# honda GVC160 will not start



## kevinmayfield (May 22, 2009)

I have a crafsman washer with a honda gcv160 with naybe 16hr on it. was washing my car with it and it stoped. I checked the spark plug and checked for spark. 
When I prime the engine, I get backfire from the carb . any ideals ?


thanks kevin


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## rotti1968 (Apr 26, 2009)

How old is the unit age not hours? There was an issue with cam gears breaking on those engines a while back . It sounds to me like some sort of timing/valve issue .
The cam pulley falls under honda service bulletin #ohv engines 33 and covers these mod engines :Model Serial Number Prefix Affected Serial Number Range
GC135 GCAJ 1000001 ~ 1212836
GC160 GCAH 1000001 ~ 1769467
GC160 GCAHA 1000001 ~ 1431210
GCV135 GJDF 1000001 ~ 1623713
GCV160 GJAE 1000001 ~ 2340425
GCV160 GJAEA 1000001 ~ 1554043

SYMPTOM
Under certain operating conditions, the cam pulley
may break causing the engine to stop suddenly and
not restart.

CORRECTIVE ACTION
A new-style cam pulley and timing belt are available which provide improved
durability under all operating conditions.
Install a new-style cam pulley and timing belt on affected units with the described
symptom.


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## kevinmayfield (May 22, 2009)

it is about 7 yrs old. whare is the serial # at on the motors ?


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## rotti1968 (Apr 26, 2009)

should be on the side of the block and its etched into it .


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## Djz020 (May 23, 2009)

there could be a problem in the fuel lines, check to make sure there are no leaks,kinks,cracks or anything like that. and how is the exhaust, are you sure its not clogged? check to make sure your fuel filter is not clogged either.


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## rotti1968 (Apr 26, 2009)

this engine normally does not run a fuel filter,and unless something entered the exhaust it should not be clogged. due to the age i would lean in the direction of the bad cam gear. I have repaired a few of these due to this issue. If you have a local honda dealer in your area I would consider taking it to them. If it is this issue there maybe some form of warranty consideration offered. I know i have warrantied the ones I have done and they were out of warranty .


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## heygibb (Jun 16, 2009)

rotti1968 said:


> How old is the unit age not hours? There was an issue with cam gears breaking on those engines a while back . It sounds to me like some sort of timing/valve issue .
> The cam pulley falls under honda service bulletin #ohv engines 33 and covers these mod engines :Model Serial Number Prefix Affected Serial Number Range
> GC135 GCAJ 1000001 ~ 1212836
> GC160 GCAH 1000001 ~ 1769467
> ...


rotti,
I'm new here and wanted to follow up on what you had to offer this thread.
I'm fairly certain I have the cam pulley failure that you have referred to in this thread. I have this engine running a pressure washer. It stopped, for no apparent reason,and I've been unable to restart it. I changed plugs, used carb cleaner and checked the fuel lines. This unit has always started after one pull so I know something is not right.

I searched out the part on a Honda parts file and was thinking of ordering the cam pulley and timing belt you referred to. I haven't contacted a Honda service center yet, but if I can't get this repaired under the recall warranty, is this something a moderately competent weekend mechanic handle? Would I need special tools to do it?

I've laid enough out here for now. I don't even know if you are around these parts any more. If you can lend a little more advice, I would appreciate it. This pressure washer is several years old but very well maintained. It's been a good tool for use around the house. I'd hate to have to trash it and start over w/ another one.
THanks for your time.
Tim


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

heygibb said:


> rotti,
> I'm new here and wanted to follow up on what you had to offer this thread.
> I'm fairly certain I have the cam pulley failure that you have referred to in this thread. I have this engine running a pressure washer. It stopped, for no apparent reason,and I've been unable to restart it. I changed plugs, used carb cleaner and checked the fuel lines. This unit has always started after one pull so I know something is not right.
> 
> ...


The first thing you might want to do, is to remove the valve cover and have a look at the cam to see if it is in fact broken. 

If this could possibly be covered under warranty, you may want to consult with an authorized Honda Service Center before doing any work on it yourself.


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## heygibb (Jun 16, 2009)

30yearTech said:


> The first thing you might want to do, is to remove the valve cover and have a look at the cam to see if it is in fact broken.
> 
> If this could possibly be covered under warranty, you may want to consult with an authorized Honda Service Center before doing any work on it yourself.


I spoke w/ the local Honda service tech re the recall and problems w/ the cam pulley, after detailing the problems I have getting my spray washer started. He was very helpful. He called the Greensboro office re the service bulletin mentioned above. They told him that was issued in 2003, I believe, so my engine would have not had that issue since it is only a few years old. I told him I would inspect to see if the cam pulley was indeed broken before anything else. It is not broken after opening up the head cover and taking a peek. I am thinking of putting a new coil on it, since I was not getting fire last time I tried to start it.

I would like to mention one detail I've left out. This unit is several years old and has always started after one pull, until now. When it was last running, I noticed an interior clanking noise that I usually don't hear. I shut 'er down and checked the oil. It was as it should be. I read in another forum of a sticky intake valve seal maybe restricting oil flow. I checked the intake rocker arm and it seems to move ok to me, but I'm a weekend warrior at this. Comments anyone? 
Thanks again.
Tim


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## heygibb (Jun 16, 2009)

This is rather embarrassing but at the end of all my trouble shooting, I found water in my gas. After checking the cam pulley status, I decided to pull the plug and then pull the rope to cycle the piston. To my surprise, out came water! After draining the carb bowl, lines and tank, I got it started again. Evidently, the open spout on my gas can took enough water in during a rain that it contaminated the fuel. I guess I deserved to chase my tail around a bit since I left the can out in the yard, w/ the cap off the spout, for a few days. Maybe this will help someone else not to do what I did.
I'm still glad I found this forum. It helped motivate me to solve my problem myself.
Tim


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## rotti1968 (Apr 26, 2009)

This happens very often also, sorry that it took sometime and it was such a simple issue. I have been working on small engines for 15+ years and when you described your issue ,well it fell right into my original diagnosis based on units i have worked on . But I sometimes make the mistake of not thinking the simple route first only because of symptoms and units i have worked on in the past . Again sorry that it took time to figure it out but at least you and myself for that matter have learned a little something .


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## ratchet26 (Jun 23, 2009)

Hello, I also have this engine (GJAE-4438468) on a troy built mower that won't start. My father in-law was the last to run it and he said it didn't die on him but ran "choppy" and wanted to stall on him; he thought it had bad gas in it.

I noticed fuel would eventually start dripping out the air cleaner after many unsuccessful pulls. So I partially pulled the carb and looked inside the intake. I had the wife pull it slowly and the valve stem doesn't move at all, it's stuck open. 

I read elsewhere that sometimes this can be freed up by carb spray down the intake while cranking it a few times. I haven't tried this but I wondered if anyone had suggestions before I go get some carb spray. I suppose if BOTH valves don't move then theres no use in spraying. Can the exhaust valve be easily viewed on this engine?

Thanks in advance
Clay


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## rotti1968 (Apr 26, 2009)

I would pull the valve cover 4 bolts and have a look , while you pull the recoil a few times you should see both valves move. if its just the intake valve sticking you may be able to get it free with your thumb some carb cleaner and a little oil. If both valves are not operating you may have something a little more going on and may need to look at the cam gear and timing belt, they are right there and you should be able to see if it is moving when you pull the recoil over or you may be able to see if its damaged.


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## heygibb (Jun 16, 2009)

ratchet26 said:


> Hello, I also have this engine (GJAE-4438468) on a troy built mower that won't start. My father in-law was the last to run it and he said it didn't die on him but ran "choppy" and wanted to stall on him; he thought it had bad gas in it.
> 
> I noticed fuel would eventually start dripping out the air cleaner after many unsuccessful pulls. So I partially pulled the carb and looked inside the intake. I had the wife pull it slowly and the valve stem doesn't move at all, it's stuck open.
> 
> ...


Clay,
You can easily access the valve rocker arms by taking off the valve cover, which is located below the spark plug port on the back of the motor. You will have to reseal the cover w/ a gasket making material. I was able to view my cam pulley there (which was ok) and activate my rockers manually. My valves worked fine. Maybe after loosening them up by hand, you could pull the starting rope and make sure they are freed up. I'm no small engine mechanic,so if this doesn't do it for you, I can't help.
Here is a link to a schematic of the valve access.
http://s9.photobucket.com/albums/a64/heygibb/?action=view&current=GVC160valvecover.jpg
Here is a link to a pdf file that has the parts breakdown of the whole engine.
http://www.css-club.net/honda/pp-service/data/13ZM00E8.pdf
I believe the blowup you need is on page 43.


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## heygibb (Jun 16, 2009)

rotti1968 said:


> This happens very often also, sorry that it took sometime and it was such a simple issue. I have been working on small engines for 15+ years and when you described your issue ,well it fell right into my original diagnosis based on units i have worked on . But I sometimes make the mistake of not thinking the simple route first only because of symptoms and units i have worked on in the past . Again sorry that it took time to figure it out but at least you and myself for that matter have learned a little something .


Thanks for touching base on this thread. 
Yep, we are predisposed to expect a particular outcome sometimes and we end up making fools of ourselves. Even in social circles...speaking for myself. 
I learned a little bit more about my engine and what to look out for in the future, as well as how I can prevent my stupidity from becoming a common thing. Thanks again.


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## ratchet26 (Jun 23, 2009)

It Runs! I bought some carb+choke cleaner today and sprayed it down the carb while holding one of the throttle levers open (seems to be a fixed throttle carb). I'm an auto mechanic so I was pretty comfortable getting into this and suspected letting it soak in might help. I gave it a few shots and cranked it over (minus holding down the starting lever and with the fuel turned off). Of course I couldn't resist trying to started it right then but it only backfired a little out the open intake valve. Then I propped the back of the mower up so that it would have a good chance to run down into the valve guide. I ran some errands and returned about 2 hours later. I repeated the spray and crank process a couple times and gave it a few pulls with fuel and spark on. It took about 10 more pulls but fired up nicely. I gave it a few more short shots with it running so as not to kill it.

I'm sure it was the bad fuel that caused the intake valve to stick. I have bought fuel treatment for winter storage before but had lost track of it before this last winter. Lesson learned and I won't let it get bad fuel again.

Thanks for your replies, I will have to reseal the valve cover - I started to open it a few days ago after I saw the stuck open valve. But when oil started to drain out I realized I wasn't prepared to tackle it right then. So it did seep some oil since then. But the lawn looks great now thanks again.

-Clay

Edit: Oh, and for the record the title of this thread should probably say GCV not GVC. It would come up in searches this way.


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## heygibb (Jun 16, 2009)

Glad you got it running.
Good pickup on the thread title, too.


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