# Honda HRX217HMA electric start problem..?



## PingMe

My first post to the forum, "Hello all".

I bought a top of the line Electric Start Honda and pulled it out of the garage to cut grass for the first time this year. The night before I pulled the cover to charge the battery and gave it 24 hours as recommended.

After the charge and after putting the cover back on I hit the key to get it fired up and all I get is a spinning noise from the starter, it never engages the flywheel?

Is this a standard problem with electric starts? This mower was bought last season and isn't even a year old, anyone know what the problem might be?

Thanks.

AJM,


----------



## 30yearTech

Starter gear is probably just stuck on the armature shaft. They just use inertia to engage the starter gear into the flywheel and sometimes a little dirt or corrosion will cause the gear to "stick" and not engage the flywheel. Just take a small screw driver and without turning the key or otherwise activating the starter, use the end of the driver to push the gear and see if it comes loose.

Also if you disconnected the battery, make sure the polarity is correct, if the battery can be hooked up with reverse polarity the starter will run backwards and never engage the engine.


----------



## wheelerman

take it back to the dealer and have them fix it.it has a least a 2 year warranty.


----------



## PingMe

Thanks for the reply's guys.

I pulled loose the starter today and even though the starter is spinning it just doesn't seem to be throwing the gear to the top to make contact with the flywheel. There is a spring that holds down the gear but other than that it moves freely on the shaft?

Does anyone know of a schematic for disassembly of the starter that I could look at? 

AJM,


----------



## 30yearTech

If the starter is spinning then it most likely is working alright and does not need to be taken apart. The problem is probably that your battery is not delivering enough current to spin the motor fast enough for the gear to climb up the shaft and engage the flywheel. Check your battery and charger make sure the battery is fully charged and make sure your charger is recharging the battery. Was the outlet you had your charger plugged into working?


----------



## PingMe

It's not a great sign that after less than a year the battery might be bad... aargh.

I have a GellCell battery around 12v I believe if I bypass the battery on the mower would that be a valid test?

Do you know what the charge rate is for the batter on the mower?

Thanks,


----------



## 30yearTech

PingMe said:


> It's not a great sign that after less than a year the battery might be bad... aargh.
> 
> I have a GellCell battery around 12v I believe if I bypass the battery on the mower would that be a valid test?
> 
> Do you know what the charge rate is for the batter on the mower?
> 
> Thanks,


It's still a lead acid battery, and if it goes dead it will go bad, so these batteries require maintenance. They all have internal resistance and will go dead during periods of non use, so they periodically need to be recharged. 24 hours once a month will generally maintain the battery in a charged state and 72 hours in the spring to fully charge a low battery. Most battery chargers for these batteries charge at a rate of 120 - 140 ma.


----------



## inairam

Try reversing the wires to change the polarity. The DC motor will run both ways but the Bendix will only engage if it is going in the correct direction.


----------



## Milton Fox Racing

Welcome to the boards @inairam


----------

