New 2020 HONDA HRN216 GCV170 Surging/Rough Idle AND Auto Choke Test/Check 

One important step you failed to mention is to remove the idle mixture screw. Many times that's where the restriction is at, the only way to clean out any stuck debris is by removing it. It's the brass screw with a spring around it and is underneath the aluminum cover with a slot for a flathead screw driver which you must remove it in order to remove the idle mixture screw. It's held on with Loctite so don't try prying it off or you'll snap off the brass idle mixture screw. You need to heat it up with a small torch for a few seconds (Bic flame torches work great) but it'll quickly melt the aluminum if you're not careful. Before removing idle mixture screw, make sure to tighten it until it bottoms out while counting the number of turns because it needs to be set back in the exact same position. If you forgot to do this, it's 1-1/2 turns.

Thanks a ton for making this video. I initially overlooked this jet and suffered for a while. Once I blew it out my mower worked like a charm. Much appreciated…

This is the best video on RU-vid for how to clean carburetor, especially surging engine. My pressure washer with the Honda GCV160 engine surging problem fixed. Thanks so much.

Say Kipp, I appreciate the useful info you provided. My Honda GCV 170 was surging nonstop. After cleaning the jet and areas you discribed, it now works perfect. That save me much needed dough. Thanks again.

This was the MOST PRODUCTIVE VIDEO EVER for me . Thank you so much for showing and explaining the fix for the surging problem . After a few carb cleaner shots and some compressed air my mower is now working as new !

Instructions were just spot on. I have an HRR216 older model but I did just what you described and the surging is gone. Appreciate your post.

After watching your video I tried it with my GCV190 lawnmower since it was surging and wow! It worked! Very thoroughly explained video.I appreciate your time in making this video for those of us that are not mechanics by trade, thank you very much sir 🙏

Used the mower once in 3 months and the god damn thing is doing this. I’m bringing this thing back. Thanks for the video!

Did this to both my Honda mowers...new one stop surging afterwards....dead one i was about to take to the dumpsters...starts first pull now....what a miracle trick....thankyou

Thanks Kipp!!! OK, so I had a problem with my Honda mower. Hard to start, would eventually stay running but not much power. It would take a few tries but eventually I could engage the blades and it would keep running. Engaging the blades actually helped to keep it running but limited power through heavy leaves. Followed the steps here, I cleaning the carb with cleaner and now my mower is back to running like new, thank you so much Kipp!!! My engine is the GCV200

Wish I saw this $50 ago (minimum charge at ripoff repair shop). They tried to tell me I needed new carburetor. Now I'm up and running, no surging, Thanks!

Thanks for the video! This looks like my exact problem. Bought this mower last August and used it just a few times. I was disappointed because the thing is so new and my previous HONDA mower never had this problem. I wish they would leave good enough alone already.

Thank you so much! 8 month old pressure washer was doing this exact thing at idle. Under load it was fine. Took carburetor off and did as you suggested and she now idles smoothly! Had a heck of a time getting the screw off but finally got it. Went to a Big Box store and got a set of welding nozzle tip cleaning brushes for $7 and used them to clean the pin hole and did the main nozzle too. Super easy and would not have known how to correct this issue without you!

Just wanted to let you know your video was helpful and I was able to fix the issue of my mower surging with some carb cleaner and your instructions. Would not have known a single thing about any of this without being able to research this and see a great instructional video. Thank you.

So I bought a Dewalt pressure washer this weekend with a Honda GCV200 motor. After setting it up and point the provided oil inside of the motor I filled her up with premium gas and wanted to test out the brand new unit. It took me 4 or 5 pulls to get the engine running but once it started up it immediately did this exact same surging while idling. When I pulled the trigger and sprayed water it ran decent. As soon as I let off it began to surge again. I'm going to go ahead and follow this video and clean up the Carb tonight. Very happy about this video!

Thanks so much for posting this. I have this exact model and had only used it one time. The second time, it began surging. With your help and some carburetor cleaner, it's working perfectly now! Appreciate it!

You've got an incredible screen presence and you know what you're talking about. I hope you make many more videos.

Wow! Wow! I took off the air filter and moved the housing out of the way. Slid the carb out a bit and had great access to the screw on top. The screw was on tight! Spayed in there with the straw( watch out it squirts back out) then squirted on the aft hole in the side of the carb. Waited a few minutes, reassembled it. Pulled the cord and bam! Works like a champ! Thank you so much for the video.

Thanks a gazillion! I have a 5yo HRX217, that has been doing this for 2 seasons. I replaced the thermowax twice and it ran a little better for a while and got me through after taking it to a shop, and even they didn’t fix it. Spent an hour cleaning the carb and it purrs like a kitten again! I do wish you’d shown how to manage this on the motor, just for reference. I was a little nervous about taking it off and could have used a little more guidance there too. Afraid of gas leaking you know… Instead of a sewing needle I used a single strand of heavy gauge wire about half the diameter, to make sure it didn’t get stuck. Thanks again!

Thank you so much for this video. Had this surging issue on a brand new GCV170. Followed your steps regarding the pilot jet cleaning and the problem is gone! Now a subscriber.

This vid saved me so much time and probably money. Dealer assured me this wouldn’t be a warranty fix and took all of 10 mins to do. Thanks!!!!

You recommend checking the autochoke mechanism in step one. Mine did NOT work properly. I had to replace (Honda 16620-Z8D-305 Thermo Wax Assembly) and the autochoke mechanism returned to normal. Your tips on disassembly/re-assembly and jet cleaning were very helpful and initially fixed my problem, but the problem came back in my case. Premium gas made no difference. Thanks for all the conversation helping all us DOY people save $$.

Thanks for the video. Fixed my brand new lawnmower in 20min and now I know what's been wrong with my Honda pressure washer for the past 10yrs. Will be fixing that next.

Really well made video. The close-ups were fantastic. Thank you.

The same general fix works on older HRX 217 mowers, as well. Surging is a common problem with them, too. I could not help but notice how much simpler it is to access and service the carburetor on this newer model Honda mower. Sweet! Thanks for the video.

Fixed my honda HRN216VKA... Thanks for sharing this... you saved me 100 dollars by avoiding the repair shop.

Thanks for the overview! Finally got mine corrected on the 4th attempt. HRX217 had mowing load just fine, but surging would start after it was warm and just idling. My pilot jet screw was totally over torqued (almost purpose, since the screw head is soft) on a 6 month old 2022 unit, and I had to use small vice grips to remove it. Sprayed it out a couple times along with all the circuits. Also used a piece of wire to clean out that jet hole, even though cleaner was flowing through. Not sure if the limiter cap screw is adjustable since it breaks if it's overturned, but make sure to note where it's turned before taking anything apart on the carb for cleaning. I had to turn my to the right in order for it to idle without surging on the last cleaning attempt. Main jet and bowl...all that was totally clean since I condition my small engine fuel. Again I abused my new mower during scalping and dead lawn rip out with massive dust clouds in prep for the new lawn I now have growing in. 😀👍

This did the trick, under 10 minute job. I removed the carb (take note of what hole the linkage rod and tiny spring go for reassembly - take pics prior to disassembly) I used carb cleaner, then compressed air at 30 psi. My new mower started doing this 3 weeks/mowings into it. Thank you for this video!

Thank you so much. My Honda’s carb is so old it doesn’t have a pilot screw- or one that I could finely. So I simply sprayed the carb cleaner in the hole you suggested. After that I started the mower and it still ran terrible. I let it warm up and now the problem is gone! Thanks again!!

Hi Kipp, great video! Thank you! I couldn't believe my two month old Honda mower (same model) was having this problem. My Honda cars and van have been great vehicles to own with amazing reliability. My new Honda mower had me worried. Like other folks, I've had Craftsman mowers for decades and never had to remove the carburetors for any type of service. Your video helped me get my Honda mower running smoothly again. Thank you! In addition to your fix, I installed a fuel filter between the gas tank and the fuel cutoff valve. Hopefully this will prevent future, similar problems. This mower is a pleasure to use - when it's running properly.

Thanks so much for this tip, Kipp. I have a Black Max lawnmower (approximately 14 years old) with an automatic return choke on the GCV160 engine. It started to surge on me recently after running reliably for 13 years without ever having to remove the carb to clean it - which I did last week. My carb has a slightly different design than the 2020+ MY Honda engines. In order to clean the pilot jet with carb cleaner I needed to shoot the fluid through the main air jet port (I don't understand why). Then, and only then, did the carb cleaner squirt through that super tiny orifice in the center of the pilot jet port after removing the phillips head screw. I removed the carb from the mower to do this. To my surprise and relief, the surging is completely gone and the mower runs almost like new again.

Hi I’m not a complementary type of guy that you have to give credit where credit is due your instruction sure did help I cannot get the screw off but I did spray the carburetor cleaner throughout and it started right up thanks 🙏 and keep it up, click or not it’s people like you that make this world a better place ☮️

Thanks for the video, went from no start at all to working like a charm.

Thanks Kipp, I have the same mower with the same problem. Did what you said, now it runs perfect again.

Thanks so much for your video. Three week old mower conked out! Honda motor savvy hubby could not figure it out! Smart wife(me) found your video. Hubby watched it and 20 minutes later mower worked great! You are awesome😊!

The assembly of the lawn mower could be done without any problems ru-vid.comUgkxTPN04aT-Qdjr_KS3ql7ng8wnU3wwsCqk also recommend I just puzzled something about the red strange “key”. However, it quickly turned out that this creates a kind of contact bridge between battery packs and lawn mowers. An additional backup as a father of a 1 year old nephew is great!! :-)

Easiest tutorial and direct answer to a direct question. THANK YOU!

Great video. Worked like a charm. Had the exact same problem with the exact same model and year right out from storage. Funny video as well. Thanks!!

My HRN 216 has over 1 full season of commercial residential mowing I use it for my small lawn care business and have never had 1 issue whatsoever with it. Had to replace the wheels this year but other than that basic maintenance oil changes, air filter and spark plug.

Genius, thanks for the help. This video is perfect. I bought my HRN 216 at the end of last summer and only mowed once with it. Started it up last week and had this exact problem. Carb cleaner worked just as you described. I was so pissed that this essentially brand new mower was doing this. Now I know at the end of the season I’ll need to shut off the fuel and run out the gas in the carb so it’s dry going into the winter. (At least I think that should work)

Now, if we can just get that mulch door to work lol. I was sleuthing around to see if anyone had that problem and stumbled upon this, and I'm glad I did. Mine surges until it gets warmed up, usually settles down after a few minutes. I figured it was normal and attributed it to the auto choke system. But yeah... I haven't bagged clippings the past few mows and while I give her a nice dusting off cleaning after every mow, the next time I bagged I was surprised to see how much got trapped in the void between where the bag mounts and the mulch door. It was compacted like a brick filling the entire void lol. Thanks for the video Kipp

Thanks for the post! Huge help, took my carburetor off and used carb cleaner. Runs like a champ now

Thank you for this i have watched ten videos of these carbs having issues. And no one else addressed this particular jet. Thanks now i can fix my mower.

Fixed mine. Started it placed a bag over the carb inlet forced the trash through. Runs likeca champ. Great video.

I just used your instructions and was able to get my parents mower working. Had to do it twice but now it works flawless. Thank you for the detailed video

Worked for me, thanks! Pretty crappy for Honda. Never had a problem with the engine on my 18 year old “backup” Honda mower. Last summer I bought HRN216 from HD and it ran fine the first mow. I had my 15 year old use it the next week and it started this surging crap. I use (hard to find and expensive) ethanol free, Stabil-treated gas. Thinking maybe I spent good money on bad gas, I went and got regular 87 locally and had the same problem. Exchanged the mower. Repeated the same cycle of events, but outside 30 day return window. Forgot about it till this spring and was lucky to find your video. Thanks again.

Fixed ! Had to do it twice, and after compressed air seemed to clear it up. Runs great now ! Appreciate yah !

Fantastic video. Thanks so much for this concise write-up. When it started surging I was pretty sure the carb was gummed up but wanted to check out a video to see exactly how to go about it. Yours was absolutely perfect. Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate it!

I’m going to like this before even tackling this. I literally just bought this exact model a few months ago, and you called it: fresh, stabilized fuel! Hopefully I don’t have to do this every single year!! Thank you!

Thanks. I was having the exact problem. Your solution fixed it quickly as I did not have time to file a warranty claim. Thanks again! 👍

Thank you! This video was great - precise, easy to follow, and funny! A+

Thank you so much. I was disappointed that my one year old Honda mower that I spent $400 on was already having problems. This fixed it but still frustrated that a new mower has this problem. I've never had to do this on the craftsmen or toro mowers I've owned in the past. At least it was an easy fix.

Followed your steps to the letter. She now purrs again! Pilot screw was a bear to break loose but that was the only hitch. Thanks a ton for the guidance!

Thank you thank you thank you. Your video was spot on. Mower was surging and didn’t know why. Saw your video and I be damn the valve was sticking. Thanks again. Happy mowing.

Fixed it! Great video and explanations. I tried the lazy fixes first - change oil, new gas, seafoam, but no luck. I figure the next step was a complete teardown of the carb so was resigned to just taking it to the shop. The great angles and steps in the video were easy to use, and it got the Honda running like new.

Easy fix, thank you. Perfect video. I didn't completely remove my carb to clean it out. Well done.

My neighbor bought this mower last week and hated it, so she gave it to me! I have to say its the best mower I have ever owned. And this video was fantastic right on man thanks!

Hey, thanks for this video. It helped me solve my idle issue without needing a repair joint to overcharge me. Much appreciated!

Thanks for the video, so glad I came across it in the small engine repair section. Cheers

i plan on attempting this repair on my 3 year old HRX mower with the auto choke in the next couple of weeks. I will let you know if I am successful. Thank you for the video.

This was an excellent video, that was exactly my problem. At first I didn't believe there was a clog since carb spray was coming out of all the holes like he said, but I took a metal bristle off a metal wire brush and poked it into all the holes and low and behold it runs perfect now. The screw on the top of the carb was a pain to get off.

Worked to fix my issue. Thanks! I wonder why these are having issues. Mine only went a season and a half of once-a-week mowing of less than 3/4 of an acre.

Thanks for the VERY useful information! I'll check back after using your procedure.

Amazing! Phew- saved me a small engine repair bill. Thank u!

Great video, helped me fix my surging engine! Thank you!!

Great video. My 10 month old mower is this exact model, and after throwing out a gallon of stabilized fuel because I thought the fuel was bad, this gem of a video fixed my surging issue. You sir are my hero. I subscribed. Please keep up the good work!

This save me the price of a new carb. Thank you very much!!!!

Great video. Got a used Honda but after mowing for 15 min this issue came up. After cleaning it it like shown it worked like new. Well that's after I figured out I put the gasket on backwards and forgot to put the screw it. Keep up the good work

Thank you! First video I found that described my issue and went directly to the problem. I used carb cleaner and a needle pin and my mower hasn’t run this smooth since I bought it!

Thanks much. It was working like a charm. You saved my $150.

AWESOME video and information! Just fired up my brand new Honda with a GCV170 I purchased last Fall that I never used until now, gas in it from dealer. Fired right up, but It surged just like shown in this video. Did the cleaner in the carb as shown and it did the trick.......runs nice and smooth now.....Thanks so much!

Thanks for posting this. Second time I used my new mower this happened. Glad I found your video,it was an easy fix. Great video 👍🏻👍🏻

Ugh… mine was surging like this for a while and I figured it was just the fuel… then the other day I got into mowing, stopped after 5’ to adjust the height of the mower deck and now the damn thing won’t stay running! It just sputters for 5-10s like that and quits! Sure hope this is the fix as I’ve tried spraying quick start in the carburetor and pretty much everything else I can think of. Hate to think this will be routine maintenance for this mower but I appreciate the video! Fingers crossed!

Thank you for the answer to the problem! I've cleaned the carburetor already, but I must have missed the pilot circuit.

great editing and putting clips together which you showed actual cleaning so we could see where you had a clog other than that I hit the sub button

Your technique worked...mower is running perfectly now. Thank you.

Saved so much time with this vid! Thank you for posting this 🎉

Thank you so much. You saved me a lot of headache.

Excellent instructions, worked like a charm. Thank you.

This was great. I'm a little pissed, I replaced my old walmart mower with a new Honda. Never once had a problem with my walmart mower, after 1 year I have to fix my carburetor on my honda. Kind of wishing I had kept my $50 mower.

Thanks for video. Worked after 2 tries. First attempt I couldnt remove the stupid jet port screw so just cleaned front hole, but didnt work. Second atttempt I read others comments about the jet port screw being a bitch to get off and I finally got it with a small vice clamp. Sprayed into both jet port and front but still didnt see any carb fluid coming out back side. Got my compressor going and blew the holes out and finally was seeing carb cleaner on back end port. Put it back together and ran like a champ

Thank you! I had no idea where to start with this problem!

I've had this exact mower 3 years. Power assist failed almost instantly. I've now cleaned the carb with Seafoam directly into the hole, used a guitar string to try and break out crud, as well as a pipe cleaner, and finally compressed air that showed it coming out the tiny jet in the back of the carb. Still doing it. I also checked the choke setup. It opened and closed as it should. Completely at a loss.

Thanks for the great video. I cannot get the Philips head screw off and stripped it. In the process I ended up taking off my float bowl and tore the gasket. How specific is the gasket for the this carb GCV170 vs one for the GCV 160?

You saved me. Thanks and keep making these vids.

You helped me fix my mower dude, thanks a million :)

Thank you for the video. Finally, it runs like new again. Big thanks!

Sure did help me out , this was a fix for me . Thank you .

Excellent! Mine is purring like a kitten now! Thanks!

Thanks for the video. My screw was tough too. Got a screwdriver that fit perfectly and tapped it on top. I really had to bear down on it but it came out. Used compressed air and torch tip cleaner to clean it. Put it back together and it seems to be running fine. Thanks again

Thanks for sharing the video. It helped me fix a surging Honda motor.

I've regretted buying this P.o.s. since day one. I have replaced the thermawax coupler three times. It started running as you described, and after blowing out the jet, it's running as it should. Thanks for the informative video. I will never buy another Honda product again.

Thank you!! Fixed our issue! Bought the same Honda Mower 5 or so months ago from Lowes. Used it a few times. From the beginning it was doing the up and down RPMs. Now it will try to start then stall out. Drained the gas that we left in there for a few months thinking Bidet's 15% ethanol must have gathered some friendly neighborhood water. Put new gas in it and it started and ran but still did the up and down RPMs. Week later it wouldnt start. Drained the gas and put fresh gas in. Still wouldn't start. Then we found your video! -Took the carb off -Removed that screw which must be installed at the factory by Popeye with a 500Ft lb torgue gun????? ruined the phllips threads by hand using a craftsmen #2...had to get my Dewalt impact screw driver with all my weight to get it to break loose. Did they use an aluminum screw or something??? -Blew 30psi air into the hole, a bunch of gas leaked out. Did not use carb cleaner, nor any cleaning implements. Just used 30psi air. -Reassembled incorrectly once as is required for all do it yourself at home projects -Crossed fingers, stood behind objects in case it blew up or something....pulled the fun cord and.......IT STARTED AND RAN better then it did brand new!!

Dude. Top shelf video. Big fan now, and subscriber.

For me, I celebrated the fix too early. I discovered that the surging would return as soon as the engine had warmed up and the auto choke was fully open. Could watch/hear it happen with the air filter off. So I dismantled the carburetor fully and cleaned all the parts. Fixed the surging problem. What I discovered as a separate issue, however, was that there was no GASKET for the carburetor float bowl, which caused fuel to be leaking even though the float system was working fine. I've never taken the carburetor apart since buying this mower brand new - I think they forgot to put one in and I'd just not noticed the leak before!!

Thanks for you video, it fixed my issue.

Mine is doing this after a handful of uses. Bought her new 3 months ago I guess I’ll need to clean that. Thanks !!

Thank you,this is y problem too. Hope you will show it with the carburator on also !

Merci Monsieur Labrie (French: topographic name from l'abri 'the shelter', or a habitational name from a place named with this word) I too am a little put off because I too, only bought this mower from Lowe's a few months ago, and I'm still making payments, and I'm having this problem. My previous mower was a Husky, that I bought from Tractor Supply, here in South Texas, and it worked fine for six years. What gives? Kipp, I love you man! Thanks for this excellent knowledgeable and well edited video. I will first finish cutting the lawn, then either return this mower, (I have 90 days.), or follow your most thorough instructions. I like that I can engage the mowing blades, and I like the rear-wheel drive. It is expensive for having this problem, so soon after I bought the mower. What happened to, "Honda produces great products"? Fast forward a few hours: I was not able to take the PILOT JET screw up, the Philips head stripped. I did spray carbonator spray in the other hole mentioned in your video. No go, this didn't fix the problem. I returned my Honda mower, HRN216VKA engine GCV170, to Lowe's. The manager was kind enough to return it. I bought it on August 12, 2021 and returned it on October 23, 2021. Beware, Lowe's no longer has a 90 day return policy, they now have a 30 day return policy, since the beginning of 2021.

Hey man thank you I bought mine brand new and out of the box was surging bad. Sure enough you were right! Jet was clogged somehow and has ran perfect ever since!