# Off for warranty service!



## charley95 (Feb 10, 2014)

Bought a new HS724 on Jan.7th. Notice some engine surge at full throttle and it backfires when rapidly moving throttle back to slow speed. Not too concerned since my dealer will pick it up and deliver no charge. So far my local dealer has been great to deal with and a nice gesture to pick it up for me. Have a couple more snows forecasted for next week and then they will pick it up after that.

It will be interesting to see next week what they find out. It still functions ok and wanted to wait for the snow to be over here in central Illinois next week.
Glad I didn't buy it online!


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## bwdbrn1 (Nov 24, 2010)

Sorry to her that it seems to have some issues, but, good to hear that your dealer is taking care of it, as they should.

This is why we're always saying it's best to buy from a dealer when you can!


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## charley95 (Feb 10, 2014)

Dealer said this is normal due to EPA restrictions on the carb. jets. He really didn't do anything to it. He spoke to Honda about it and they said it should work itself out once it's broke in more. Engine surging and backfiring when rapidly moving throttle from fast to slow doesn't sound normal to me.

I highly doubt this will cure itself. It doesn't surge at low throttle. It starts first pull and it doesn't affect operation but is annoying.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

If it surges then it's running lean. The surge itself would indicate a problem as they shouldn't surge. 
I'm with you, don't think it's going to "break in" with use. If anything, as it ages it will likely get worse from a little gas residue buildup even with the best of care. But that could be 5-10-15 years.
The backfire I could live with as I'd just have to remember to idle it down a bit slower but the surging drives me nuts.

Maybe Robert will give us some insight on this.


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## 94EG8 (Feb 13, 2014)

Backfiring is somewhat normal, although it was a lot more prevalent with old flathead Tecumsehs and Briggs and Strattons. The surging can happen sometimes due to humidity the way these are jetted so lean. I doubt you'd see it happening in colder, drier weather.


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## scrappy (Dec 7, 2014)

When the season is over remove the jet to check size and replace with .003/4 larger. 

Problem solved


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## charley95 (Feb 10, 2014)

Where do I find a larger jet?


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

Your engine should be a GX200.
I've bought Jets for my Honda pressure washer at OMBwarehouse: Carbs and components for your Honda or Clone motor.

You can also google it: https://www.google.com/search?q=gx200+carb+jets&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8


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## [email protected] (Nov 21, 2011)

charley95 said:


> Dealer said this is normal due to EPA restrictions on the carb. jets. He really didn't do anything to it. He spoke to Honda about it and they said it should work itself out once it's broke in more. Engine surging and backfiring when rapidly moving throttle from fast to slow doesn't sound normal to me.
> 
> I highly doubt this will cure itself. It doesn't surge at low throttle. It starts first pull and it doesn't affect operation but is annoying.


Sounds like a restriction in the fuel system / running lean, but let me see what might be on file...can you PM the frame serial number off the back of the unit "SXXX-1234567" and also the name of your dealer?


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## AriensSnowman (Dec 9, 2014)

Your dealer is correct. Be glad you don't have a Briggs, they backfire the worst. Because of EPA restrictions and engines being tuned very lean in order to meet them, this is a wide-spread characteristic and is the new norm. Sometimes adjusting the fuel screw can help, but normally a complete rejet of the carb is required.


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## Kiss4aFrog (Nov 3, 2013)

If yours was out of warranty you could also just pick up a micro drill set off ebay or at a hobby store and drill out the jet and try it until you find a size you like.


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## c3po (Mar 21, 2014)

charley95 said:


> Dealer said this is normal due to EPA restrictions on the carb. jets. He really didn't do anything to it. He spoke to Honda about it and they said it should work itself out once it's broke in more. Engine surging and backfiring when rapidly moving throttle from fast to slow doesn't sound normal to me.
> 
> I highly doubt this will cure itself. It doesn't surge at low throttle. It starts first pull and it doesn't affect operation but is annoying.


 When you start your snow blower up how long do you run the machine before using it? Basically, how long do you run it on choke before you put it in the run position? The colder it is outside the longer the carburetor needs to be warmed up. Hopefully you are letting it warm up for more than a minute, sometimes you mat need 3 to 5 minutes warm up time.


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## Surge (Dec 31, 2013)

My guess is that there is some small speck of dirt, or foreign object blocking or restricting one of the jets. I had a similar problem with surging and backfiring because the pilot jet on my honda mowers carb was clogged. I had cleaned the main jet and the rest of the carb, but the super small hole in the pilot jet had to be cleared before it ran nicely. I do not buy for a moment that it will get better on its own, or that running like that is normal. 
If under warranty the dealer should either clean the carb, or replace it. JMO.
It could have been contaminated at the factory, or some dirt from the gas tank made its way to the carb.


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## RoyP (Oct 16, 2014)

Surge said:


> My guess is that there is some small speck of dirt, or foreign object blocking or restricting one of the jets. I had a similar problem with surging and backfiring because the pilot jet on my honda mowers carb was clogged. I had cleaned the main jet and the rest of the carb, but the super small hole in the pilot jet had to be cleared before it ran nicely. I do not buy for a moment that it will get better on its own, or that running like that is normal.
> If under warranty the dealer should either clean the carb, or replace it. JMO.
> It could have been contaminated at the factory, or some dirt from the gas tank made its way to the carb.


I agree with Surge 100%.


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## AriensSnowman (Dec 9, 2014)

Your dealer should be quite competent in diagnosing a clogged jet or dirty carburetor. If the backfire is when you throttle down quickly it is not a clogged jet. If it's running and backfiring/surging badly, then your dealer screwed up and it is.


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## Surge (Dec 31, 2013)

Anything that contributes to a lean fuel mixture can result in backfiring. And it would be most likely to occur during deceleration. A clogged pilot jet would do just that. 
Of course that does not rule out some other problem that may be causing the lean fuel mixture or the backfiring. I doubt that newer Honda snow blowers run like that or this forum would be filled with questions concerning the problem.


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## charley95 (Feb 10, 2014)

I'm assuming the dealer just didn't want to fix it right or just didn't care.


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## charley95 (Feb 10, 2014)

[email protected] said:


> Sounds like a restriction in the fuel system / running lean, but let me see what might be on file...can you PM the frame serial number off the back of the unit "SXXX-1234567" and also the name of your dealer?


PM sent.


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