# hs828 hydro fluid change....



## gb387

I have done lots of reading and I think I know how to change the hydro fluid on my hs828. But i was hoping somone on here would shed a little more light on it. I just bought it used and want to service everything before the snow flies. Not sure what if anything has been done to it other than oil changes. Can anybody post a page or two of the service manual on changing the fluid. I do have hondas brand hydro oil so I am good there.


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## Blue Hill

Welcome to the forum GB. If you've been watching the forum for a while, you will have seen [email protected]'s posts. He works for Honda and is a great resource for Honda equipment questions. He will likely be along shortly. Robert helped me out on the sister forum (Power Equipment Forum) when I bought my Honda generator this past summer.

Good luck. 

Larry


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## gb387

Thanks I hope to hear from him!! I just want to be 100 percent sure of what I am doing.


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## gb387

Anyone else??


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## [email protected]

Sorry I'm late 

The HST fluid in all Honda snowblowers *is good for the life of the unit*. The only regular service is to check the level and top off. Leaking units (rare) would need to be inspected and the source found. The HST fluid is not consumed like engine oil, nor does it ever really wear out. Unless you're having some kind of problem, leak, etc. there is no reason to just "change the HST fluid." 

But, if you think the fluid is contaminated or other problems, there is a drain bolt, BUT, if you drain the fluid, then refill it, you must fully bleed the transmission, and to do this properly requires removing the transmission from the snowblower. I've never known someone to do this while it is still installed, and based on the bleeding procedure, it does not seem viable. *Strongly suggest you don't drain the transmission, but just check and top off the fluid if it is not leaking or having any problems.* 


Still reading? Okay, there is a drain bolt on the lower part of the transmission case near the transmission release lever. You may need to tip the unit rearward to fully drain the case. (sorry, I don't have a good clear image of this).

When refilling, the total capacity of the transmission is 0.793 quart, and it is very important to only fill with genuine Honda HST Fluid. No other aftermarket fluid/oil is approved for use with a Honda hydrostatic transmission. FYI, Honda is NOT trying to get rich off this, the engineers had to create a special formula for the Honda HST, and no other fluid was ever tested or approved. There is a scale on the side of the fill tank with UPPER and LOWER level marks, and fluid should be filled to meet the mark matching the outdoor temp.: 










Next, you must bleed the system to purge all air; here's the procedure.

1. Remember, this assumes you have removed the transmission from the unit. That procedure requires:
a. remove engine
b. remove auger housing
c. remove tension pulley / auger brake
d. remove tracks (TA models)


























*Resources:*
Genuine Honda factory shop manual (paper only, ebay or amazon, direct from Honda, free shipping and updates for 3 years)

Amazon.com: Honda HS624 HS724 HS828 HS928 HS1132 Snow blower Service Repair Shop Manual: Patio, Lawn & Garden







*HST Fluid: *
Genuine Honda HST fluid, 1 quart bottle, Part Number *08208-HST01*. Google the part number to find online, or use this link to find a local Honda dealer:

*Find A Honda Dealer*


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## gb387

OK, well I will leave it as is-- It doesn't look contaminated just thought I would do something 'good' I am willing to tackle the project but I will leave well enough alone since the fluid is good for the life of the machine. Thanks for all the info, its a BIG help!!!!


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## Blue Hill

Didn't I tell you that Robert is Da Best when you need Honda help?


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## Doctor

I have a leak in my honda hs1332 snowblower.

the shaft that drives the right track has a seal coming out of the transmission (seems to have slipped out), and it wet of the hst fluid. so how do i fix this.
i have ordered the seal (part number 91272-733-931 OIL SEAL)

will this fix the problem, once i replace the seal and fill wil 37 ounces of HST fluid.


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## Merccoug70

*Changed HST Fluid w/o removing the transmision on a HSS1332ATD 32"*

Seen the older post from [email protected] and appreciate the Service Diagram for bleeding the HST Transmission.

I own a HSS1332ATD 32" and have changed the HST Fluid twice - if you have a "Reservoir" this process should work.



First time I done the HST Fluid change took about 45 minutes - start to end.

2nd time I drained the HST Fluid - 1.5 years later - done it in about 30 minutes (yes, over-kill to change the fluid but worth it to me - especially since I am not removing the transmission)

Unit works and runs like a champ - again, I bled the system w/o removing the transmission, used two tools - one tool to bleed the system, other tool to remove excess HST Fluid from the reservoir, if you do not have the tools it is ~$42.00 investment - pretty cheap compared to the labor of removing the transmission on these units - (did stick with the Honda HST Fluid -- 08208-HST01)

Next time I do the HST Fluid change I will make a video - the procedure to do this is pretty straight forward.

I am an engineer by trade and always looking for ways to improve upon a process.


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## orangputeh

Doctor said:


> I have a leak in my honda hs1332 snowblower.
> 
> the shaft that drives the right track has a seal coming out of the transmission (seems to have slipped out), and it wet of the hst fluid. so how do i fix this.
> i have ordered the seal (part number 91272-733-931 OIL SEAL)
> 
> will this fix the problem, once i replace the seal and fill wil 37 ounces of HST fluid.


i know this is an older post but for new people if the seal is pushed out you can usually ( usually ) get away with pushing the seal back in and either refilling the tranny first in the service position and then from the top reservoir watching the air bubbles coming up until they stop.

I was told the seal will blow out due to the reservoir cap being on too tight and the system can not "breathe". there are two slots in the rubber cup that allows the system to breathe so do not put cap on too tight.

I have only done this 4-5 times ( pushing seal back in and replacing the HST fluid ) and each time this procedure has been successful.

maybe some Honda mechanics will chime in with some more advice.


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## JDMan975

Hey Everyone!
New to Honda Snowblowers and I have to say I’m amazed, I bought a gently used HS624 for my deck and other tight areas and this little unit is amazing. I figured it’s about 20 years old so I gave it a big once over. I drained the Hydrostatic Oil out of it, tried to refill and discovered that it can’t be filled like this. I found this forum and saw the detailed instructions that [email protected] posted.
Here is what I did:
1.Drain Transmission with cap removed and the auger end about 5” in the air, let this sit for the night.
2. Went to my local hydraulic shop and bought an M14 fitting that I could hook to a small 1/4 hose to.
3. Bought Lower unit oil pump for boats (bought new one as contamination is a real issue for any transmission) $10-$20
4. Raise back end 6” so tracks are off the ground and Insert pump into Honda Hydrostatic bottle, remove reservoir cap and pump until the reservoir is 1/3 full. Essentially filling the system from the bottom to remove all air. 
5. Install Lid on Reservoir and remove pump and fitting - latex gloves on and you can plug the hole with your thumb switching from fitting to drain plug. 
6. Follow steps of bleeding as described from [email protected], you can turn the tracks so the shaft spins 10 times and you can reach the front pulley to turn it 30 times. In my case the reservoir ended up at the perfect level. I then ran machine with tracks off ground for 30 seconds, double check fluid and done! 20 Minutes with minimal effort.


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## orangputeh

I have bled this system many times on many different Honda's. with no special tools and without removing hydro static tranny. 

It usually takes about 15-20 minutes.


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## Ziggy65

JDMan975 said:


> View attachment 171260


That is a nice clean machine, appears to have been well looked after. Nice garage set up as well.

I see you have your yellow truck put away for the winter


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## JDMan975

Ziggy65 said:


> That is a nice clean machine, appears to have been well looked after. Nice garage set up as well.
> 
> I see you have your yellow truck put away for the winter


haha that was my very first truck 🥰


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## RikP

orangputeh said:


> i know this is an older post but for new people if the seal is pushed out you can usually ( usually ) get away with pushing the seal back in and either refilling the tranny first in the service positive and then from the top reservoir watching the air bubbles coming up until they stop.
> 
> I was told the seal will blow out due to the reservoir cap being on too tight and the system can not "breathe". there are two slots in the rubber cup that allows the system to breathe so do not put cap on too tight.
> 
> I have only done this 4-5 times ( pushing seal back in and replacing the HST fluid ) and each time this procedure has been successful.
> 
> maybe some Honda mechanics will chime in with some more advice.


Hi,
I am following your instructions and I need to refill the tranny. Can you correct or complece please.


Black seal (left) was a little out. I push it back. No more leak.
I will put the snowblower in service position.
Remove the oil plug
Fill Tranny until full
Fill top reservoir until no more bubbles
Close Tranny.
Should I go will all the steps described in the shop manual (turn drive pulley 10 turns clockwise etc ) ?

Thank you

Erik


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## orangputeh

RikP said:


> Hi,
> I am following your instructions and I need to refill the tranny. Can you correct or complece please.
> 
> 
> Black seal (left) was a little out. I push it back. No more leak.
> I will put the snowblower in service position.
> Remove the oil plug
> Fill Tranny until full
> Fill top reservoir until no more bubbles
> Close Tranny.
> Should I go will all the steps described in the shop manual (turn drive pulley 10 turns clockwise etc ) ?
> 
> Thank you
> 
> Erik


you install tranny plug before putting machine down. start engine , place in neutral, tie down drive handle and slowly add oil to reservoir. watch air bubbles. they will come fast at first and then slow. after awhile the air bubbles will just come a couple a minute.

I'm not sure why they want you to turn drive pulley 10 turns. maybe to purge air. I havent done that but what the heck ....will only take a minute and may speed up the process. @JnC know more about this.

When fluid level is fine , then try driving machine. I may have been lucky as this procedure has always worked for me.

One last thing......pay attention to fluid level for awhile. It will go down after using the machine awhile and then should be okay and stabilize. keep an eye on seal that pushed out.

do not overtighten reservoir cap or else that seal may push slowly back out.


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## Moondoggy

JDMan975 said:


> Hey Everyone!
> New to Honda Snowblowers and I have to say I’m amazed, I bought a gently used HS624 for my deck and other tight areas and this little unit is amazing. I figured it’s about 20 years old so I gave it a big once over. I drained the Hydrostatic Oil out of it, tried to refill and discovered that it can’t be filled like this. I found this forum and saw the detailed instructions that [email protected] posted.
> Here is what I did:
> 1.Drain Transmission with cap removed and the auger end about 5” in the air, let this sit for the night.
> 2. Went to my local hydraulic shop and bought an M14 fitting that I could hook to a small 1/4 hose to.
> 3. Bought Lower unit oil pump for boats (bought new one as contamination is a real issue for any transmission) $10-$20
> 4. Raise back end 6” so tracks are off the ground and Insert pump into Honda Hydrostatic bottle, remove reservoir cap and pump until the reservoir is 1/3 full. Essentially filling the system from the bottom to remove all air.
> 5. Install Lid on Reservoir and remove pump and fitting - latex gloves on and you can plug the hole with your thumb switching from fitting to drain plug.
> 6. Follow steps of bleeding as described from [email protected], you can turn the tracks so the shaft spins 10 times and you can reach the front pulley to turn it 30 times. In my case the reservoir ended up at the perfect level. I then ran machine with tracks off ground for 30 seconds, double check fluid and done! 20 Minutes with minimal effort.
> 
> View attachment 171259
> 
> View attachment 171260


Hi RikP Thanks for the info. I am having a hard time confirming the internal thread on the tranny discharge So when I tried to find the 14M to barb fitting they asked for thread type? Any chance you have additional specs or info?

I have a Model HS828 

Thanks in advance moondoggy


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## orangputeh

Moondoggy said:


> Hi RikP Thanks for the info. I am having a hard time confirming the internal thread on the tranny discharge So when I tried to find the 14M to barb fitting they asked for thread type? Any chance you have additional specs or info?
> 
> I have a Model HS828
> 
> Thanks in advance moondoggy


That step is not necessary.


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## Moondoggy

orangputeh said:


> That step is not necessary.


The hydraulic supplier asked me to confirm if the M14 to barb fitting is a m14


orangputeh said:


> That step is not necessary.


I went back to the. Hydraulic supply shop and he still needs me to clarify if I want M14 x 2.0 (coarse thread,) or M14 x 1.5 (fine thread) + supposedly there is also M14 x 1.25 (but rare?).

I do not want to screw up the female thread in the transmission housing using wrong adapter?

Anybody know proper M14 thread for drain bolt on hs828 Honda snowblower.

Thanks in advance.
Moondoggy.


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## orangputeh

Moondoggy said:


> The hydraulic supplier asked me to confirm if the M14 to barb fitting is a m14
> 
> I went back to the. Hydraulic supply shop and he still needs me to clarify if I want M14 x 2.0 (coarse thread,) or M14 x 1.5 (fine thread) + supposedly there is also M14 x 1.25 (but rare?).
> 
> I do not want to screw up the female thread in the transmission housing using wrong adapter?
> 
> Anybody know proper M14 thread for drain bolt on hs828 Honda snowblower.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> Moondoggy.


I honestly dont know why you are doing this. It is not a necessary step on bleeding this system of air.



I'm done here.


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## Moondoggy

JDMan975 said:


> Hey Everyone!
> New to Honda Snowblowers and I have to say I’m amazed, I bought a gently used HS624 for my deck and other tight areas and this little unit is amazing. I figured it’s about 20 years old so I gave it a big once over. I drained the Hydrostatic Oil out of it, tried to refill and discovered that it can’t be filled like this. I found this forum and saw the detailed instructions that [email protected] posted.
> Here is what I did:
> 1.Drain Transmission with cap removed and the auger end about 5” in the air, let this sit for the night.
> 2. Went to my local hydraulic shop and bought an M14 fitting that I could hook to a small 1/4 hose to.
> 3. Bought Lower unit oil pump for boats (bought new one as contamination is a real issue for any transmission) $10-$20
> 4. Raise back end 6” so tracks are off the ground and Insert pump into Honda Hydrostatic bottle, remove reservoir cap and pump until the reservoir is 1/3 full. Essentially filling the system from the bottom to remove all air.
> 5. Install Lid on Reservoir and remove pump and fitting - latex gloves on and you can plug the hole with your thumb switching from fitting to drain plug.
> 6. Follow steps of bleeding as described from [email protected], you can turn the tracks so the shaft spins 10 times and you can reach the front pulley to turn it 30 times. In my case the reservoir ended up at the perfect level. I then ran machine with tracks off ground for 30 seconds, double check fluid and done! 20 Minutes with minimal effort.
> 
> View attachment 171259
> 
> View attachment 171260


I went back to the. Hydraulic supply shop and he still needs me to clarify if I want M14 x 2.0 (coarse thread,) or M14 x 1.5 (fine thread) + supposedly there is also M14 x 1.25 (but rare?).

I do not want to screw up the female thread in the transmission housing using wrong adapter?

Anybody know proper M14 thread for drain bolt on hs828 Honda snowblower


JDMan975 said:


> Hey Everyone!
> New to Honda Snowblowers and I have to say I’m amazed, I bought a gently used HS624 for my deck and other tight areas and this little unit is amazing. I figured it’s about 20 years old so I gave it a big once over. I drained the Hydrostatic Oil out of it, tried to refill and discovered that it can’t be filled like this. I found this forum and saw the detailed instructions that [email protected] posted.
> Here is what I did:
> 1.Drain Transmission with cap removed and the auger end about 5” in the air, let this sit for the night.
> 2. Went to my local hydraulic shop and bought an M14 fitting that I could hook to a small 1/4 hose to.
> 3. Bought Lower unit oil pump for boats (bought new one as contamination is a real issue for any transmission) $10-$20
> 4. Raise back end 6” so tracks are off the ground and Insert pump into Honda Hydrostatic bottle, remove reservoir cap and pump until the reservoir is 1/3 full. Essentially filling the system from the bottom to remove all air.
> 5. Install Lid on Reservoir and remove pump and fitting - latex gloves on and you can plug the hole with your thumb switching from fitting to drain plug.
> 6. Follow steps of bleeding as described from [email protected], you can turn the tracks so the shaft spins 10 times and you can reach the front pulley to turn it 30 times. In my case the reservoir ended up at the perfect level. I then ran machine with tracks off ground for 30 seconds, double check fluid and done! 20 Minutes with minimal effort.
> 
> View attachment 171259
> 
> View attachment 171260


Hi JDMAN974 by


JDMan975 said:


> Hey Everyone!
> New to Honda Snowblowers and I have to say I’m amazed, I bought a gently used HS624 for my deck and other tight areas and this little unit is amazing. I figured it’s about 20 years old so I gave it a big once over. I drained the Hydrostatic Oil out of it, tried to refill and discovered that it can’t be filled like this. I found this forum and saw the detailed instructions that [email protected] posted.
> Here is what I did:
> 1.Drain Transmission with cap removed and the auger end about 5” in the air, let this sit for the night.
> 2. Went to my local hydraulic shop and bought an M14 fitting that I could hook to a small 1/4 hose to.
> 3. Bought Lower unit oil pump for boats (bought new one as contamination is a real issue for any transmission) $10-$20
> 4. Raise back end 6” so tracks are off the ground and Insert pump into Honda Hydrostatic bottle, remove reservoir cap and pump until the reservoir is 1/3 full. Essentially filling the system from the bottom to remove all air.
> 5. Install Lid on Reservoir and remove pump and fitting - latex gloves on and you can plug the hole with your thumb switching from fitting to drain plug.
> 6. Follow steps of bleeding as described from [email protected], you can turn the tracks so the shaft spins 10 times and you can reach the front pulley to turn it 30 times. In my case the reservoir ended up at the perfect level. I then ran machine with tracks off ground for 30 seconds, double check fluid and done! 20 Minutes with minimal effort.
> 
> View attachment 171259
> 
> View attachment 171260


Hi JDMAN975,

I posted something similar .... To wrong person .... Hopefully you can help.

I am having a hard time sourcing that adapters in Ontario.

I went back to a local Hydraulic supply shop and he asked needs me to clarify pitch of the thread? ....if I want M14 x 2.0 (coarse thread,) or M14 x 1.5 (fine thread) + supposedly there is also M14 x 1.25 (but rare?).

I do not want to screw up the female thread in the transmission housing using wrong adapter?

Anybody know proper M14 thread for drain bolt on hs828 Honda snowblower.

Moondoggy


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## contender

M14 x 1.25 according to my manual


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## MikeyG

Merccoug70 said:


> *Changed HST Fluid w/o removing the transmision on a HSS1332ATD 32"*
> 
> Seen the older post from [email protected] and appreciate the Service Diagram for bleeding the HST Transmission.
> 
> I own a HSS1332ATD 32" and have changed the HST Fluid twice - if you have a "Reservoir" this process should work.
> 
> 
> 
> First time I done the HST Fluid change took about 45 minutes - start to end.
> 
> 2nd time I drained the HST Fluid - 1.5 years later - done it in about 30 minutes (yes, over-kill to change the fluid but worth it to me - especially since I am not removing the transmission)
> 
> Unit works and runs like a champ - again, I bled the system w/o removing the transmission, used two tools - one tool to bleed the system, other tool to remove excess HST Fluid from the reservoir, if you do not have the tools it is ~$42.00 investment - pretty cheap compared to the labor of removing the transmission on these units - (did stick with the Honda HST Fluid -- 08208-HST01)
> 
> Next time I do the HST Fluid change I will make a video - the procedure to do this is pretty straight forward.
> 
> I am an engineer by trade and always looking for ways to improve upon a process.


Could you share the procedure you went through to bleed the air from the system? I have already removed the transmission once with no success and not really looking forward to doing that again.


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## orangputeh

MikeyG said:


> Could you share the procedure you went through to bleed the air from the system? I have already removed the transmission once with no success and not really looking forward to doing that again.


 you should have read this whole thread . You do NOT have to remove the hydrostatic tranny to bleed the system., I have no idea why Honda says you do. Perhaps if you have to replace any of the oil seals. 

I have done this procedure now about a dozen times with success. It takes about 20 minutes. There is a detailed procedure article on my FB group. 

The one time it would not work was because of internal failure of the internal seals so the tranny was basically done. This is an extremely rare occurance with the hydro static trannies on the older Honda HS models. The shops will not repair these units and suggest you send to factory in Tennessee. I just transplanted a good hydro tranny into this specific machine and was good to go.


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