I replaced Oil (4oz 10 - 30 synthetic) without splitting case using this video. I found clear area on top of case and drilled hole to drain / fill. I used rubber plug to seal leak free. TY youtubers :)
Picked this model up today set out on the curb near my home. Bad Gas, ultrasonic cleaned the carb, changed the oil, power washed it, love the Honda models too!
I have a commercial Honda 215 hydrostatic which is in service for near 40 years and going strong. The other one HRR216TDA was to replace the old , but now the transmission is beaten up and overall looks worn, and honestly the quality went down with Honda mowers. The Husqvarna-Honda( 4wheel drive) , the last one I bought holds up much better!
Great video!! Love that you are not afraid to tackle most any repair. In this "throw away society" we live in today its good to see someone repairing rather than tossing. I too live in eastern PA (Lehigh Valley). Hope the little guy is doing good. Take care
Vielen Dank für die Instruktionen. Dein Video hat mir geholfen, viel Geld zu sparen. Deine Sprache ist auch für einen Deutschen gut zu verstehen und alle Schritte sind klar und gut nachzuvollziehen. Thanks for the Instuctions. It helps me, saving a lot of money. Your English is clear and Everything easy to understand, even for a German.
My rear wheels will not go backwards. I replaced both adjusters and bushings as well as cleaned up the axles. This led me to believe the rust has destroyed the axle inside the housing. I will still tear it down after installing a new transmission. Its a 3 speed. I doubt there is that much wrong with other than it sat. The shift cable was broken and just a terrible mess. Usually when they are that bad, its better just to replace things. As I haven't ever taken one apart, itscon my list of fun things to do.
Thanks for the step-by-step. Although you convinced me to buy the unit and install it rather than try to repair. Thank you for saving me the time and effort. Keep up the great work.
Like your persistence getting the job done right even with all the stumbling blocks. Agree with J Smith about the throw away society we now live in....Great video!
Excellent video. I just removed and disassembled the 3-speed in a trash-picked HRR2162TDA (same gearbox as the video). I too noted that the brass input shaft helical gear was quite worn. I have no idea why Honda didn't use a steel gear. Either way, good tip about reversing the gear prior to reassembly!
Take a regular grinding wheel on a 4 1/2 inch grinder. Put the drive wheels in a vice and run the grinder across the wheel (horizontal). Do this all the way around to get better traction until the new wheels get to your shop! Hope your back gets better. Take care man!
I actually did this same repair on a Craftsman walk behind mower for one of my cousins. Separating the cases was daunting indeed, but I got it done. The hardest part of all for me was removing the old RTV gasket maker. I also thought 30W oil would be good enough, but I spoke with some local professional lawn mower repair guys and they told me to use Alco Super Lube “00” Grease #19100. It, too, is more like oil than grease, however, it is a very thick oil-like grease. If anyone out there knows of an easy way to remove RTV gasket maker from parts, please let me know. Thanks again, doublewide6, and I continue to hope for and pray for you, your son, and the rest of your family.
I just did that too. I bought seal 12 x 19 x 5 (vitob instead of buna) 12.5 would have still leak. One important step missing in vid for the disassembly is to remove the top part of the speed selector yoke. There is a side screw to release the top, but you have to put it in speed 3 to see it. This way, the top just slide in / out easy. Also, since this is tranny with gears and a friction clutch, I used manual tranny oil.
Regarding my comments about the lack of information on the replacement and direction of the wheel drive ratchets on the wheel axel, I'm now providing the information that I got from another site and have tested by correcting my own mistakes on my reassembly of my own mower. When you replace the ratchets, they should be aligned so the flats on the interior of the ratchet point toward the rear of the mower as you are observing them facing the particular wheel that you are working on and the mower is in its natural horizontal position. This applies to each wheel; one being correct and one incorrect will not give you the desired result. The proper result: even distribution of torque to each wheel, without either wheel fighting in left or right turns. With the mower engine off and the drive engagement bar in its relaxed position, the mower moves freely when pushed forward or backward.
Nice job!! Of course it was worth it. $6 bucks to save a $400 Honda ...cool!! Also...You will do the next one quicker as you now know what to look for. Learning experience alone was worth it .
First thanks for the great video, going to use it in case I get stuck putting the transmission back together. But, my problem is that brass gear you flipped is almost completely worn out on one side and the worn metal jammed everything up with a big ball of metal. So that gear needs to be replaced. Any luck finding a replacement gear? I have the part number on the transmission housing but the it's worn away and can't read it.
MY QUESTION IS I NEVER SAW YOU PULL THE UNIT BACKWARDS-HOW DOES IT ROLL IS IT SMOOTH OR DO YOU HAVE TO FIGHT IT TO GET IT TO GO BACKWARDS.I HAVE BUILT SEVERAL OF THESE AND SOME WORK FINE AND SOME ARE STILL HARD TO BACKUP WITHOUT LOCKING THE BACK WHEELS UP
same here i used a shop vac when i drilled the drain hole and put grease on the drill bit to keep the plastic out on several mowers those 3 speed people dont want to pay for all that work and that grease leaks out slowly
Very good step by step although I'm still not clear on how the transmission engages when you pull the lever/cable. I see where you showed that square bracket? slides up against the bronze or brass gear but that doesn't have any mechanical "meaning". Maybe you could elaborate.
The Honda mowers seem to really excel at sucking up leaves. The only mower I have had that even came close was a 1990 Murray Aero-Vac. I've really missed that mower over the years, until I got an HRX. It sucks up leaves, acorns, sticks, generally anything that doesn't belong in the yard.
Good job, I am very impressed by this job. You will find a lot of snow blowers going to that crap transmission, pretty much throwaways, but are they now?
Someone jusr gave me a Honda Harmony II HRR216. The self-propel doesn't work. It"s previous owner didn't provide any hints as to why it won't work. After seeing part 1 & 2, I am really really hoping it is not the transmission. Thank you for this video.
What is the part number for the brass gear? I tore into the tranny and my brass gear is completely shot. Of course, I will need that whole assembly stack of parts, but I don't know where to look for these internal parts. Thank you!
Reverse gears for more life as you did, do also with wheel pinion gears by moving left gear to right side and right gear to left side. You will see new side of gear never used now being used
Hello sir, can you tell me if there is a clutch inside of the transmission. The problem Im having is that the transmission is slipping, if you lift the rear wheels of the ground they spin when you engage the transmission but as soon as you let the mower down and make contact with the ground they stop spinning and the mower wont pull. thankYou.
Tip on removing Pulley Pin. Use a snug punch pin. If punch pin is too small the pin may spread open and lock into place. Use solid metal plate to support under pulley shaft as you hit pin out
Heck after watching vid. I still wondering why my trans isnt engaging , cables are fine , i push in to engage and turn axel but pull wont turn , i theres oily lower case like one seals leeking , may it be out of oil is why it wont engage , i guess ill have to befriend the shyt out of it take all apart
I have the same mower/transmission. i removed it because it won't engage. i have not opened it yet. do you have any idea what is wrong with it? can i still repair it? thanks
Where are you getting your parts? I’ve looked and the only thing I find is washers, nut, snap ring and the whole transmission. I like to fix my things, the brass gear and the parts on either side are worn out. I would appreciate any info you could pass along, thank you.
Honda uses Hondabond HT to be the gasket. Good stuff, but pricey. After you get it separated (I use a knife blade), clean the surfaces and out a continuous bead of Hondabond around the surface and bolt her up. The stuff dries fairly fast, so don't go take a nap after putting it on the surface.
What did you use to "tap" the hole for the drain plug. I'm not sure how to make a hole that won't leak and still hold the plug well. Also, would you mind commenting on how the mower is holding up after using it for the last year? I've got the same problem. Leaky transmission from a HRB217TDA. I've got the part out and I'm going to try pulling it apart next. I'm curious if it is still worth the effort.
Great video except: you mentioned that wheels did not turn on your first test drive after putting everything back together, because you had placed the "ratchets on the wheels backwards." Since you had made that mistake, I wish you had assumed it was likely something your readers might also do, and had explained how to determine what direction the ratchets had to be re-installed to properly drive the wheels. I made the same mistake and could not decide how to determine whether or not to reverse both ratchets at the same time or experiment with one, then the other. Wish I had the foresight to have checked that as I was taking the wheels off the first time. Please understand that I am not trying to be too critical, just thought that your efforts missed an opportunity to have identified one more area that was significant to the effective re-assembly of the drivetrain. Thanks for taking the time and effort to educate those of us who need all the help we can get.
Hello doublewide6, I’m working on the same project and your videos are very helpful. 1 quick question, how did you remove the dried Honda bond gasket sealer. I can see you had it cleaned up perfectly. ( I’m glad to hear your son is feeling better ). Thanks Greg
I believe if my friend wants is more fixed he's going to have to take it to a Honda dealership good video though more work then I want to get into looks like about a $300 job labor
I watched this video last year also. You did a great job! I am also praying that your son's health is improving. I would like to know if your lawn mower will pull backwards easily when the clutch bar is not engaged? Mine is very difficult to pull backwards, and I hear a clicking. I am wondering if the gear that engages with the worm gear is not releasing all the way? Any thoughts?
I think I have to buy a new transmission because after changing the cable and belt it still doesn't engage. Not worth it I think to put $200 into something you can get new for 4 to 5 hundred. My mower is 12 years old
A replacement transmission is $146.97, labor $62.00 US (don't ask me how I know.) The sad thing is, it didn't fix the problem completely. My springs were weak, keyways and journals dirty, and the wheelbearings were worn. So for $2.24 cents per side I bought new springs and C-clips and the bearings that fit inside the wheel. What makes it sad is, more likely than not, there was nothing wrong with the transmission (it wasn't leaking.) Live and learn, as they say.
I'm am very disappointed in the engineering and longevity of Honda. I expected more as my old Craftsman mowers lasted 10-12 years with just oil and filter changes and were 1/3 the price. I initially like the Honda ergonomics and have been through 3 in 12 yrs and will not buy any more ever. My first one had the plastic deck and was very light which I loved - the last 2 were metal decks and are much heavier. When you need to push manually around obstacles thelighter mower is easier of course.
goo.gl/ZV6Wbg replacement transmission parts
doublewide6 Repairs LLC with
I replaced Oil (4oz 10 - 30 synthetic) without splitting case using this video. I found clear area on top of case and drilled hole to drain / fill. I used rubber plug to seal leak free. TY youtubers :)
Picked this model up today set out on the curb near my home. Bad Gas, ultrasonic cleaned the carb, changed the oil, power washed it, love the Honda models too!
I have a commercial Honda 215 hydrostatic which is in service for near 40 years and going strong. The other one HRR216TDA was to replace the old , but now the transmission is beaten up and overall looks worn, and honestly the quality went down with Honda mowers. The Husqvarna-Honda( 4wheel drive) , the last one I bought holds up much better!
Great video!! Love that you are not afraid to tackle most any repair. In this "throw away society" we live in today its good to see someone repairing rather than tossing.
I too live in eastern PA (Lehigh Valley). Hope the little guy is doing good. Take care
Vielen Dank für die Instruktionen. Dein Video hat mir geholfen, viel Geld zu sparen. Deine Sprache ist auch für einen Deutschen gut zu verstehen und alle Schritte sind klar und gut nachzuvollziehen.
Thanks for the Instuctions. It helps me, saving a lot of money. Your English is clear and Everything easy to understand, even for a German.
My rear wheels will not go backwards. I replaced both adjusters and bushings as well as cleaned up the axles. This led me to believe the rust has destroyed the axle inside the housing. I will still tear it down after installing a new transmission. Its a 3 speed. I doubt there is that much wrong with other than it sat. The shift cable was broken and just a terrible mess. Usually when they are that bad, its better just to replace things. As I haven't ever taken one apart, itscon my list of fun things to do.
Great job,no one else has tried this,i have spent days looking for help with this transmission,thank you very very much..
Thanks for the step-by-step. Although you convinced me to buy the unit and install it rather than try to repair. Thank you for saving me the time and effort. Keep up the great work.
Like your persistence getting the job done right even with all the stumbling blocks. Agree with J Smith about the throw away society we now live in....Great video!
Thank you, this by far is the best most detailed video I have seen, I really like your honesty as well...
Excellent video. I just removed and disassembled the 3-speed in a trash-picked HRR2162TDA (same gearbox as the video). I too noted that the brass input shaft helical gear was quite worn. I have no idea why Honda didn't use a steel gear. Either way, good tip about reversing the gear prior to reassembly!
Take a regular grinding wheel on a 4 1/2 inch grinder. Put the drive wheels in a vice and run the grinder across the wheel (horizontal). Do this all the way around to get better traction until the new wheels get to your shop! Hope your back gets better. Take care man!
I actually did this same repair on a Craftsman walk behind mower for one of my cousins. Separating the cases was daunting indeed, but I got it done. The hardest part of all for me was removing the old RTV gasket maker. I also thought 30W oil would be good enough, but I spoke with some local professional lawn mower repair guys and they told me to use Alco Super Lube “00” Grease #19100. It, too, is more like oil than grease, however, it is a very thick oil-like grease. If anyone out there knows of an easy way to remove RTV gasket maker from parts, please let me know. Thanks again, doublewide6, and I continue to hope for and pray for you, your son, and the rest of your family.
soak the parts in gas for a day or so and you can pull it off
I am middle of this repair. I tried to separate the cases but couldn't. If you could provide some insight on to it, that would be great.
I was sent here by a sub. Thanks for the look inside. I just changed out a trans in my last video. Thanks Bob.
I just did that too. I bought seal 12 x 19 x 5 (vitob instead of buna) 12.5 would have still leak.
One important step missing in vid for the disassembly is to remove the top part of the speed selector yoke. There is a side screw to release the top, but you have to put it in speed 3 to see it. This way, the top just slide in / out easy.
Also, since this is tranny with gears and a friction clutch, I used manual tranny oil.
Regarding my comments about the lack of information on the replacement and direction of the wheel drive ratchets on the wheel axel, I'm now providing the information that I got from another site and have tested by correcting my own mistakes on my reassembly of my own mower. When you replace the ratchets, they should be aligned so the flats on the interior of the ratchet point toward the rear of the mower as you are observing them facing the particular wheel that you are working on and the mower is in its natural horizontal position. This applies to each wheel; one being correct and one incorrect will not give you the desired result. The proper result: even distribution of torque to each wheel, without either wheel fighting in left or right turns. With the mower engine off and the drive engagement bar in its relaxed position, the mower moves freely when pushed forward or backward.
Still helping folks 5+ years later.
Thank you for the video. I really appreciate your efforts to put this video together. Helped me a lot.
Hey Doublewide6, thanks for the video. Where did you buy the oil seals and green bushings? Do you have part numbers?
Did you ever get them?.. I could use the info please..
Good instructions, really helpful to see what is inside, before i take mine apart.
Excellent work! Nice mod which should last a very long time.
How do you get the old sealant off before ;applying new sealant and assembling halves of transmission thank you. Lee Gates
Nice job!! Of course it was worth it. $6 bucks to save a $400 Honda ...cool!! Also...You will do the next one quicker as you now know what to look for. Learning experience alone was worth it .
First thanks for the great video, going to use it in case I get stuck putting the transmission back together. But, my problem is that brass gear you flipped is almost completely worn out on one side and the worn metal jammed everything up with a big ball of metal. So that gear needs to be replaced. Any luck finding a replacement gear? I have the part number on the transmission housing but the it's worn away and can't read it.
MY QUESTION IS I NEVER SAW YOU PULL THE UNIT BACKWARDS-HOW DOES IT ROLL IS IT SMOOTH OR DO YOU HAVE TO FIGHT IT TO GET IT TO GO BACKWARDS.I HAVE BUILT SEVERAL OF THESE AND SOME WORK FINE AND SOME ARE STILL HARD TO BACKUP WITHOUT LOCKING THE BACK WHEELS UP
Will you list the P/N that you used?
Great video good idea I had already contemplated doing something similar I’m glad I watched your video I now know where to place my drain👍
same here i used a shop vac when i drilled the drain hole and put grease on the drill bit to keep the plastic out on several mowers those 3 speed people dont want to pay for all that work and that grease leaks out slowly
While the transmission was open, it would be nice to see how the gears work.
Very good step by step although I'm still not clear on how the transmission engages when you pull the lever/cable. I see where you showed that square bracket? slides up against the bronze or brass gear but that doesn't have any mechanical "meaning". Maybe you could elaborate.
Great repair Most people would have either bought a new axle or sold it for spares or repair..
Cheers
Martin
I have a HRM 20 yrs old with variable drive, trans is $480! dont use it much anymore but for sucking up leaves.
The Honda mowers seem to really excel at sucking up leaves. The only mower I have had that even came close was a 1990 Murray Aero-Vac. I've really missed that mower over the years, until I got an HRX. It sucks up leaves, acorns, sticks, generally anything that doesn't belong in the yard.
Did you explain why you took it apart?
Good job, I am very impressed by this job. You will find a lot of snow blowers going to that crap transmission, pretty much throwaways, but are they now?
Someone jusr gave me a Honda Harmony II HRR216. The self-propel doesn't work. It"s previous owner didn't provide any hints as to why it won't work. After seeing part 1 & 2, I am really really hoping it is not the transmission. Thank you for this video.
What is the part number for the brass gear? I tore into the tranny and my brass gear is completely shot. Of course, I will need that whole assembly stack of parts, but I don't know where to look for these internal parts. Thank you!
Same here but good tip on flipping it. I had one where the whole gear was trashed and flipping it wasnt an option.
Like the job you are one clever man. The mower seemed to pull you a long.
Any tips on how to separate the cases.
Reverse gears for more life as you did, do also with wheel pinion gears by moving left gear to right side and right gear to left side. You will see new side of gear never used now being used
Hello sir, can you tell me if there is a clutch inside of the transmission. The problem Im having is that the transmission is slipping, if you lift the rear wheels of the ground they spin when you engage the transmission but as soon as you let the mower down and make contact with the ground they stop spinning and the mower wont pull. thankYou.
What is the part # on the seals?
Tip on removing Pulley Pin. Use a snug punch pin. If punch pin is too small the pin may spread open and lock into place. Use solid metal plate to support under pulley shaft as you hit pin out
Is the pulley pin straight or tapered? Not sure which hole to be used to put the punch pin.
Not sure I'd go to this much trouble , but very educational
Hi there, Lawn mower owner from Holland. Any video on repairing hydrostatica gearbox?
Heck after watching vid. I still wondering why my trans isnt engaging , cables are fine , i push in to engage and turn axel but pull wont turn , i theres oily lower case like one seals leeking , may it be out of oil is why it wont engage , i guess ill have to befriend the shyt out of it take all apart
I have the same mower/transmission. i removed it because it won't engage. i have not opened it yet. do you have any idea what is wrong with it? can i still repair it? thanks
how often do you need to rebuild your transmition? I fixed my corburator today
Where are you getting your parts? I’ve looked and the only thing I find is washers, nut, snap ring and the whole transmission. I like to fix my things, the brass gear and the parts on either side are worn out. I would appreciate any info you could pass along, thank you.
Honda uses Hondabond HT to be the gasket. Good stuff, but pricey. After you get it separated (I use a knife blade), clean the surfaces and out a continuous bead of Hondabond around the surface and bolt her up. The stuff dries fairly fast, so don't go take a nap after putting it on the surface.
What did you use to "tap" the hole for the drain plug. I'm not sure how to make a hole that won't leak and still hold the plug well. Also, would you mind commenting on how the mower is holding up after using it for the last year? I've got the same problem. Leaky transmission from a HRB217TDA. I've got the part out and I'm going to try pulling it apart next. I'm curious if it is still worth the effort.
do you have info on the seals, size, part number, or where you got them.
Could you have just put a plug in with the thicker oil to see if it would fix the leak? Thanks (Excellent video)
Great video except: you mentioned that wheels did not turn on your first test drive after putting everything back together, because you had placed the "ratchets on the wheels backwards." Since you had made that mistake, I wish you had assumed it was likely something your readers might also do, and had explained how to determine what direction the ratchets had to be re-installed to properly drive the wheels. I made the same mistake and could not decide how to determine whether or not to reverse both ratchets at the same time or experiment with one, then the other. Wish I had the foresight to have checked that as I was taking the wheels off the first time. Please understand that I am not trying to be too critical, just thought that your efforts missed an opportunity to have identified one more area that was significant to the effective re-assembly of the drivetrain. Thanks for taking the time and effort to educate those of us who need all the help we can get.
my transaxle is leaking fluid, any suggestions other than taking it apart?...thanks...
Do you have parts # seal
Well done. Very detailed from beginning to end.
Thanks. I'm in the process now. Your video will help
Another great repair job. many thanks!
Great Vid. Do you remember where you got your oil seals? Been searching but can't find the 12.5x19x5mm round seals
it is 12x19x5 not 12.5.
Very nice work, but too much work and parts searching for me. I'll just order the whole transmission and axle new for $140.
Thankyou. Good advice. Will try that.
Double wide- I hope and pray your son is doing well? Where were you able to order parts for the transmission? Or did you just order seals?
Thanks!
Hello doublewide6,
I’m working on the same project and your videos are very helpful. 1 quick question, how did you remove the dried Honda bond gasket sealer.
I can see you had it cleaned up perfectly. ( I’m glad to hear your son is feeling better ). Thanks Greg
I believe if my friend wants is more fixed he's going to have to take it to a Honda dealership good video though more work then I want to get into looks like about a $300 job labor
Great description, thanks
Butt you are not make video of brass gear fitting
No other video has this rebuild with vital info: 4 oz of 10 - 30w synthetic
Great video. Very clearly explained
Great video, good job that you did there.
I watched this video last year also. You did a great job! I am also praying that your son's health is improving. I would like to know if your lawn mower will pull backwards easily when the clutch bar is not engaged? Mine is very difficult to pull backwards, and I hear a clicking. I am wondering if the gear that engages with the worm gear is not releasing all the way? Any thoughts?
So cool do it again
Good work. Great effort. JC
This video is super helpful. Thank you for posting it!
Do you remember the link to the forum you were on?
Great job Double Wide!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice job, again.
Very Nice Video! Thank You!
I think I have to buy a new transmission because after changing the cable and belt it still doesn't engage. Not worth it I think to put $200 into something you can get new for 4 to 5 hundred. My mower is 12 years old
A replacement transmission is $146.97, labor $62.00 US (don't ask me how I know.) The sad thing is, it didn't fix the problem completely. My springs were weak, keyways and journals dirty, and the wheelbearings were worn. So for $2.24 cents per side I bought new springs and C-clips and the bearings that fit inside the wheel. What makes it sad is, more likely than not, there was nothing wrong with the transmission (it wasn't leaking.) Live and learn, as they say.
A LeBlanc As my grandfather used to say, "I never learned a lesson that didn't cost me money." You're in good company, my friend.
I purchased this transmission new for $56.45 + 12.00 shipping and saved myself a heap of time and frustration. Not to mention it now works.
That is a great deal....I dealt with my local dealer whose mechanic was just a parts changer and not a real mechanic.
can you share where you got the new transmission for only $56? Thanks!
Paul Di Maggio
no way it was only $56 for a new transmission. it is $135 to $155 online.
Why not change the bearings while you're in there? Maybe even put sealed bearings instead of open. They're cheap on ebay.....just a thought.
I'm am very disappointed in the engineering and longevity of Honda. I expected more as my old Craftsman mowers lasted 10-12 years with just oil and filter changes and were 1/3 the price. I initially like the Honda ergonomics and have been through 3 in 12 yrs and will not buy any more ever. My first one had the plastic deck and was very light which I loved - the last 2 were metal decks and are much heavier. When you need to push manually around obstacles thelighter mower is easier of course.
Donyho
Wow the advertisements
really good video. thank you.