# Help: HS624 leaking gas from under the tank



## SonyHome

I have snow blower that is about 15 years old and this year I noticed that it' leaking gas from under the tank. I'm thinking it may be the fuel filter that is leaking but to replace it I believe I need to remove the fuel tank. I remove couple of bolts on the right side but fuel tank is not able to be removed. Anyone know how I can remove this? I'm hoping I don't have to take bunch of stuff off to get to this.

I would take this to repair shop but I don't have any thing that can haul this and new fuel filter is ~$7 so if I can fix this myself I would be saving ton of money.

Thank you.


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## Rockproof

The engine on your Honda should be a GX160. On that engine, there should be (3) bolts holding on the gas tank, If you are looking at the pull starter, there are two bolts on the right side and one on the left. The one on the left may be tricky to find. On a standard, non-snowblower GX160, the bolt is right by the throttle plate. On the GX160 snow (which I have not had a chance to break down) the bolt is probably under the plate which goes over the carb linkage (at least its this way on a GX240 snow). Keep looking...I am sure you will find it.

Once you pop those three bolts and clamp and unhook the fuel line from the carb, the fuel tank should just lift right off..


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## SonyHome

Rockproof said:


> The engine on your Honda should be a GX160. On that engine, there should be (3) bolts holding on the gas tank, If you are looking at the pull starter, there are two bolts on the right side and one on the left. The one on the left may be tricky to find. On a standard, non-snowblower GX160, the bolt is right by the throttle plate. On the GX160 snow (which I have not had a chance to break down) the bolt is probably under the plate which goes over the carb linkage (at least its this way on a GX240 snow). Keep looking...I am sure you will find it.
> 
> Once you pop those three bolts and clamp and unhook the fuel line from the carb, the fuel tank should just lift right off..


There is a bolt on the opposite side of the two where I removed it from and it's very hard to get to. I can't get any of my tools in there. Do I need some special tool to remove this bolt?

Also what tool do you need to remove the fuel filter from the tank?

Thank you.


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## Rockproof

Should just be a 10mm bolt for the gas tank on that side. Have you popped off the air cleaner box to give yourself a bit more room? There are definitely no special tools required to remove the tank...


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## SonyHome

Thanks again for your reply. 

On the other side (side where the air clearer box and exhaust is) there were two 10mm bolt towards the fuel tank and I was able to remove one (but I don't think it was the correct one). The other one is in a very tight spot where I can't get any of my tools in there. I was able get the tiny wrench that Honda gave me with the HS624 but that bolt wouldn't budge. I had the control cover (black bracket covering these bolts and carburetor/throttle parts?) unattached from the HS624 since that is the only way to get to these two bolts. I didn't want to try to remove any more parts since then it'll be tough to put these all back but I'm thinking that I need to remove more parts to get to this bolt. 

This is very frustrating because if I put any gas in the tank it's just leaks out when not in use. They should have made this easier to get to.

If I'm able to remove the tank, is it easy to remove the fuel filter?

Thank you.


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## Rockproof

Sony,

Go here - All Years Honda Snowblower Parts

Find your model of 624. Once you find your model, look for the Air Cleaner Parts Diagram. You are probably going to have to remove the "Control Cover" to get at that last 10mm bolt for the gas tank. On my HS80, I have to do the same thing to remove the tank. It may be a bit intimidating at first but I am sure you can get it done.

I personally have never replaced the filter on a GX engine tank as it is not a paper or foam element, just a mesh screen (that I clean out with compressed air if necessary). Not sure why yours is leaking unless you have a bad gasket at the tank penetration or a rusted out tank...Are you 100% certain that your fuel line isn't cracked somewhere near the tank or at the tank nipple?

Keep me posted.


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## SonyHome

Rockproof said:


> Sony,
> 
> Go here - All Years Honda Snowblower Parts
> 
> Find your model of 624. Once you find your model, look for the Air Cleaner Parts Diagram. You are probably going to have to remove the "Control Cover" to get at that last 10mm bolt for the gas tank. On my HS80, I have to do the same thing to remove the tank. It may be a bit intimidating at first but I am sure you can get it done.
> 
> I personally have never replaced the filter on a GX engine tank as it is not a paper or foam element, just a mesh screen (that I clean out with compressed air if necessary). Not sure why yours is leaking unless you have a bad gasket at the tank penetration or a rusted out tank...Are you 100% certain that your fuel line isn't cracked somewhere near the tank or at the tank nipple?
> 
> Keep me posted.


At this point I'm not certain what is causing it to leak since I can't get the part off. I do see the slow drip is coming from the bottom of the fuel tank. Strange thing is it was fine after last years use and only when I started it up this week to make sure I can get it started for this year when the snow comes it started to leak. Besides starting it I and moving it out and in to the garage I didn't do anything else so not sure what triggered this leak. Strange.

I did remove the "control cover" to get to the bolts but I was only able to remove 1 of the 2. Second one, unfortunately will require me to take more parts under the control cover like the carburetor and things attached to it which is what I'm trying to avoid.

Even though my HS624 is ~15 years old it's still in like new condition. Only bit of rust I see is below the auger where paint have been scraped a bit but fuel tank and rest of the body is in like new condition still. Engine also runs great and usually starts on second pull.


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## db9938

I remember on my 622, the fuel line was a smaller diameter, then I was use to. I suspect that they use some sort of metric spec'd line. 

Insofar as the fuel filter/fuel tank nipple, my experience is that Honda combines them into one.


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## SonyHome

db9938 said:


> I remember on my 622, the fuel line was a smaller diameter, then I was use to. I suspect that they use some sort of metric spec'd line.
> 
> Insofar as the fuel filter/fuel tank nipple, my experience is that Honda combines them into one.


Yeah. They actually call it Fuel Tank Joint. See #2 in below diagram.

Pre-1997 HS624K1 TA-C SNOW BLOWER, JPN Honda Snowblower FUEL TANK Diagram and Parts


As Rockproof pointed out it could be the Fuel Filter (Joint) or the connection from the fuel line but can't determine until I take the darn thing off. 


Below site was very useful in narrowing things down for someone not very mechanical like me. They even have video of how to take the fuel tank off if you click the fuel filter part but unfortunately it's not as simple as the video makes it to be.

Honda Snowblower Leaks Gas - Model HS624K1TAC - Repair Parts - RepairClinic.com


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## SonyHome

Also I saw that Honda actually had recall for this problem for HS724, HS928 & HS1132 in 2010. I wonder why they didn't call other units since I think it uses the same Fuel Tank Joint. My HS624 has this exact problem. 

When I woke up this morning I could smell gas fumes coming from my garage and floor was covered with gas! 

Honda recalls 18,500 snow blowers with fuel leaks


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## [email protected]

SonyHome said:


> Also I saw that Honda actually had recall for this problem for HS724, HS928 & HS1132 in 2010. I wonder why they didn't call other units since I think it uses the same Fuel Tank Joint. My HS624 has this exact problem.
> 
> When I woke up this morning I could smell gas fumes coming from my garage and floor was covered with gas!
> 
> Honda recalls 18,500 snow blowers with fuel leaks


You should immediately move that snowblower out of your garage. Spilled fuel is very dangerous and the fumes can be ignited. Move the snowblower to outdoors and drain the fuel tank of any remaining fuel, and carefully clean up the spilled fuel. 

Since you do not want to transport the unit to a dealer, you ought to get a shop manual to help with the repairs. Honda offers paper copies via eBay and Amazon, just search for HS624. Here's a sample page to get you started; note the air cleaner housing must be removed first...










The HS624 was not part of the recall because the joint it uses was not in the defective range. Only HS724, HS928, and HS1132 units within a limited range were determined to have been built with a defective joint, so only those units were subject to the recall.

One last thing; is this a US or Canada model? Are you in the USA or Canada? 

You can find more help from your local (US) dealer using this link:
*Find A Honda Dealer*


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## SonyHome

I'm in MN USA. I did clean up all the fuel and ran the snow blower until there was no more gas left. As dangerous as this is I'm bit disappointed that Honda didn't include more models in the recall. I've owned so many Honda products (snowblower, lawn mower, 3 cars ect..) and reason I buy it because they are dependable and safe products. 

Honestly I only want to know how to remove the fuel tank so I can get this fixed and use it for the winter as it started to snow today here in MN. And it's not I don't want to but not feasible since currently we only have Honda Accord for our vehicle.

Thank you for the diagram. But issue is that I can't get any good tool in there to that third bolt to remove it. Do I need to remove all these parts showing on this diagram to be able to remove the fuel tank? Also why does the fuel filter leak all of sudden or do you think it might be the fuel line connecting to it?


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## db9938

In short, I do not believe so. If my memory is correct, you would need to remove the air cleaner/carb warming box, the two carb retaining nuts, and a third one towards the middle of the engine. This should allow you to slide the whole intake assembly forward enough to get a wrench in there. 

Do take care not to dislodge any of the linkage, or bend it in the process. And if there is any resistance from the gasket, stop. Understand, if the gasket tears you will need to replace it. This would include more of a tear down, then you are probably going to feel comfortable with. 

And if my memory serves me correctly, I too had an issue with a fuel leak from that area. It ended up being the o-ring, which makes sense when I considered the age of the machine, and the years with ethanol laden fuel left in it.


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## [email protected]

SonyHome said:


> I'm bit disappointed that Honda didn't include more models in the recall.


The HS624 was not included in the recall because the joints used on the HS624 were fine, but later, a few defective batches of joints did get installed on other models. So, only those models were part of the recall. 



SonyHome said:


> Also why does the fuel filter leak all of sudden or do you think it might be the fuel line connecting to it?


The fuel line, joint, o-ring, filter, etc. are all inexpensive. On a machine that old, if I were going to the trouble to repair a fuel leak, I'd replace all those parts while I had it torn down and use new clamps as well. Rubber parts like fuel lines and o-rings deteriorate, and plastic bits like the fuel filter are maintenance items anyway. 

Wish I could give you some direct help on the R&R of the tank, but I've never done one myself. I will ask our tech guys if there are any tricks, so stand by.


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## SonyHome

[email protected] said:


> The HS624 was not included in the recall because the joints used on the HS624 were fine, but later, a few defective batches of joints did get installed on other models. So, only those models were part of the recall.
> 
> 
> 
> The fuel line, joint, o-ring, filter, etc. are all inexpensive. On a machine that old, if I were going to the trouble to repair a fuel leak, I'd replace all those parts while I had it torn down and use new clamps as well. Rubber parts like fuel lines and o-rings deteriorate, and plastic bits like the fuel filter are maintenance items anyway.
> 
> Wish I could give you some direct help on the R&R of the tank, but I've never done one myself. I will ask our tech guys if there are any tricks, so stand by.


 Thank you. I will take your advice and replace all of those while I have it apart. Any help on what/how to remove the rest of these to get to it would be very helpful. 

I called few of the service centers around and they want $90 just to pick up and drop it off. I know that total parts cost would be < $20. I wish they had an option for the tech to come to my home for 30 minutes.


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## db9938

In this diagram, the bolts and nuts I am referring to are #14,15,and 16(x2).

Pre-1997 HS624K1 TA-C SNOW BLOWER, JPN Honda Snowblower AIR CLEANER Diagram and Parts

It should give access to that last bolt. If you will note in Robert post with the fuel tank diagram, the air cleaner elbow (#7 in the link I provided) is absent.


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## SonyHome

db9938 said:


> In this diagram, the bolts and nuts I am referring to are #14,15,and 16(x2).
> 
> Pre-1997 HS624K1 TA-C SNOW BLOWER, JPN Honda Snowblower AIR CLEANER Diagram and Parts
> 
> It should give access to that last bolt. If you will note in Robert post with the fuel tank diagram, the air cleaner elbow (#7 in the link I provided) is absent.


Thanks for the information. I'll give that a try. I only went as far as to remove #3 (Control Cover). 

So you are saying if I remove those 4 bolts I should be able to slide the whole thing a bit so I can get access to the last bolt that is holding the fuel tank? That part had a lot of springs and levers on there and I really didn't want to get into disassembling that but if I can just slide it as whole that may be doable.

Thank you.


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## SonyHome

I believe this is the part that is preventing me from getting to the last bolt that is holding the fuel tank. Part that #17 and #9 goes into is in the way so I'm unable to get the tool in to the bolt straight.

Pre-1997 HS624K1 TA-C SNOW BLOWER, JPN Honda Snowblower CONTROL Diagram and Parts


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## SonyHome

Why is the hose (#10 in the diagram below) so much more expensive. I would have expected this to be one of the cheaper parts. The word "Bulk" in the title is making me think I'm getting a lot more than I need. Anyone know?

Pre-1997 HS624K1 TA-C SNOW BLOWER, JPN Honda Snowblower FUEL TANK Diagram and Parts


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## db9938

SonyHome said:


> I believe this is the part that is preventing me from getting to the last bolt that is holding the fuel tank. Part that #17 and #9 goes into is in the way so I'm unable to get the tool in to the bolt straight.
> 
> Pre-1997 HS624K1 TA-C SNOW BLOWER, JPN Honda Snowblower CONTROL Diagram and Parts


You may need to remove it too. Sorry, I am going completely by memory and a slightly different model.


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## db9938

SonyHome said:


> Why is the hose (#10 in the diagram below) so much more expensive. I would have expected this to be one of the cheaper parts. The word "Bulk" in the title is making me think I'm getting a lot more than I need. Anyone know?
> 
> Pre-1997 HS624K1 TA-C SNOW BLOWER, JPN Honda Snowblower FUEL TANK Diagram and Parts


It would appear that it is the "metric correct" fuel line. And it also appears that it only comes in 3 meter bulk quantities. That does stink, you need maybe a foot of it.


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## Shryp

You can take the old fuel line to a small engine repair place or an auto parts store and buy generic by the foot.


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## db9938

Shryp said:


> You can take the old fuel line to a small engine repair place or an auto parts store and buy generic by the foot.


That is true, and is what I did. It may not be an exact match, but nothing that a couple extra turns on the screw clamp can not resolve. Just be careful not to crush the plastic nipple. And I would change the old spring/compression clamps out, to screw type clamps. A screw driver is easier to get into tighter places over needle nose pliers. 

The factory line that I removed, had a much thinner wall and was stiffer. The stiffness could have been due to age though.


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## Lexington

FWIW, the final third bolt can be removed with a 10mm short open end wrench, but it takes forever due to the limited space resulting from the attached idle limit screw bracket that is held in by the same bolt. If Honda had taken another 5 minutes and redesigned that bracket so there was clearance all the way around the bolt, a simple socket would do it. But no. Kind of surprised they haven't provided a refit part option, as it's pretty obvious how to fix the issue, and it's not a load-bearing bracket.


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## georgewny

On my HS624, the leak was from the fuel filter gasket. Rather then deal with removing the carburetor to get to the third bolt, I removed the pull cord recoil shroud (four 10 mm bolts) and had fairly good access to the fuel filter attached to underside of gas tank. Took less then one hour to do.
and no more leak and gas fumes in garage!


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