Excellent lawn care over the course of the summer requires careful attention to mower maintenance, and often means that homeowners must perform at least a few tune-ups. In addition to being recommended by most Honda mower maintenance schedules, these tune-ups are an absolute necessity in order to ensure a professional cut outdoors, efficient work with the mower, and minimal interruptions for repairs, refueling, or other concerns. Tune-ups generally require a few basic tools and a step-by-step process. To get started, those new to home mowing and maintenance can simply follow a few basic tips and a logical process of top-to-bottom mower tuning.
Getting the Job Done: A Look at the Tools and Supplies Needed for Tune-Up
The nature of a mower tune-up is that it requires a few tools to access internal components, and some OEM replacements that take the place of worn and outdated parts. To get started with, make sure to have some basic tools on hand: A few screwdrivers, wrenches, and supports. A ruler or tape measure might also be a good idea for some adjustments. Before getting started, get all of the right OEM parts available: This includes replacement air and fuel filters, replacement spark plugs if needed, 10W30 oil, and a mild, grease-based lubricant. Safety gear should also be on hand to guard against injury as work proceeds.
Safety Comes First: Don’t Risk Injury During Mower Maintenance
A mower tune-up requires direct interaction with the mower’s most dangerous parts, including oil, fuel, blades, and more. Before getting started, make sure that the equipment has cooled down if it was recently used. There is simply no need to risk getting burned, nor is there any need to risk igniting fuel or oil due to hot engine temperatures. If handling the blades and other moving parts, make sure to wear gloves and goggles so that cuts and accidental eye injuries can be avoided.
Tune-Up Procedure: The Steps Involved for Season-Long Resilience
1. Prepare the mower for maintenance by turning its fuel valve off, disconnecting the spark plug wire, and removing the spark plug wire. Use a sprocket wrench to remove the spark plug entirely, ensuring safety throughout the next parts of the mower tune-up.
2. Clean the spark plug or, if it’s damaged, replace it with a new, OEM part. Reinsert the part after it has been cleaned. Measure the spark plug gap to ensure it’s between 0.28 and 0.31 inches. A proper spark plug gap is essential for an efficient mower that starts easily until the next tune-up is required.
3. Place a container on the oil compartment side of the engine, and then remove the drain plug to remove all oil from the engine. Make sure that oil is drained in to an approved, eco-friendly disposal container during this process. Next, replace the oil drain cap and remove the filler cap. Remove the dipstick and wipe it off, and then fill the compartment as needed with 10W30 oil. Generally, this will require about half a quart of 10W30 oil. Make sure the dipstick is used to test oil levels before replacing the fill cap.
4. Locate the air filter assembly located on the left side of the Honda push mower’s engine. Take the assembly apart as needed in order to remove the air filter, and then clean this part by running it under warm water and using a mild dish detergent. If the air filter is damaged, it should be replaced with an OEM Honda air cleaner instead. Keep in mind that maintenance schedule guidelines will require replacement of this part at certain hourly intervals regardless of its condition during the mower tune-up, however.
5. Clean any areas around the engine that show signs of carbon build-up or excessive dirt and dust. This is best done during a tune-up since access to internal areas of the mower is a bit easier. Only water should be used to clean the mower’s surfaces.
6. Get the mower ready to be put back into regular use. This means that the spark plug wire should be put back into place atop the spark plug assembly itself. With maintenance completed and the spark plug in place, remember to put the fuel valve back into the “open” position. Fill the fuel tank if necessary.
Find Honda Push Mower Parts at HondaLawnParts.com
Properly tuning up a Honda push mower often requires a number of replacement parts. To get the job done properly, equipment owners should opt for OEM replacements that are made alongside Honda mowers in the company’s own factories. HondaLawnParts.com offers an online lookup tool for these OEM replacements, making it easy to get the best combination of overall quality, durability, and assured compatibility with any Honda model currently on the market. Parts can even be narrowed down by their part number, the mower’s model number, or the engine’s manufacturer, for quick selection of the proper equipment.
