[tiggi]

Obviously its a older mower...but I loved it. Late last year I replaced the leaking oil seal, all went well or so I thought. Being a backyard kind of mechanic I know my limits and try to adapt to them ( ie putting parts such as bolts and nuts back on right away before they get mixed up) that in mind I took snap shots of various states of the project. Unfortunately I neglected to note where and which way the blade clutch springs went, I guessed. WRONG. Apon pulling I noticed it acted like the clutch was engaged all the time ( ie. the pull start was so hard it was almost impossible) Not having the time to play with it I took it to a local tech school to be repaired. Nine months later I picked it up, not fixed and more wrong with it. Not only is the clutch still wrong, now when I disengaged the springs to start it and check the engine it idles fine in choke...until you put it in run. It then sounds like a crotch rocket. Wayyyy too many rpm's I killed it as quick as can be. I could use some actual Knowledge and a point in the right direction.

 

[Five Points]

We have some in house Honda guru's who will jump in here shortly who should be able to get you going. Glad you at least got everything back.

 

[bwdbrn1]

Hi tiggi, you have quite possibly one of the best mowers ever made by Honda. I'm a looong way from my garage, and manuals right now, but the blade clutch is pretty straight forward when it comes to putting it back together, just one of those things that seems like you need three hands to hold everything in place while you tighten them up.

The three shoulder bolts with the springs on them pass through the nylon bushings. Just make sure the shoulders of the bolts don't get caught up on the bushings and seat against the bottom side of the engine.

The hardest part to hold in place is the little triangular piece with the ball bearings in it as you reassemble it. Like I said, I'm a long way from my manual, so I can't think of the correct names for the parts right now. The bearings have to sit in those grooves of the upper part of the blade clutch to work properly. I have had one I worked on have that piece with the bearings get out of place during reassembly and cause the symptom you described.

Here's a series of pictures of the assembly that might be helpful.

 

[tiggi]

Thanks,after looking at your pics I confirmed I did have the springs correct. That being the case I belive I'll rip it apart and check the bearing you mentioned,anything else in there I should possibly double check?

 

[bwdbrn1]

Be certain the thrust washer (first picture) is in place. There are two bearings, and they have different part numbers. Check them for smoothness. The bottom one is more likely to need replacement than the top one. Check around for prices.

 

[Submariner]

Hi tiggi, you have quite possibly one of the best mowers ever made by Honda. I'm a looong way from my garage, and manuals right now, but the blade clutch is pretty straight forward when it comes to putting it back together, just one of those things that seems like you need three hands to hold everything in place while you tighten them up.

The three shoulder bolts with the springs on them pass through the nylon bushings. Just make sure the shoulders of the bolts don't get caught up on the bushings and seat against the bottom side of the engine.

The hardest part to hold in place is the little triangular piece with the ball bearings in it as you reassemble it. Like I said, I'm a long way from my manual, so I can't think of the correct names for the parts right now. The bearings have to sit in those grooves of the upper part of the blade clutch to work properly. I have had one I worked on have that piece with the bearings get out of place during reassembly and cause the symptom you described.

Here's a series of pictures of the assembly that might be helpful.

Thanks,
very useful.
How do you stop the engine turning over when you undo the bottom M10 Blade Holder Screw (bolt).
and likewise when you do it up?
I was going to undo it with an Air impact gun ( max torque 270 Nm), hoping it breaks loose before the cranks has the chance to start rotating.
and do it up, very slowly, with a manual Torque wrench to 55Nm; whilst holding a socket on the big flanged M14 Special Nut on the top, that holds the Flywheel to the crankshaft inside the starter ratchet basket. My logic was the bottom nut should reach 55Nm before the top Nut starts to undo, (that top nut should be set at 75Nm).
Plus as its 14 years old. The undisturbed, and possibly rusted up a little, top Nut should take more than 75Nm to break free.
Any views appreciated.
Note the Service Manual says: “To loosen and tighten the Blade Holder Screw, ‘with holding’ the blade brake lever.
This does nothing on my machine, i.e. when the lever is not held, the Screw ( bolt) just turns over the engine, where the only resistance is the engines compression. Likewise when depressed, yes the clutch engages, and you can hold the blade, but the driven disc obviously slips way before one reaches 55 Nm!
Or am I mis understanding the Service Workshop Manual?. [ Personally I think its just plain wrong]

 

[tabora]

How do you stop the engine turning over when you undo the bottom M10 Blade Holder Screw (bolt).
and likewise when you do it up?

The Rope Trick helps keep the valves closed while you're working and keeps them from falling into the cylinder and can also be used when tightening/loosening the crank bolts/nuts.

Fill Some of the Space Above the Piston
With the piston low in the cylinder, use rope made of something that won't shed any fibers. Feed the rope into the cylinder through the sparkplug hole. Continue to feed the rope into the cylinder, loosely filling as much of the cylinder as possible.

Rotate the Engine
Rotate the engine by hand until you feel resistance (the rope pressed between the piston and valves). If you have a broken valve spring and the valve does not close completely keep some upward pressure on the valve so the rope does not get caught between the valve and seat.

The Valves Will Be Held in Place by the Rope
Use a valve spring compressor (if necessary) to compress the valve spring, remove the keepers (a small magnetic pickup will help) and the spring. Complete whatever repairs are needed.

Removing the Rope
Rotate the engine in the opposite direction, relieving the pressure between the rope and valves, remove the rope, and you are done.