouldn't forget to take it to the dealer Monday morning for an expensive and most likely, non productive visit. I decided to google search WX10 pump problems and found your post. I have been experiencing the exact same symptoms that you described. I carefully took the gas cap apart and removed the small rubber air vent. This morning I filled the little WX10 with gas and took it down to the creek to give it one more chance. It fired right up as usual, and then I ran the throttle up to wide open and waited for it to stop running, as usual. To my surprise it ran perfectly, wide open throttle, without even a hesitation for a solid hour. Your post saved me an expensive trip to the dealer and now I have a dependable pump that I can count on to do the job every time I need it. Many Thanks Again !!! RK