[DrRighteous]

Have a pressure washer with a Honda GC190 5hp engine.

The unit has very little use. I would say I would be surprised if it has a total of 5 hrs on it. I used it once before to pressure my walk way.
It was originally purchased by my Dad and he used it once or twice. He paid about $400 for it.
I pulled it out to pressure wash my porch and siding on the house. I couldn't get it to run at all but it is pretty typical that it got gummed up with ethanol fuel.
I pulled the bowl off the bottom of the carb and remove the main jet. It was plugged. I cleaned all that out with carb cleaner and reassembled. It then started on the 2nd pull.
It ran ok, but started acting strange. When shut off, it would not restart until it cooled down completely. Then it would start on the 1st or 2nd pull. On the last part of the pressure washing job for the day it quit totally.
I checked all the usual. Plenty of gas in the tank, sprayed a bit in to the carb and tried to get it to crank, wouldn't even burp. Check the plug, it was fine. Checked the spark, good spark. I know the carb is clear, and I'm getting gas out the exhaust from so much cranking. Oil level is fine. Seems like the timing is out or no compression. I figured that was least likely until I did a bit of research on these Honda engines. They have a internal belt and a plastic timing gear. It seems likely the belt or the gear gave up on this engine. I've not pulled the valve cover to check yet but I'm willing to bet that is the issue.

 

[Wsg]

Have a pressure washer with a Honda GC190 5hp engine.



The unit has very little use. I would say I would be surprised if it has a total of 5 hrs on it. I used it once before to pressure my walk way.

It was originally purchased by my Dad and he used it once or twice. He paid about $400 for it.

I pulled it out to pressure wash my porch and siding on the house. I couldn't get it to run at all but it is pretty typical that it got gummed up with ethanol fuel.

I pulled the bowl off the bottom of the carb and remove the main jet. It was plugged. I cleaned all that out with carb cleaner and reassembled. It then started on the 2nd pull.

It ran ok, but started acting strange. When shut off, it would not restart until it cooled down completely. Then it would start on the 1st or 2nd pull. On the last part of the pressure washing job for the day it quit totally.

I checked all the usual. Plenty of gas in the tank, sprayed a bit in to the carb and tried to get it to crank, wouldn't even burp. Check the plug, it was fine. Checked the spark, good spark. I know the carb is clear, and I'm getting gas out the exhaust from so much cranking. Oil level is fine. Seems like the timing is out or no compression. I figured that was least likely until I did a bit of research on these Honda engines. They have a internal belt and a plastic timing gear. It seems likely the belt or the gear gave up on this engine. I've not pulled the valve cover to check yet but I'm willing to bet that is the issue.

From the symptoms you have described I would pull the carb and clean it again, Honda engine are very reliable cleaning the carb seemed to initially solve the problem sounds like shutting it off till it cooled would let the bowl refill the excess fuel would be from your needle or float still being dirty or new crude in it, in my opinion.


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[mrbb]

I too believe its a carb related issue, as well as a Fuel/fuel tank issue
I am guessing this washer sat a LONG time or just a LOT
so that being said, DID you DRAIN the old fuel out of tank< and clean tank, that gum'd up crap that builds in carb on its parts also builds up in tank and in fuel lines!
clean carb and DON"T clean tank, and you very fast have a dirty carb again!
NEXT??

when was oil changed last??
even if NOT used, time alone can cause a need for new oil??
was this unit ever run when there was NO water hooked up?
that will many times cause a LOT fo damage to things on pressure washers too!

but to me I think you have a fuel related issue, dirty tank/carb, and or bad fuel still in tank!
another reason to go the extra mile and buy NON ethanol fuel, and TREAT that too if its going to sit long!

 

[mac102004]

IIRC, GC's are junk, GX are their good engines.

 

[Jeepwm69]

If it's burping gas out of the exhaust.....not a fuel delivery problem.

Still, if you have that much gas in there and you have spark it should be igniting that gas. Even if the timing is off and you don't have compression you should be getting some backfiring/ popping.

I have a GX on a wheelbarrow compressor in my truck. The thing has been beat to death, sat up for years, and still starts first pull.

 

[misterclean59]

The problem is not with the Honda GC engine. It is with the operator. I've owned a small engine repair shop for 34 years and have worked on hundreds of these engines. they are not junk as someone suggested. They are not commercial engines. They are normal consumer usage engines. You did not clean all the necessary parts. Under the main jet is an emulsion tube. It has about 14 holes in it that need to be perfectly clean. It was probably running lean and therefore overheating. Overheating can cause it to be very hard to start when overheated. Overheating can also cause the plastic cam to melt. I've only seen of few melt due to low oil. The intake valve can stick due to gummy fuel residue on the intake valve stem, especially if the intake valve was open during storage.

 

[DrRighteous]

The problem is not with the Honda GC engine. It is with the operator. I've owned a small engine repair shop for 34 years and have worked on hundreds of these engines. they are not junk as someone suggested. They are not commercial engines. They are normal consumer usage engines. You did not clean all the necessary parts. Under the main jet is an emulsion tube. It has about 14 holes in it that need to be perfectly clean. It was probably running lean and therefore overheating. Overheating can cause it to be very hard to start when overheated. Overheating can also cause the plastic cam to melt. I've only seen of few melt due to low oil. The intake valve can stick due to gummy fuel residue on the intake valve stem, especially if the intake valve was open during storage.

Well, the plastic cam gear failed.
I have to crack it in 2 and clean out all the debris so I might as well check that emulsion tube also.

Since you are a small engine specialist can you get me a part number for a GC190 cam gear? :wink

 

[misterclean59]

Googled it. Part # 14320-Z8D-000, Also check the slow circuit if yours is the type that can be cleaned. Look for a phillips screw on top of the carb body. If it has one, remove it and spray carb cleaner into the very small hole at the bottom. It should spray out in the cavity that the emulsion tube was removed from.

 

[DrRighteous]

Googled it. Part # 14320-Z8D-000, Also check the slow circuit if yours is the type that can be cleaned. Look for a phillips screw on top of the carb body. If it has one, remove it and spray carb cleaner into the very small hole at the bottom. It should spray out in the cavity that the emulsion tube was removed from.

Well I have the engine on the bench taking it apart so I can crack it in 2 and clean all the debris out before I time it and install the new parts. I couldn't find my gear puller to remove the flywheel so I decided to eyeball the carb closely.
I didn't remember seeing an emulsion tube when I removed the jet. I checked again, there is not one. Just the jet and a nozzle above it that sprays into the carb throttle body. I checked on Jackssmallengines.com and look at the parts blow apart for the carb on this exact model engine. (GC190LA QHGF) It shows no emulsion tube.

 

[retro]

Number 10 on the parts fiche (check your serial number, this is a quick & dirty search):

Honda GC190LA QHGF - Honda Engine, Made in USA, SN: GCAAA-1496157 & Above CARBURETOR Diagram and Parts List | PartsTree.com

....I couldn't get it to run at all but it is pretty typical that it got gummed up with ethanol fuel.
I pulled the bowl off the bottom of the carb and remove the main jet. It was plugged. I cleaned all that out with carb cleaner and reassembled. It then started on the 2nd pull.
It ran ok, but started acting strange. When shut off, it would not restart until it cooled down completely. Then it would start on the 1st or 2nd pull. On the last part of the pressure washing job for the day it quit totally....

Even though the motor may have only 5 or 6 hours on it, you still have to change the motor oil on schedule. The oil change schedule for all 4 stroke motors is based on two factors; per hours of operation, or time (months) passed, whichever factor is reached first. A stored or infrequently operated motor generally requires an oil change before putting it back in service. You didn't say how long it had been since you changed that oil... or if you ever have changed it? Was this a contributing (causal) factor to your cam meltdown?

 

[DrRighteous]

The #10 is described as the Main Nozzle. I think I get what is missing. This part was "stuck" in the hole where it penetrates the throttle bore. I didn't think it was a removable item.
I'll have to coax it out and clean it very well.

 

[misterclean59]

Nozzle/emulsion tube.....same thing. You never know what they will call it.LOL clean it perfectly

 

[DrRighteous]

Thanks for the nudge in the right direction.
But still I can't help but think that if it was a regular metal chain and gear we would not be having this conversation. But hey, wouldn't that make a cool retro-fit kit! I understand with the proper attention and maintenance the belt and plastic gear work fine. But equipment with small engines are not known for something people take the utmost care of.

 

[machinecrook]

Yep that's usually what happens if you don't properly store away the equipement. I have a similar thing that happens with my Tillotson Carburator on my 1975 Olympique ski doo. The needle valve gets stuck with the varnish of the gas.

I've done it twice now... Now I store it away correctly and I have no more troubles.

 

[retro]

Thanks for the nudge in the right direction.
But still I can't help but think that if it was a regular metal chain and gear we would not be having this conversation. But hey, wouldn't that make a cool retro-fit kit! I understand with the proper attention and maintenance the belt and plastic gear work fine. But equipment with small engines are not known for something people take the utmost care of.

Knowing that a corp is not human, has no conscience, is exempt from all liability & responsibility (provided the consumer is notified or warned first), is free to act with overt criminal intent on a playground where no others on the planet are allowed to play... for as long as the consumer is willing to accept its criminal behaviors and intent...

Can you blame them for picking off any low-hanging fruits at every opportunity?



I'm not bashing you or anyone else... just reminding, when one makes a mistake there is a price a$$igned to it. Those who make the fewest mistakes are obviously the least victimized.

I have a human conscience same as you... I make human mistakes just as you... just trying to help you understand that being quick to blame the product for human mistakes, rather than taking responsibility for them and growing from them... isn't going to help anyone avoid being picked off those low-hanging branches by the corps, again and again and again...

Now that you've gotten over being really mad at it, I'm really happy that you decided to fix that motor rather than replace it!!!! Many would have just tossed it and bought another... as the corp hoped...

Now I hope to see it fixed, with pics! LOL

 

[DrRighteous]

I'm not bashing you or anyone else... just reminding, when one makes a mistake there is a price a$$igned to it. Those who make the fewest mistakes are obviously the least victimized.
I have a human conscience same as you... I make human mistakes just as you... just trying to help you understand that being quick to blame the product for human mistakes, rather than taking responsibility for them and growing from them... isn't going to help anyone avoid being picked off those low-hanging branches by the corps, again and again and again...
Now that you've gotten over being really mad at it, I'm really happy that you decided to fix that motor rather than replace it!!!! Many would have just tossed it and bought another... as the corp hoped...
Now I hope to see it fixed, with pics! LOL

I'm not a stranger to small engine but this is the first anything I've owned power by a Honda. (excluding the worn out TRX300).
The boost in efficiency a OHV engine has over a "flat head" is a big plus. I like it. But there is a reason the old flat head small engine has been around forever. RELIABILITY. No chains, belts or gears to drive the OHV.

BTW, if I purchased this pressure washer new myself it would still be running fine. I take pretty good care of my stuff. But in this case my Dad bought it and only use it a couple times then stuck it in the barn. I'm sure he used 10% ethanol gas which personally I wouldn't use to start a trash fire. 100% gasoline in small engine only! If something is going to be stored for a while, I always empty the tank and run the engine till it dies. If it is something that will be out of commission for a very long time like an outboard motor, I will put a squirt if Marvel's Mystery Oil in the cylinders before it goes into storage.

NOW back to the GC190:

The screw, #16 cover the passage for an air bleed that is fed from the throttle body.
It seems this air bleed is hopelessly clogged. I can see the tiny brass bleed through the hole. The end of the passage is in the bore between the jet and the nozzle.
It's purpose seem to be to provide air for fuel emulsification. I have a set of Allen wrenches with sizes so small they are like a needle. I can't seem to penetrate the clog in that air bleed. What ever is in there is pretty solid. I can't blow air through it or get spray carb cleaner to penetrate the clog.

 

[retro]

The screw, #16 cover the passage for an air bleed that is fed from the throttle body.
It seems this air bleed is hopelessly clogged. I can see the tiny brass bleed through the hole. The end of the passage is in the bore between the jet and the nozzle.
It's purpose seem to be to provide air for fuel emulsification. I have a set of Allen wrenches with sizes so small they are like a needle. I can't seem to penetrate the clog in that air bleed. What ever is in there is pretty solid. I can't blow air through it or get spray carb cleaner to penetrate the clog.

I'm not familiar with that carb, but your explanation of the air bleed supply for the nozzle jet (emulsifier jet) sounds dead on...! That all makes perfect sense.

Can you see the bleed hole location in the brass insert? If so, you may be able to poke it out with a tiny number drill bit... maybe it is too small to risk doing that though...?

Perhaps misterclean59 can advise what must be done there.

 

[Jeepwm69]

The screw, #16 cover the passage for an air bleed that is fed from the throttle body.
It seems this air bleed is hopelessly clogged. I can see the tiny brass bleed through the hole. The end of the passage is in the bore between the jet and the nozzle.
It's purpose seem to be to provide air for fuel emulsification. I have a set of Allen wrenches with sizes so small they are like a needle. I can't seem to penetrate the clog in that air bleed. What ever is in there is pretty solid. I can't blow air through it or get spray carb cleaner to penetrate the clog.

I'm not familiar with that carb, but your explanation of the air bleed supply for the nozzle jet (emulsifier jet) sounds dead on...! That all makes perfect sense.

Can you see the bleed hole location in the brass insert? If so, you may be able to poke it out with a tiny number drill bit... maybe it is too small to risk doing that though...?

Perhaps misterclean59 can advise what must be done there.

Boil it in lemon juice, then try clearing it with high pressure air.

 

[misterclean59]

I've never had one I couldn't clean. It is very small in diameter. insert the straw that comes with the can of carb cleaner into the hole and push tight. Then with safety glasses on see if it sprays out a hole where the nozzle was. It should spray a fairly large amount. I make a special cleaning tool by getting a wire from a wire brush and straightening it out on the end about an inch or two. Then back drag the end on a grinding wheel so you make a taper on it. Take your time and you can do it. I use Amsoil brand "Power Foam" because it sticks to surfaces and doesn't dry. Just rub it overand over and it will clean out.........well they always have for me.

 

[taxman]

We have a Honda HSS928 snowblower with a GX 270cc motor and it starts on the first or second pull every time with full choke.