# Honda GC 160 won't start



## 74plb

The GC160 on my pressure washer won't start. The guy I bought this with claims that it was running when he put it away over a year ago. His wife said that it hasn't been used in over a year.
I drained the old fuel out of the tank and float bowl and refilled it with new gas. When I went to start it I discovered that the throttle was stuck closed with varnish. (What a surprise..). I cleaned the carb, pulled it through and still no start. It does backfire through the carb on every 10th pull or so.
I pulled the plug and stuck my thumb over the plug hole and discovered that my thumb is drawn in more on the intake stroke than the exhaust. Very little if any compression.
My thinking is that somehow the cam timing is off. I don't know if the thing ran before he put it away or the reason he put it away was it didn't run!
Lesson learned here is to not trust someone with your Stuff
At any rate, can I split the case without totally disassembling the engine? Is there a way to check the cam timing by just popping the valve cover off?
Thanks for any help you can give me.


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## 30yearTech

74plb said:


> My thinking is that somehow the cam timing is off. I don't know if the thing ran before he put it away or the reason he put it away was it didn't run!


Yes you can check the valves by removing the valve cover. It's sealed with high temp silicon sealer so you will have to pry it off. There is a good possibility that one of your valves may be sticking and not closing. This is very likely on a unit that has not been run in a long time.

It's very possible that the unit was working just fine when last used. If equipment is not properly stored, you can have several issues when you pull it out of storage for use. You can also have problems with the pressure pump, due to the long period of non use.

Best of Luck.... :thumbsup:


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## 74plb

Thanks very much for the reply, I am on a two week trip. When I return home I will see what I can come up with.
Thanks again.


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## ossaguy

I've seen several of these,and it's always been the intake stem has the same sticky varnish on it that the throttle shaft has on.When you take off the valve cover and the carb,you can look thru the intake port and see the valve stem.If it's all brown looking and stuck in the open position,spray carb cleaner in the intake port,and get the valve moving from the top.Careful not to get dislogde the spring retainer.I've only had 1 that couldn't be fixed without a total teardown.
If you did have to remove the valves,it does mean splitting the cases,pulling the piston out.That's not so bad except removing the Hondabond sealant is a tedious chore.
Most likely,it'll be needing a new carb if it's that bad.They are very inexpensive so in most cases it's cheaper in the long run to replace it.But since it's your own time,try cleaning it for less money,see if you luck out.
I hope you get it fixed ok.

Steve


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