Honda HRX review

[bblueser]

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[bblueser]

my neighbor drains the old oil for about 5 minutes, then adds 15 oz of new oil. He says the dipstick shows full.

He has has used an HRX for the last 5 years and his mower has dry fouled the plug and required a new carb a few months ago.

I mention this because I wonder if his engine problems were caused by overfilling the oil?

How sensitive is the GCV190 to overfilling with oil,
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[robert@honda]

Originally Posted by bblueser

my neighbor drains the old oil for about 5 minutes, then adds 15 oz of new oil. He says the dipstick shows full.

I mention this because I wonder if his engine problems were caused by overfilling the oil?

How sensitive is the GCV190 to overfilling with oil,
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Your neighbor's technique sounds spot-on. Draining warm oil for 5 minutes will likely get all but a few tablespoons worth out of the oil pan.

Overfilling the oil may cause the oil to drain through the breather tube and soak the air filter. This can cause the air supply to be reduced, resulting in a rich-running engine.

Not aware of any particular sensitivities in filling the GCV190's engine oil.

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

[bblueser]

Assuming the mower is properly maintained, and used once per week to mow a medium sized lawn, what is the estimated lifespan of an HRX?
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[robert@honda]

Originally Posted by bblueser

Assuming the mower is properly maintained, and used once per week to mow a medium sized lawn, what is the estimated lifespan of an HRX?
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Honda does not publish any lifespan values for any mowers or engines. That said, I have personally seen HRX mowers used by commercial operators easily get 1,000+ hours of use. The wheels/tires go first, mostly due to curb/sidewalk scrubbing. For routine, residential use, the HRX should last decades with proper service.

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

[bblueser]

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[rlitman]

Originally Posted by robertcoats

Overfilling the oil may cause the oil to drain through the breather tube and soak the air filter. This can cause the air supply to be reduced, resulting in a rich-running engine.

My Honda engines have been very reliable, but they have also appeared to be more sensitive to air filter clogging than other engines.
Filters that appeared to be relatively clean could still cause an engine to run rich. An oil soaked filter would certainly cause this issue, and overfilling can do just what you said.

One thing many people don't pay attention to, is the instructions in the manual about never tilting the engine carb side down. It is clearly written in every Honda manual, but most people read past this, and if you do that, you will also soak the air filter in oil.

Originally Posted by robertcoats

The wheels/tires go first, mostly due to curb/sidewalk scrubbing.

Wow!

[Paradise Yard Service]

You could probably use the Honda for your home and then when you are too old to now, pass it on to your kids.
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[Roger]

Originally Posted by robertcoats

Honda does not publish any lifespan values for any mowers or engines. That said, I have personally seen HRX mowers used by commercial operators easily get 1,000+ hours of use. The wheels/tires go first, mostly due to curb/sidewalk scrubbing. For routine, residential use, the HRX should last decades with proper service.

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

What he said ^^^^^.

But, the replacement wheels are easy to get, easy to mount.

In heavy use, I change oil once per week, refilling with 16 oz of Rotella 10W-30. The dipstick shows at the "full" line. I drain it out by turning the mower on its side, over a used oil pan (holds a couple of gallons, flat, pour spout on the top, and drain hole on the side). I do not wait five minutes. But, I only drain when the engine is hot. After many hundreds of hours of service, the GCV 190 runs well, starts well, and shows no sign of burning oil, or loosing power.

The engines probably last longer (hours of service life) when run 30-40 hours per week, rather than a homeowner, running it one hour per week, sitting for 167, fire up for 1 hour, sitting for 167 hours, fire up for one hour, etc.

[kawasaki guy]

Originally Posted by robertcoats

Years ago, Honda offered some awesome walk-behind mult-blade units, 13~20hp, 36", 48", 52" and 60" decks. There was even a sulky option, and you could get full hydrostatic drive or gear drive models. Sadly, the market at the time was starting to fall in love with commercial ZTR products, and Honda ended up discontinuing all mowers except the 21" models.

Could you post some pics? They seem cool.