# Bought an HS1132 - Carburetor and Maintenance



## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

Hi all. My name is Matt, I am new to the forum. I've been working on small engines and snowblowers for probably 15 years now (started at 13). I have a fleet of vintage snowblowers and last winter my Bobcat by Wisconsin Marine crapped out on me. I wanted something reliable and that would throw anything in its path. The Honda is where all my research brought me. Yesterday, I picked up a 14 year old Honda HS1132 with tracks for $800 and I am very excited to use it this winter.

Today I spent the day going through the machine. The owner told me he never had an issue with it and has only changed one shear pin, the gas tank and the carburetor since he bought it. The gas tank and carburetor are original Honda parts. He changed them because he left a tank of gas in the tank and it rusted it out so he replaced it. I checked the oil which was clean and new, the auger gear box oil and the hydrostatic transmission fluid. All was right where it should be. The machine moves great and everything works. That being said, I could not get the engine to run on full open choke.

I was told by the owner that getting the machine to run in the summer was more difficult because it was built to run in the cold weather. So when I checked it out, he started it and ran it (not at full throttle) with the choke about halfway open. Today I started it and let it run low and slow for a while before opening the choke all the way. Once I opened the choke, the RPMs dropped and the engine idled nicely. I raised the throttle slowly and the engine started to run rough and surge. I could not get the engine to run on full throttle with a fully opened choke. I wasn't buying that the engine is tuned for cold weather running so I took the carburetor off and apart and cleaned it thoroughly. Glad I did because I found a mouse nest made of wall insulation stuffed under the gas tank which I also cleaned out. 

After I cleaned the carb I put it back together (without the air shroud) and started it. I was having the same problem where I cant get the choke fully opened while running. And now I can't get it fully opened at all at any throttle setting. There were a few backfire pops and I did see a small flame pop out of the intake. Can anyone tell me what might be going on? Or is this thing really designed to run full open choke in cold weather only? 

My other question is how to adjust the cables. The throttle I noticed won't hold the engine at full open throttle while running so I'm assuming I need to adjust the cable for this? Can anyone tell me the correct procedure? Also, when I engage the drive clutch and then the auger clutch, the auger clutch does not stay engaged if I let me hand off of it. Is this also a cable adjustment?

Other than that, all I plan to do is sand and repaint the inner chute as well as the impeller housing which is not rusty but is definitely not smooth anymore. I also removed the shear pins from the auger gear box to the augers to make sure that the augers spin freely and weren't ceased to the shaft. I was worried that if they were, I could hit something and break the gear box because the augers were ceased onto the shaft from the gearbox. Both sides spun nice and freely. 

Thanks in advance to anyone who responds to my post, I look forward to hearing from you all and seeing this machine throw in the winter!


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## Jackmels (Feb 18, 2013)

I have a 13hp Honda Push Blower that had carb Issues. I got a Repop Carb Cheap from https://www.everestpartssupplies.com/ I think it was under $30 IIRC. Worked Great for Me. That's the Route I would Go.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Probably not what you want to hear, but with the price you paid, you might have $50 left over to purchase the factory repair manual. I understand that it is very informative. 

But, sounds like the carb may still have some junk in one of the passages.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

Thanks for the responses. I did just watch a video of cleaning these carbs and I didn't take apart any of the low idle pieces and clean those areas so I think I am going to try again tomorrow and see if I can get better results.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

darco813 said:


> Thanks for the responses. I did just watch a video of cleaning these carbs and I didn't take apart any of the low idle pieces and clean those areas so I think I am going to try again tomorrow and see if I can get better results.


you can actually clean out the carb very well while keeping it in frame. take the air control box off by taking off 2 mounting nuts. take out pilot jet and make sure that passage is clean and the jet. also very important check that tiny O-ring on pilot/idle jet. If its flat or damaged then needs replacement. take bowl and sentiment cap off. you can unscrew main jet and emulsion tube out if necessary. then spray thru all passages and then follow up with compressed air if you have. before i had a compressor I used to use compressed air in the cans from Costco that people use for computers etc. Honda on You-Tube has an excellent video on this.

By the way , after you installed the carb and linkages did you check the choke plate before putting air box back on? I have run into the problem you are having several times and have found that the choke needed adjusting.in some cases Either the plate was not closing all the way or not opening all the way. Of course the main jet or pilot jet or a carb passage could be partially clogged. almost always the case if you have to use a little choke to have it run right.

another thing. $800 for an 1132 is a steal. yes. I would buy the Honda shop manual from Honda for a little under 50 bucks. Its worth it's weight in gold and has step by step procedures for all maintenance procedures. 

how is that carb gasket ? How is the seal? you can check by running engine and spraying carb cleaner around carb area. if the engine changes then you have a leak. I'd rather rebuild/clean a OEM Honda carb which are very well made than replace with an aftermarket carb.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

thanks orangputeh. I will take it apart again tomorrow and check all of those things. The gaskets looked okay but I will give them another look over tomorrow. I am used to working on Briggs engines and know those well. I think cleaning a Honda carb is a little more involved than cleaning a Briggs carb although it is much easier to get to and remove the Honda than the Briggs. I'll definitely look into getting the shop manual. I feel confident in my ability to perform the repairs so having the shop manual should be pretty invaluable for me.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

darco813 said:


> thanks orangputeh. I will take it apart again tomorrow and check all of those things. The gaskets looked okay but I will give them another look over tomorrow. I am used to working on Briggs engines and know those well. I think cleaning a Honda carb is a little more involved than cleaning a Briggs carb although it is much easier to get to and remove the Honda than the Briggs. I'll definitely look into getting the shop manual. I feel confident in my ability to perform the repairs so having the shop manual should be pretty invaluable for me.


on your other q...the auger handle not staying locked down. you can remove that side cover right below handle to observe locking mechanism. sometimes it needs to be cleaned out. also the adjustment is those 2 nuts on side . will look for picture.

1. shows locking mechanism with small side cover off

2. shows 2 adjusting nuts at about 1 oclock position at top right.

most of the time it just needs to be cleaned and/or lubricated. usually easy fix.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Make sure your valve clearance is set properly, that can cause a spit back through your carb if the intake is too tight on clearance or the exhaust is loose. Also to set the choke plate there is a screw to adjust the choke setting on top of the motor near where the throttle cable is attached. Also make sure your main jet is not clogged and your float height is set correctly, if it is too low, you will have a lean condition where it is starving for fuel at high speed or under a load.
Valve clearance usually gets tight as the valve face wears into the valve seat, more than a valve will get loose with too much clearance, but they can loosen up if an adjuster or stud backs out of the head.
If your pilot jet is clogged it will not idle properly if at all, and will cause the engine to surge at high speed without a load on it.
A lot of times just spraying carb cleaner in the main jet will not clean it enough, you will need a wire to pass through it to remove any sulfation buildup that carb cleaner liquid doesn't remove. 
You can buy the wire jet cleaner tool from Honda, but they are expensive. They are special tools that wont ream out or damage the venturi built into the jets if the proper wire size is used. You get ten different size wires in the tool, and they are all numbered for what size jet you are to use them on. There is a chart on the tool that tells you what wire to use with whatever number size jet you are working with. The jet number is engraved on the carb fuel jet on Honda engines.
Do not use welding tip cleaner wires with the ridges in them, you will ruin a jet with them because they will ream out the venturi built into the jet, then you will have to replace the jet. The Honda tool is specially sized for the jets with a smooth wire to prevent damage.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Hey Orangeputeh, good you told him about that lock for the levers, they get stuck a lot and wont lock in.
I always put a little bit of Artic Grease on them to help lube them and prevent corrosion to keep that little lock cam from sticking.
That is a very common problem with them when they are not serviced.
He got that for a Steal at that price.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

So I played with the adjustments for the clutch engage mechanisms and now the drive does lock when the auger is engaged. So thanks for that! My next task is taking off the carb again and this time taking out the low idle needle and the area below the low throttle set screw and cleaning those areas as well as the main jet again. The gaskets look good. Thanks again to everyone for the help so far!


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

darco813 said:


> So I played with the adjustments for the clutch engage mechanisms and now the drive does lock when the auger is engaged. So thanks for that! My next task is taking off the carb again and this time taking out the low idle needle and the area below the low throttle set screw and cleaning those areas as well as the main jet again. The gaskets look good. Thanks again to everyone for the help so far!


please check back if and when you find the problem and solution. your experience will help a lot of people.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

So I just got through with cleaning the carb again. There was residue in the float bowl which I thought was odd since I just cleaned it the day before. I took it all apart and this time I removed the two plastic pieces that sit below the low throttle set screw so I could get to that area. I took cleaner and sprayed through every single hole and port just like the video showed. I really went through it thoroughly and made sure even my hands stayed clean during the reassembly process. I removed the jet assemblies as well and cleaned those just as I did yesterday but just more thoroughly. The only thing I didn't remove is the needle which has the stopper on it (the one that can't be removed unless the stopper is taken off). I put it all back together, started it up (starts consistently on one easy pull) with the choke half open. I let it run on low idle for a while but when I started to increase the throttle, it again started to act funny. I had to close the choke more in order to get it to run on high throttle but it would start to choke out once I started to open the choke. So it still is running the same where it seems to operate fine at half choke. I did notice some popping happening while playing around with the choke and throttle positions. 

So I think the next step is to move on to the valves and check their clearances? 

One other question I have is how do I make the throttle control hold the engine at full throttle? I've noticed that while running on wide open, if I push and hold the throttle control on the handlebars the engine will increase RPM to what sounds to me like full throttle. Once I removed my hand from the lever the RPM drops again. Is this a cable adjustment or do I need to lubricate/clean something?


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

darco813 said:


> So I just got through with cleaning the carb again. There was residue in the float bowl which I thought was odd since I just cleaned it the day before. I took it all apart and this time I removed the two plastic pieces that sit below the low throttle set screw so I could get to that area. I took cleaner and sprayed through every single hole and port just like the video showed. I really went through it thoroughly and made sure even my hands stayed clean during the reassembly process. I removed the jet assemblies as well and cleaned those just as I did yesterday but just more thoroughly. The only thing I didn't remove is the needle which has the stopper on it (the one that can't be removed unless the stopper is taken off). I put it all back together, started it up (starts consistently on one easy pull) with the choke half open. I let it run on low idle for a while but when I started to increase the throttle, it again started to act funny. I had to close the choke more in order to get it to run on high throttle but it would start to choke out once I started to open the choke. So it still is running the same where it seems to operate fine at half choke. I did notice some popping happening while playing around with the choke and throttle positions.
> 
> So I think the next step is to move on to the valves and check their clearances?
> 
> One other question I have is how do I make the throttle control hold the engine at full throttle? I've noticed that while running on wide open, if I push and hold the throttle control on the handlebars the engine will increase RPM to what sounds to me like full throttle. Once I removed my hand from the lever the RPM drops again. Is this a cable adjustment or do I need to lubricate/clean something?


what kind of residue? white type crystals?

did you clean the idle jet by spraying up from the bottom hole? ( picture of idle/pilot jet ). how did that small O-ring look? if flat or damaged , then needs replacing. ( 1x4 mm I think )

did you remove the emulsion tube and clean all the small holes? I put a flashlight behind it to make sure all the holes are unplugged. 

only reason asking because you did not mention specifically these parts.

I have done hundreds of these and now use an ultrasonic cleaner to do a very thorough job. before that usually by hand worked very well. sometimes had to do them twice.

you also did not mention ( i think ) if you observed choke action with air box off so you could see the choke plate closing all the way with choke full on and plate all the way open when throttle in fast position ( 2nd pic ).

it could be valve adjustment ( done while cold ) but in my experience this is very rarely the problem. only take a few minutes to find out though.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

A couple of other things of consequence are your altitude and the number on your main jet (the one below the emulsion tube). You may just be running a little lean due to a mismatch...


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> what kind of residue? white type crystals?
> 
> did you clean the idle jet by spraying up from the bottom hole? ( picture of idle/pilot jet ). how did that small O-ring look? if flat or damaged , then needs replacing. ( 1x4 mm I think )
> 
> ...


The residue was little brown light colored specs. Not much but they were there. 

Yes I did clean the idle jet by spraying up into the hole. I sprayed through every hole on the carb in both directions. The o-ring looked round and not flat. 

I did remove the emulsion tube and spray it thoroughly and also made sure all the holes were clear by holding it up to the light. 

Yesterday I did start and run it with the air box off but I didn’t observe what the choke did aside from watching it open and close as I adjusted it on the handlebars.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

tabora said:


> A couple of other things of consequence are your altitude and the number on your main jet (the one below the emulsion tube). You may just be running a little lean due to a mismatch...


I live in Massachusetts so it wouldn’t be altitude. I did not take note of the number on my main jet. Owner told me it ran fine in the winter and every winter that he’s used it so either he’s not being honest or maybe he ran it with partial choke all the time. Or maybe he’s right and it’ll run fine in the winter.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

One other thing, make sure you are using only low octane gas, do not use high octane in a Honda engine.
They are designed to run on regular. The lower octane has a faster more complete burn to it when ignited in the cylinder, therefore pushing the piston down harder when it is ignited.
Honda engines are designed for the regular gas with low octane by not having a lot of ignition timing advance that is required with using high octane fuel with its slower burn rate in the cylinder when ignited.
The high octane, or premium fuel will give harder starting and a rougher idle because it isn't burning to full capacity when ignited before the exhaust valve opens.
You will actually loose power and performance, and fuel milage with premium/high octane fuel. You don't get the complete burn out of it before it is exhausted, it is still finishing up its burn when the valve opens and is being dumped into the muffler. The low/regular gas has burned more completely before the exhaust valve opens, therefore pushing the piston down even harder thus creating more power on the power stroke.
I worked with the Honda engineers years ago when we studied this and helped with the development of some engine characteristics. That is why on a lot of the newer engines with high compression you can use regular gas in them, they were developed and designed for it with a lot of changes in the combustion chambers to deter "knocking" or piston knock, which has been greatly eliminated now in most of the newer engines.
Plus, you will save money by being able to use the lesser expensive regular gas instead of having to have to use premium octane gas.


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## tabora (Mar 1, 2017)

darco813 said:


> I live in Massachusetts so it wouldn’t be altitude. I did not take note of the number on my main jet. Owner told me it ran fine in the winter and every winter that he’s used it so either he’s not being honest or maybe he ran it with partial choke all the time. Or maybe he’s right and it’ll run fine in the winter.


Well, the point is that if you are at sea level and the jet is a high altitude one, you would experience a lean condition that would require choke to run smoothly. The standard jets were 92, 95 or 98. At sea level, you want a 98.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

That little bit of an increase in R.P.M.'s is normal when you move the throttle lever to the choke position, that is just the way the throttle linkage is designed. It is just putting a little extra tension on the governor spring as the choke linkage is being contacted and activated.
There is an adjusting screw to let you adjust the full throttle R.P.M.'s. You can raise or lower the speed by adjusting the screw setting.
The engine usually developes its peak torque around 3100R.P.M.'s, and peak Horsepower around 3600 R.P.M.'s.
Your torque is what you are really after, thats what does the work. The Horsepower is how fast it can do the work.
Tabora and O.P. should be able to give you a few good tips on adjusting the throttle cable, they have a few secrets with them. They are very easy to adjust as long as it is done properly with the nut adjusters on the cable barrel where it attaches to the throttle control.
You need a little bit of freeplay in the cable, but not too much. If you don't have any freeplay, your engine speed will change when the handlebars flex a little bit when operating the machine, and it can cause a little bit of cable bind or movement, causing a slight speed change, they are sensitive.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

ST1100A said:


> One other thing, make sure you are using only low octane gas, do not use high octane in a Honda engine.
> They are designed to run on regular. The lower octane has a faster more complete burn to it when ignited in the cylinder, therefore pushing the piston down harder when it is ignited.
> Honda engines are designed for the regular gas with low octane by not having a lot of ignition timing advance that is required with using high octane fuel with its slower burn rate in the cylinder when ignited.
> The high octane, or premium fuel will give harder starting and a rougher idle because it isn't burning to full capacity when ignited before the exhaust valve opens.
> ...


Very good to know. I did put fresh low octane in the tank since I believe the owners manual said to use 86 octane.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

tabora said:


> [
> Well, the point is that if you are at sea level and the jet is a high altitude one, you would experience a lean condition that would require choke to run smoothly. The standard jets were 92, 95 or 98. At sea level, you want a 98.


I took it out and inspected it. It is indeed a 98 jet.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

darco813 said:


> I took it out and inspected it. It is indeed a 98 jet.


it's funny that this has happened to you because I am working on friends older 1991 Honda HS828 with just about the same problem. it runs fine at idle and to almost full throttle but starts sputtering just a little at full throttle. I inspected choke at full throttle and it is fully open. Most times the choke is partially closed when this happens so the choke has to be adjusted. I cleaned it thoroughly while in frame which works most times. After 2 tries it stayed the same.............

so I am taking it off and apart and it's going into the ultrasonic cleaner.


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## tadawson (Jan 3, 2018)

All I know is that I have an older Toro that behaves like this .. . .runs flawlessly in the winter, but stumbles in the summer. Air density does change with temp, and is lower when warm, tending to make mixtures vary, so it's not impossible that the guy is correct . . .


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> it's funny that this has happened to you because I am working on friends older 1991 Honda HS828 with just about the same problem. it runs fine at idle and to almost full throttle but starts sputtering just a little at full throttle. I inspected choke at full throttle and it is fully open. Most times the choke is partially closed when this happens so the choke has to be adjusted. I cleaned it thoroughly while in frame which works most times. After 2 tries it stayed the same.............
> 
> so I am taking it off and apart and it's going into the ultrasonic cleaner.


I wish I had an ultrasonic cleaner. Maybe I’ll search craigslist for a cheap one. I’m running at half choke all the time. Fully open and fully closed has the same effect which kills the engine. I’m going to take the air shroud off and observe the choke as I run it to see exactly what it’s doing. Do you think maybe I have a vacuum leak somewhere so I’m getting too much air? I don’t feel comfortable spraying brake cleaner around a running engine to check for an air leak near the intake of the carburetor


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

Make sure you have the carb bolted on tight, the air shroud holds the carb to the engine when it is bolted on tight. Also put the whole air cleaner assembly on, it is designed to give a little bit of air restriction to the system, otherwise you will have a "Lean" condition. They don't use an air filter element because they don't want icing in an element, a paper filter can freeze up with ice in the winter with cold temps.
There are dust baffles inside of the air filter housing that swirl out the dust particles centrifugally, and that adds the needed restriction when running the engine. If you are running it without the cover on, you will have a slight "Lean" condition. Try that to see if it makes a little bit of a difference.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

orangputeh said:


> it's funny that this has happened to you because I am working on friends older 1991 Honda HS828 with just about the same problem. it runs fine at idle and to almost full throttle but starts sputtering just a little at full throttle. I inspected choke at full throttle and it is fully open. Most times the choke is partially closed when this happens so the choke has to be adjusted. I cleaned it thoroughly while in frame which works most times. After 2 tries it stayed the same.............
> 
> so I am taking it off and apart and it's going into the ultrasonic cleaner.


If it is not running under a load, but running unloaded at full throttle, most of its fuel is coming from the slow jet, the throttle plate isn't open that far, so it is running a bit lean. When it is under a load, the governor takes over and opens the throttle plate further, thus taking more fuel from the main jet circuit, enriching it up a bit to do away with the stumble.
A possibility. Does it stumble under a load?
The choke is spring loaded on the choke shaft, at an unloaded speed with the main throttle plate not open that far, the air drawn in might not be enough to fully open the spring loaded choke plate all the way. When the engine is working under a load and the throttle plate is opened further, allowing more air in to the engine, that will open the choke plate further.
It kind of does that to automatically enrichen itself at the moment and readjusts when needed to lean itself accordingly when the throttle plate opens further under a load.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

I have been running it with the air box on and everything fully assembled and tight. I did just see a video where a guy noticed his gas flow would pretty much stop when the gas cap on the tank was on and would flow nicely once off. He inspected the gas cap to find that the vent holes were blocked. I did drain the gas and had the gas cap off when I did this just like you'd take the oil cap off a car when changing the oil for better flow. So I will check that out and see if it makes a difference at all. I'll keep working at this thing until its right and hopefully when I find the solution it will help someone else on here with the same problem. Thanks again to everyone for the input, its been very helpful.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

darco813 said:


> I have been running it with the air box on and everything fully assembled and tight. I did just see a video where a guy noticed his gas flow would pretty much stop when the gas cap on the tank was on and would flow nicely once off. He inspected the gas cap to find that the vent holes were blocked. I did drain the gas and had the gas cap off when I did this just like you'd take the oil cap off a car when changing the oil for better flow. So I will check that out and see if it makes a difference at all. I'll keep working at this thing until its right and hopefully when I find the solution it will help someone else on here with the same problem. Thanks again to everyone for the input, its been very helpful.


Yes check your cap next, I have seen them go bad with a blocked vent. When that happens, it will usually stall out like it ran out of gas, it will surge first as it is starving for fuel, but check it.
Fill the tank and drain it while leaving the cap on and tight, watch the fuel flow, it it seems to stop and wait for air to get sucked back up into the tube and tank before the fuel flows again, then you know you have a problem with the cap vent.
Good luck and let us know how you make out with it.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

darco813 said:


> I wish I had an ultrasonic cleaner. Maybe I’ll search craigslist for a cheap one. I’m running at half choke all the time. Fully open and fully closed has the same effect which kills the engine. I’m going to take the air shroud off and observe the choke as I run it to see exactly what it’s doing. Do you think maybe I have a vacuum leak somewhere so I’m getting too much air? I don’t feel comfortable spraying brake cleaner around a running engine to check for an air leak near the intake of the carburetor


after a couple sessions in cleaner it is running perfect. I did have to readjust the choke. with the air shroud off I noticed that the choke wasn't opening up all the way from choke position to fast throttle. it ended up being the choke arm needed to be pulled up a little to the horizontal position as it should be and I adjusted it according to shop manual directions. that shop manual will save you beaucoup time .

to check air leak, correct me if wrong, you spray carb cleaner around where the carb connects to engine and where it connects to shroud. if the engine changes speed you may need a new gasket or that part between carb and shroud. ( dementia is not letting me remember name ) 

I always keep a large towel and fire extinguisher around when working to cover/douse any fire outbreak. it happened once. or it will happen if not prepared ; some kind of law of the universe.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

orangputeh said:


> after a couple sessions in cleaner it is running perfect. I did have to readjust the choke. with the air shroud off I noticed that the choke wasn't opening up all the way from choke position to fast throttle. it ended up being the choke arm needed to be pulled up a little to the horizontal position as it should be and I adjusted it according to shop manual directions. that shop manual will save you beaucoup time .
> 
> to check air leak, correct me if wrong, you spray carb cleaner around where the carb connects to engine and where it connects to shroud. if the engine changes speed you may need a new gasket or that part between carb and shroud. ( dementia is not letting me remember name )
> 
> I always keep a large towel and fire extinguisher around when working to cover/douse any fire outbreak. it happened once. or it will happen if not prepared ; some kind of law of the universe.


That black plastic piece is called the carb insulator. Good you got it working properly, and good thing with the fire extinguisher nearby. It can happen when you least expect it.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> after a couple sessions in cleaner it is running perfect. I did have to readjust the choke. with the air shroud off I noticed that the choke wasn't opening up all the way from choke position to fast throttle. it ended up being the choke arm needed to be pulled up a little to the horizontal position as it should be and I adjusted it according to shop manual directions. that shop manual will save you beaucoup time .
> 
> to check air leak, correct me if wrong, you spray carb cleaner around where the carb connects to engine and where it connects to shroud. if the engine changes speed you may need a new gasket or that part between carb and shroud. ( dementia is not letting me remember name )
> 
> I always keep a large towel and fire extinguisher around when working to cover/douse any fire outbreak. it happened once. or it will happen if not prepared ; some kind of law of the universe.


So no luck with the gas tank vent. I even let it run with the lid off the tank and no change. I’m definitely not getting enough gas and I am getting good flow through the gas line to the carburetor so it has to be a carburetor issue. I’m wondering if I should just buy a new carb or maybe I should buy some new gaskets first. Also, take a look at the two attached photos. First is of the assembly. Want to make sure it’s assembled right (I took off the air shrouds). Second, is there supposed to be a spring from the choke control handle to the bracket for the choke? You can see from the pictures that there is a hole in the choke handle and a second hole in the bracket for the choke. Is something supposed to be there?


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

you don't have a choke cable? I guess that's okay. just move that lever with hand.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

PROBLEM SOLVED! 

Real quick, yes I do have a choke cable, I just removed it since I was in the middle of taking the carburetor off. 

The problem was the pilot jet. I did a random google search and discovered another post on another site where a guy was having problems with his 1132 surging. Someone came back with a diagram of the pilot jet which showed a small hole right at the base of it. 

I took mine apart right after I saw the diagram and could not see a hole in my pilot jet. I poked the bottom with one wire from a brass wire brush and the tiniest speck of debris came right out. Put it back together and now I’m running full closed choke at idle and full throttle and it’s running beautifully! 

I have to thank you all for the responses and I do apologize if someone here told me about the small hole in the pilot jet. I’ve been reading through a lot of posts so I may have missed that if someone posted it. I’ve attached the diagram so if anyone has this issue in the future, they can read through this and find the solution to the problem.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

https://youtu.be/CV4arebAdkQ

Here’s a video of it running now with a fully opened choke at low and high idle. 

Next things to do is remove the augers and repaint the impeller housing and the inside of the chute. I’ve already removed the pins connecting the augers to the auger gear box shaft and made sure they spin freely and aren’t frozen onto the shaft. I know removing the augers is a very simple process. Is removing the impeller simple as well? It would make paintings much easier if it was removed


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

darco813 said:


> PROBLEM SOLVED!
> 
> Real quick, yes I do have a choke cable, I just removed it since I was in the middle of taking the carburetor off.
> 
> ...


thank goodness. yes i mentioned this.

you're lucky your carb does not look like this. owner is on a budget........good luck with that lol.


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

easy to take augers and impeller out as long as impeller is not stuck on pulley shaft. you have to remove impeller shear bolt then all bolts on both sides of bucket and the the 2 bolts that attach the auger tranny to support bracket attached to bucket.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

orangputeh said:


> thank goodness. yes i mentioned this.
> 
> you're lucky your carb does not look like this. owner is on a budget........good luck with that lol.


I knew someone must have mentioned it. Sorry I missed that! But thank you for all the help it’s truly appreciated. Wow, that is one of the worst carburetors I’ve ever seen. Thing must have been sitting outside with ethanol fuel in the bowl. 

And thanks for the tips on the auger and impeller removal. Paint is not as pressing as the engine so now I can take my time with this. I planned on using steel wool to clean up the auger blade shafts and then applying some water resistant grease to them before putting it all back together.


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## RIT333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Will that carb get cleaned enough from the ultrasonic to be able to use it, or will you have to replace it ?


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

RIT333 said:


> Will that carb get cleaned enough from the ultrasonic to be able to use it, or will you have to replace it ?


i'm gonna try for the fun of it. it's a fine rust throughout. not deep and seems like no corrosion.

I have nothing but time and enjoy experimenting.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

darco813 said:


> PROBLEM SOLVED!
> 
> Real quick, yes I do have a choke cable, I just removed it since I was in the middle of taking the carburetor off.
> 
> ...


Good to know you found the problem. That is very common on those carbs with the slow jet clogging.
Be careful when you run a wire up thru it, it is plastic and you can ream out the pin hole easy if you are not careful.
You got to work on a Honda engine, those are the easiest carbs to repair out of all the different manufacturers, so you got good experience with it now.
Welcome to the Honda club, keep it maintained and you will enjoy it for years to come with the reliability and ease of repairs on them.
They don't break down as often as other company's machines. They are easier to operate and very reliable machines when taken care of, and they can handle the tough jobs.


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## darco813 (Sep 9, 2019)

Now that I’ve got the engine going well again, what sort of maintenance should I perform on this machine? Previous owner kept it garaged and the oil (though I will be changing it) is completely clean. Are there any maintenance type things I should be aware of on this machine? Anything I should be doing to the hydrostatic drive system?


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

darco813 said:


> Now that I’ve got the engine going well again, what sort of maintenance should I perform on this machine? Previous owner kept it garaged and the oil (though I will be changing it) is completely clean. Are there any maintenance type things I should be aware of on this machine? Anything I should be doing to the hydrostatic drive system?


man , there is a ton of stuff

buy the Honda shop manual. or type in search box .

augers, bearings, lubrication , greasing , adjusting , inspecting , cables , track adjustments , skid shoes and scraper bar , belts , spark plug , oil , at least 30 points or more on my check list.

like i said before the Honda shop manual is worth it's weight in gold. buy direct from honda for $43 bucks, clams, smaholies , washingtons, 

you owe me a 12 pack of Corona


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## orangputeh (Nov 24, 2016)

This was an interesting thread to revisit in the recommended reading. It's important for posters with questions to thoroughly read responses. The answer to this problem was posted early and would have saved the OP ( original poster ) a lot of time if he had taken the early advice.


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