I’ve been doing this work for 53 years. I still make mistakes. No one is perfect. Great job. What a pain in the butt.

This is definitely the Achilles heel for these mowers.  I've had to rebuild mine 2 or 3 times in the last 5 years.  Always the same issue with the spring loaded key seizing or the pinion gears wearing excessively (yours also looks well worn, so replace them if you also buy new rear wheels).  One thing I would add is that the transmission isn't really sealed for life.  A little Googling will help you find the capacity for it.  It's normally just 10W30 engine oil.  I changed the fluid in mine about a month ago for the first time with no adverse effects.  You just need to have the mower upside down to fill it.  Open it upside down as well and then use a pail to catch it as you turn the mower over so you can accurately measure how much came out.  Compare that with the fluid spec amount you find online especially if it shows signs of leaking.

Yes!  I have performed this procedure, and adjusted valve lash, and replaced all 4 wheels, on my Honda lawnmower that is now in its 22nd year of service.  Absolutely worth the tedium, especially if you divide the hours of maintenance by the years of service.  Also, I looked at new lawnmowers and not only were they very expensive, most of their parts are plastic now (mine is still an all metal version, even the transmission), and most have safety features that add unnecessary complexity to the design.  I decided it was far preferable to perform heavy maintenance on mine instead of replacing it.  I have only ever owned two lawn mowers in my adult life (the other was a Lawn Boy that lasted 9 years - I repalced it because I hated the two cycle engine - I could have fixed it but went to the Honda to have a four cycle upgrade in 1999).  Great video - I needed it to see which direction to reinstall the drive gears, I forgot to take a picture as I disassembled them...  Keep up the great work!

Fabulous video showing the clear detail of all the washers and the order that they go on. Thank you.

I would spend the time, but only because I do small engine repair as a hobby and not to make money from.  I sell stuff I rebuild mostly for cost, just because I enjoy doing it.  Thanks for your videos, I really enjoy them.

Hello HG, as I’ve mentioned in some of your other videos I have spent well over eight hours on the few repairs that I have done for some of my friends the deal is you drop the mower off and you’ll get it back when I’m done if you expect it done tomorrow you’ve come to the wrong person. I am a very handy person, as I have a mechanical background by watching your videos I have learned a few things.
Good job.

The good thing is that it is rebuildable to functioning like it’s designed to do and wasn’t that expensive doing it..and any time you can keep things out of the landfill, that’s worth a little bit of time in my eyes. Far too many things are ‘throw-away’ and for no good reason other than greed. Have a good one y’all!

Excellent repair video!  Being retired, I wound not hesitate to put in 8 hours on a complicated repair. Of course if was a customer's machine I would not justify the labor charges.  For a spring removal tool I use a wire coat hanger that i reshape for added strength and comfort.

Holy shit, I was thinking about fixing my mower myself until I saw this 1000 piece puzzle.

Excellent video! I would spend the time but I'm retired. My HSX 17 I bought new in 1986 is still going strong!

I couldn't have done this without your video. The mower runs fine and hated to trash it because of a bad cable.  While I had everything opened up, I decided to remove most of the rust and painted underneath.  While re-assembling my mind went blank and I new I was in trouble.  Thanks to your video, I must have replayed it 50 times step by step.  Again, thanks for taking the time making this video because it saved my butt.  Denis

Good afternoon I just fixed two lawn mowers and one had a broken selfpropel system and a broken carburetor unfortunately. I used this video to help me fix the mowers selfpropel. Thank you great video.

Great detail and thorough explanation of how to do this. It was very helpful sir. Thank you!

I’m going have to spend all this time since I wasn’t told that this was broken when buying it used $400 Canadian :(
THANK YOU FOR  YOUR TIME AND POSTING

I’ll tell all you this , I have two close to the same models. And they both are in need of this exact procedure! It’s going to be a long couple days guys!!! But I do like both….. great video one of the very best  Thanks you Sr.

This video was a lifesaver thanks man, I looked for this video for 3 hours again thanks.

One of the best how-to videos I've seen for Honda Harmony II lawnmowers. Mine is an HRT216SDA purchased in May 1999. I need to replace the gear selector cable. Excellent shot composition, lighting, focus and voiceover quality. (Yes, I was a video producer before retiring) Thank you for the very helpful video!

The more complicated the assembly, the longer the diagnosis. It doesn't matter what the brand is.. But in reality.. I like the little challenge.. That's why my 1991 Snapper is still a working mower in my collection.

Like most things, once you've done a repair for the first time subsequent repairs are much quicker and easier to do. Seeing the amount of rust it has I suspect the previous owner(s) left it outside. My 30 year old Honda mower has far less rust than that one and it has never required any repair. They are good durable mowers if looked after properly which includes regular preventative maintenance. That said, excellent explanation on how to do the repair. 👌

Since Honda has gone mostly electric, it's worth it to keep this gas mower in good shape.  Your video was extremely helpful in my fix of the speed control.