mark, i'm a big fan of the old hondas. i've never had a problem with grass building up to a point it stops the engine. are your wheels raised to the highest level? when the grass is extra tall, what i do is take a bungee cord and attach it so the rear door is open and the grass just shoots out, be careful not to be running over foreign objects. wear sturdy pants and safety glasses. you can clamp a mat or something to the cross bar on the handle to deflect the clippings. if you're bagging, make sure your bag is clean.

Now that's a good question. I have to admit that my cover has not fallen off yet. So, you can feel free to question my 'crummy design' comment. I made it because in normal maintenance/handling of the filter cover, I noted to myself that it most likely was going to be trouble some day. That's because the locking tabs hardly make enough contact to stay in place, and retainer 'rings' look very fragile. The way the filter assembly stands out from the engine, you have to keep it in mind when cutting under bushes/obstructions on the carburetor side, because one good hit on the filter housing might break a retainer ring. At that point, you could rig a makeshift keeper for it but the filter housing should be replaced. This opens another can of worms because the housing screws are self-tapping in the aluminum, and might strip out easily. Does it sound like I have been there with this? Indeed I have. My LB 22271 I got from Wise Equipment was poorly packed (they had set it up on display and repacked it for shipment) and the filter cover got knocked off, breaking a retainer ring. I had to get them to send a replacement along with some other parts. There were no more 22271s, and I didn't want to deal with shipping it back anyway. So, that's when I found out about the housing screws which brought lots of aluminum shavings out with them. They tightened back up, but I was holding my breath. Next time they probably will strip. If that happens, I hope to be able to tap a slightly larger size in those holes and use conventional screws.

Man I hate to see cultural animus in a lawn site thread but some people just can't help themselves. Anyone driving an Anerican owned (that's right, I didn't say made because for anyone that doesn't know it Toyota has the largest percentage of US sourced parts and labor. Not Ford Chevy and especially not Dodge) can mainly thank Honda for bringing providing us with their superior engineered and produced vehicles that simply forced the US brands to step their game up. Anyone that says with a straight face that they have owned US and Japanese cars and had more issues with the Japanese vehicles is either horribly unlucky or is lying through their teeth. 20y ago there was no comparison between the two, from NVH to the blatant lapse in QC that allowed vehicles with panel gaps so large to leave the manufacturing facility that when one took a 88 Dodge Aries k down the highway it sounded like there was a wind machine blowing in the back seat. Give me a break. The engine tech on Honda machines are superior in myriad areas. They are much quieter, produce less emissions (don't let the fact you don't believe in climate change stop you from worrying about it...), more efficien power production and because of that much,much, much better fuel economy. On my old snapper with a Briggs mower I would seriously have to refuel once during each mowing session (that mower would have been ~14y old if it were still functioning) and now with my ~9y old HRT with the GCV160 I can almost mow my lawn twice before refilling and yea, the tanks has commensurate capacaties. That's almost a 400% gain in fuel economy. Doesn't take a brain surgeon to see that glaring advantage. The Briggs was about as hard to start as you could imagine, that's what caused me to kick it to the curb. The last stint of pulling the starter cable for 5m, foot on the deck sweating my you know what's off sealed the deal ( I'm not a tiny guy either 6'1" 190). My Honda has started first pull everyone in the 5y I have had it and this is a sissy pull pretty much just using my shoulder and arm strength. I'm sure there are some older B&S out thee that are freaks and just won't die that start first pull everytime but the fact is that is the exception and simply not the rule. If there is one weakness of the Honda mower it would be the carb. But if you don't let stale gas gumm it up and properly maintain the machine (IMO anyone that does not maintain their machines according to the factory guidelines should not be allowed the gear pleasure of caring for their lawn, it's ignorance of the highest degree).

Don't apologize for your post -- it's helpful IMO to have various Honda snowblower problems collected on one thread. Your problem falls outside my experience, but I can tell you how I'd start, at least. First, make sure your hydrostatic transmission fluid level is correct. I don't check mine as often as I should, and if it slowly dropped (or quickly due to a seal giving way or something) I might not notice right away. I have no idea whether low fluid could cause this condition, but checking it is a good idea regardless. Second, if you don't already have one, consider buying a service manual. You may be able to find one at a dealer but if not they can definitely order it or you can get it online. It may or may not help you diagnose this problem, but it allows you to approach any repair with greater confidence -- or figure out in advance that you're in over your head. Next, make sure you've got access to exploded views of the whole machine. You can find them using the link below. After that, flip the little transmission engage/disengage lever that you use to allow the machine to be pushed. If the problem persists with the transmission disengaged, it's almost certain that you have a problem internal to the transmission. Next, assess the overall feel and action of the controls. Does the drive clutch lever feel normal? Does it have that slight "over center" feel (i.e., a relaxation of the spring pressure) as you get it close to the handlebar? Does the normal interlock action between the drive clutch and the auger clutch work normally (i.e., if you hold the drive clutch and then engage the auger, can you release the auger lever without it disengaging until you release the drive clutch)? Does the hydrostatic transmission control lever feel normal and have its normal range of travel? If any of this is wrong, I'd start looking at the engagement levers and the adjustment of the cables. Beyond that, if it were me, I'd probably be looking for a pro. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Honda snowblower exploded parts views