Old Honda Lawnmower Issue

[Brentbba]

I've got an old Honda HR214 lawnmower I've owned since 1986 and it's been a champ all these years. It's blowning a lot of smoke on start up and my local guy says rings are probably shot. If I remember everything he said about a hear ago, a simple ring job would hold for awhile or a complete ring and piston job (IIRC) to get her back to new. Later job would cost about as much as a brand new Honda mower! Dilema I have is rebuild or scrap her for new. Problem with new new ones is they are plastic POS except for the engine of course and my old one is a brick outhouse in every comparison. No idea what replacing the engine would run.

Rebuild the brick outhouse or buy new plastic POS?? This is not a debate on Honda vs anything else. Honda rebuild or purchase a new Honda are all I'm considering.

 

[KLF]

The sad news is even the new Honda engines are now mostly POS. Small engines are now pretty much disposable, like most other stuff.

If you really like the old one and can get the parts, I would rebuild it. But, I would do it myself. It's not hard.