Anyone have one of these blow up?? Well that’s the first problem. Second is strikemaster taking care of the problem… it’s a little over a year old. They have had it for about two weeks and keep getting the run around. Oh talk to this oh wait not him this guy. Wait that guy is gone. Curious to see who else has has first of all the the Honda blow up and secondly how has strikemaster been to deal with?
Its best to send it to a service center. If you live in the twin cities DROCK is where I took mines. Great tech and good service.
Not sure about the blow up thing… but mines just didn’t start. .
Never heard of a honda blowing up actually.
Do you literally mean the auger has blown up? Like an explosion?
You buddy was out on the lake and the auger itself exploded, burst into flames, spontaneously combusted?
That doesn’t seem like a common issue.
Yup I have blew mine up the 2nd trip out. The Hondas get fixed by Honda, it was taking forever. Strikemaster finally set me a Lazer Mag with a 10″ bit and let me keep the 8″ bit to make up the price difference.
Do you literally mean the auger has blown up? Like an explosion?
You buddy was out on the lake and the auger itself exploded, burst into flames, spontaneously combusted?
That doesn’t seem like a common issue.
LOL when an engine blows up it doesn’t explode! The Honda is 4 stroke there’s a lot of moving parts and all it takes is one to break.
Strikemaster took care of it and sent a new Solo to replace the blown up honda. Sounded like this is a up and coming common problem with the Hondas.
Strikemaster did not help me with an oil seal problem that went out two times on a strike Lite auger so I’m not surprised. Same deal,…no one at corporate would make a decision. 4 strokes are probably not a good winter application. My friends electric was recalled due to a switch problem. Fleet Farm gave him all of his money back which is a responsible company decision. In th end,..It seems like you can’t beat a 2 stroke.
Mine took a crap as well
Mine has worked great!
Strikemaster did not help me with an oil seal problem that went out two times on a strike Lite auger so I’m not surprised. Same deal,…no one at corporate would make a decision. 4 strokes are probably not a good winter application. My friends electric was recalled due to a switch problem. Fleet Farm gave him all of his money back which is a responsible company decision. In th end,..It seems like you can’t beat a 2 stroke.
A 4 stroke is a far more reliable motor in any circumstance. I’m certain that on one of these Hondas, a failure is due to poor preventative maintenance. The term ” blown up ” is used in so many different scenarios, that its impossible for one to have a clue as to what the failure actually was. I’m sure that’s what’s taking so long, as they are most likely trying to determine the exact cause of the failure.
If you have a Honda it’s not a “will” it blow up but “when” the motor wasn’t designed to run in the position it is in on an ice auger. And the oil doesn’t get splashed up. Run it enought and it will die. From what I have been told honda is doing nothing about it. So cudos to strikemaster I will admit it took a little longer than I would have liked but in the end good things come to those who wait and the new Solo is perfect.
If you have a Honda it’s not a “will” it blow up but “when” the motor wasn’t designed to run in the position it is in on an ice auger. And the oil doesn’t get splashed up. Run it enought and it will die. From what I have been told honda is doing nothing about it.
So, if Strikemaster is installing a Honda motor in a position that it was not designed to run in, it seems like blame should lie on Strikemaster, not Honda.
If you have a Honda it’s not a “will” it blow up but “when” the motor wasn’t designed to run in the position it is in on an ice auger. And the oil doesn’t get splashed up. Run it enought and it will die. From what I have been told honda is doing nothing about it. So cudos to strikemaster I will admit it took a little longer than I would have liked but in the end good things come to those who wait and the new Solo is perfect.
Can I ask where this info came from?
Other companies including Mantis and Honda themselves are installing it (GX35) just like Stikemaster does.
honda.jpg
Mantis.jpg
They use an oil “bladder”. They have a simple paddle that flips oil up to the piston to lubricate the motor. The motor should be warmed up for 2-3 minutes before using and longer in cold temps to allow oil to warm up. I usually run mine for 5 minutes before cutting a hole even on warmer days. A local Strikemaster shop said many people have blown theirs up due to running it without warming it up properly, thus no lubrication. time will tell.
The Honda engine is designed to be operated in any direction. (vertical/horizontal/any other)
Taken directly from Honda’s website:
FULL 360° “ANY-SIDE-UP” OPERATION
Mini 4-Stroke Series
The innovative design of Honda’s Mini 4-Stroke engines allows them to be used and stored in any position for full 360° usability. Upright, sideways, even upside down – the Mini 4-Strokes will still run great.
An exclusive Honda rotary-slinger lubrication system keeps oil in a completely misted state and circulates it using pressure fluctuations generated by the movement of the piston.
Built-in passages effectively return the circulated oil to the oil reservoir from every part of the engine. An oil return port positioned in the center of the reservoir prevents oil from accidentally flowing into the combustion chamber.
I hope my Ion doesn’t run out of oil! 
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