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What's on your Work Bench?

Been working on several things these days since ol' Blue is just awaiting for the trip to Ouray... Got the engine out of the Corvair and separated from the diff/trans so it can go and get its cam gear replaced... ( long story, don't ask, but at least it made it thru all of RT 66 and was only 1200 miles from home...) And working on getting my shop personnel door awning finished and ready to get mounted...
 

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Battery went out in daughter’s X3. It’s a 950cca battery for a 2.0 l 4 cylinder. Did you know that you have to “register” the new battery in the on board computer because BMW has a battery optimized charging system! Fortunately the parts store can do this. 6-1/2 years isn’t a bad run for OEM battery.
 
On my new to me beach Jeep (2007 JKU) the Warn 9.5Ti started having some issues. It didn’t always like to power back in unless you clicked it multiple times. Decided while I was in there to replace all 4 solenoids.

My buddy bought this winch new in 2007 and the Jeep has never been garaged. He wheeled this Jeep hard and wasn’t afraid to pull cable. He was also the guy that would pull out heavy trucks on the OBX without a care in the world. On the job site this winch came in handy on a weekly basis.

Other than me adding synthetic rope this winch had never been messed with. Here’s to another 20 years!

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Finally got my lawn mower back together. I bought this machine 12 years ago, 2014, at a salvage place. It was brand new, I guess the delivery truck got in a wreck or something? Registered it with Honda for the warranty which has obviously long expired. Anyway, way back then these things sold for around $900, I paid $225 for it.

Anyway, this is a Honda HRX217, and I'm gonna go ahead and say it, probably the best self propelled push mower ever made. 190cc engine, hydrostatic transmission for infinite speed adjustability, full bag to full mulch with 10 adjustments in-between, and a key start!! Favorite thing about this machine: once you start the engine, it does not turn off everytime you release the blade clutch. Engine running, blade engagement, and transmission movement are all independent of each other. It also has a plastic deck, so no rust issues. I was kind of iffy about this, but I haven't broke the deck yet!

Anyway, besides engine oil/air filter/spark plug/blades, the only thing I ever had to replace was the key start battery. So, the reason I took it apart: over the years I have gently hit the lawn mower with Jeep tires when pulling into the garage. I really smacked it hard with my ex 392, so hard that I had to hold the handle bars up with hose clamps!! It had some other issues, but I wanted to make sure I could fix the handle bars and the two steel attaching plates before I started spending money on it. I was able to take all that stuff off, straighten it out with the press/c-clamps etc, so I ordered some parts for it:

All four wheels (bearings were all super loose)
The engine starter died years ago
The battery was dead again
Cam gear shaft o-ring (minor oil leak)
Reseal valve cover
All the carburetor/intake gaskets
The pull start was getting weak
The auto choke quit working (so, instead of one rope pull floor cold start, 3-4 pulls to cold start)
No oil leaks yet

Anyway, machine in pieces:

20260831_174312.jpg

With the valve cover off, checked the intake and exhaust valve clearances.

20260831_181613.jpg

Both were still to spec, note the slight drag marks on the feeler gauges.

20260831_181637.jpg

And all back together, everything working as it should. I love the key start 😆

Wheels rolling
Transmission transmissioning
Engine cold starts one one rope pull or a few seconds with key start
Blade clutch working
Handle bar folds up and down as it should
Electric starter working
Auto choke auto choking
Pull rope starter working as it should

20260906_144412.jpg

Besides cutting grass, I use this thing year round as a "vacuum cleaner" on my long gravel driveways. Sounds crazy, but with the bag on the back this thing cleans a path like a vacuum without sucking up gravel. Beats the hell out of raking!! So, this thing is used almost weekly for 4-8 hours at a time, so it gets used hard.

I should have bought another one of these when Honda was still selling them a few years back. Honda quit selling gas powered mowers in the US back in 2022 IIRC. But, the engine is still used on othe things, and parts are plentiful. In 2022, I think this mower new was around $1200. There are some new ones on eBay for 2-3k 😲

Anyway, hope to get 12 more years out of it!!
 
Last edited:
spankrjs said:
Finally got my lawn mower back together. I bought this machine 12 years ago, 2014, at a salvage place. It was brand new, I guess the delivery truck got in a wreck or something? Registered it with Honda for the warranty which has obviously long expired. Anyway, way back then these things sold for around $900, I paid $225 for it.

Anyway, this is a Honda HRX217, and I'm gonna go ahead and say it, probably the best self propelled push mower ever made. 190cc engine, hydrostatic transmission for infinite speed adjustability, full bag to full mulch with 10 adjustments in-between, and a key start!! Favorite thing about this machine: once you start the engine, it does not turn off everytime you release the blade clutch. Engine running, blade engagement, and transmission movement are all independent of each other. It also has a plastic deck, so no rust issues. I was kind of iffy about this, but I haven't broke the deck yet!

Anyway, besides engine oil/air filter/spark plug/blades, the only thing I ever had to replace was the key start battery. So, the reason I took it apart: over the years I have gently hit the lawn mower with Jeep tires when pulling into the garage. I really smacked it hard with my ex 392, so hard that I had to hold the handle bars up with hose clamps!! It had some other issues, but I wanted to make sure I could fix the handle bars and the two steel attaching plates before I started spending money on it. I was able to take all that stuff off, straighten it out with the press/c-clamps etc, so I ordered some parts for it:

All four wheels (bearings were all super loose)
The engine starter died years ago
The battery was dead again
Cam gear shaft o-ring (minor oil leak)
Reseal valve cover
All the carburetor/intake gaskets
The pull start was getting weak
The auto choke quit working (so, instead of one rope pull floor cold start, 3-4 pulls to cold start)
No oil leaks yet

Anyway, machine in pieces:

View attachment 123026

With the valve cover off, checked the intake and exhaust valve clearances.

View attachment 123027

Both were still to spec, note the slight drag marks on the feeler gauges.

View attachment 123028

And all back together, everything working as it should. I love the key start 😆

Wheels rolling
Transmission transmissioning
Engine cold starts one one rope pull or a few seconds with key start
Blade clutch working
Handle bar folds up and down as it should
Electric starter working
Auto choke auto choking
Pull rope starter working as it should

View attachment 123029

Besides cutting grass, I use this thing year round as a "vacuum cleaner" on my long gravel driveways. Sounds crazy, but with the bag on the back this thing cleans a path like a vacuum without sucking up gravel. Beats the hell out of raking!! So, this thing is used almost weekly for 4-8 hours at a time, so it gets used hard.

I should have bought another one of these when Honda was still selling them a few years back. Honda quit selling gas powered mowers in the US back in 2022 IIRC. But, the engine is still used on othe things, and parts are plentiful. In 2022, I think this mower new was around $1200. There are some new ones on eBay for 2-3k 😲

Anyway, hope to get 12 more years out of it!!
Click to expand...
I had a Honda lawn tractor, bought it in about 1990 and used it for 30 years it was great. 2 cylinder, water cooled engine, hydrostatic transmission. Model was 4518, I think. I didn’t want to give up on it, but rust in the deck and bearings and belts gone or going. Steering was real heavy, the only drawback. I gave it to a local high school for their shop program.
 
spankrjs said:
Finally got my lawn mower back together. I bought this machine 12 years ago, 2014, at a salvage place. It was brand new, I guess the delivery truck got in a wreck or something? Registered it with Honda for the warranty which has obviously long expired. Anyway, way back then these things sold for around $900, I paid $225 for it.

Anyway, this is a Honda HRX217, and I'm gonna go ahead and say it, probably the best self propelled push mower ever made. 190cc engine, hydrostatic transmission for infinite speed adjustability, full bag to full mulch with 10 adjustments in-between, and a key start!! Favorite thing about this machine: once you start the engine, it does not turn off everytime you release the blade clutch. Engine running, blade engagement, and transmission movement are all independent of each other. It also has a plastic deck, so no rust issues. I was kind of iffy about this, but I haven't broke the deck yet!

Anyway, besides engine oil/air filter/spark plug/blades, the only thing I ever had to replace was the key start battery. So, the reason I took it apart: over the years I have gently hit the lawn mower with Jeep tires when pulling into the garage. I really smacked it hard with my ex 392, so hard that I had to hold the handle bars up with hose clamps!! It had some other issues, but I wanted to make sure I could fix the handle bars and the two steel attaching plates before I started spending money on it. I was able to take all that stuff off, straighten it out with the press/c-clamps etc, so I ordered some parts for it:

All four wheels (bearings were all super loose)
The engine starter died years ago
The battery was dead again
Cam gear shaft o-ring (minor oil leak)
Reseal valve cover
All the carburetor/intake gaskets
The pull start was getting weak
The auto choke quit working (so, instead of one rope pull floor cold start, 3-4 pulls to cold start)
No oil leaks yet

Anyway, machine in pieces:

View attachment 123026

With the valve cover off, checked the intake and exhaust valve clearances.

View attachment 123027

Both were still to spec, note the slight drag marks on the feeler gauges.

View attachment 123028

And all back together, everything working as it should. I love the key start 😆

Wheels rolling
Transmission transmissioning
Engine cold starts one one rope pull or a few seconds with key start
Blade clutch working
Handle bar folds up and down as it should
Electric starter working
Auto choke auto choking
Pull rope starter working as it should

View attachment 123029

Besides cutting grass, I use this thing year round as a "vacuum cleaner" on my long gravel driveways. Sounds crazy, but with the bag on the back this thing cleans a path like a vacuum without sucking up gravel. Beats the hell out of raking!! So, this thing is used almost weekly for 4-8 hours at a time, so it gets used hard.

I should have bought another one of these when Honda was still selling them a few years back. Honda quit selling gas powered mowers in the US back in 2022 IIRC. But, the engine is still used on othe things, and parts are plentiful. In 2022, I think this mower new was around $1200. There are some new ones on eBay for 2-3k 😲

Anyway, hope to get 12 more years out of it!!
Click to expand...
I have the same mower without key start. I need to adjust my control cables but I love it. Not shutting off is great!
 
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