# Honda GXV140 head gasket question with pics



## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

New to the forum and glad I found it. Have been checking out the posts on many of the topics which are very informative. However, I recently inherited a 10 year old Honda HR215 with hydrostatic drive has a GXV140. Obviously, it won't start. I can pull on the rope and it is a smooth pull but never cranks up/starts. Cleaned and soaked the carb couple of times so I know it is getting fuel. Got spark as well. Not sure about how much compression it has. I was able to blow a rag out of the spark plug hole when I pulled the rope. Looks to me the head gasket may be blown (see pics). I am not that familiar with small engines but can work on it with the proper instructions. Please take a look at the pics and tell me if it is a head gasket issue....If so, do I just have to pull the 4 head bolts OR do I have to remove/disassembly the valves as well? Thanks!!!


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Head gasket does not appear to be leaking enough to prevent engine from starting, but hard to tell for sure from the pictures. You do not have to remove the rocker arms to pull the head, but you might as well go ahead and do so, as they will need to be adjusted and it's easier to remove and install the push rods with the rockers loose or off.

It's pretty straight forward, just keep track of the position of the rockers and push rods and reinstall the same ones back where you removed them from. You may want to give a good inspection to the valves and make sure they are seating all the way around and that neither of them are sticking open any.

Best of Luck.... :thumbsup:


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

30yearTech said:


> Head gasket does not appear to be leaking enough to prevent engine from starting, but hard to tell for sure from the pictures. You do not have to remove the rocker arms to pull the head, but you might as well go ahead and do so, as they will need to be adjusted and it's easier to remove and install the push rods with the rockers loose or off.
> 
> It's pretty straight forward, just keep track of the position of the rockers and push rods and reinstall the same ones back where you removed them from. You may want to give a good inspection to the valves and make sure they are seating all the way around and that neither of them are sticking open any.
> 
> Best of Luck.... :thumbsup:


Thanks for the quick reply 30yearTech....I had been researching this mower and engine for about 2 weeks and found the torque specs for the head bolts, valve adjustment clearance, etc. So, guess I may pull the head this weekend and give it a try. Need to locate a head gasket and sealant in the Houston area...hope the parts are available....Thanks again..will keep you posted and appreciate any other advice/tips for this repair...


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## rotti1968 (Apr 26, 2009)

I dont belive the gasket is blown either. I would check compression before you pull the head, and if you have access to a leak down tester do a leak down test on it. You could have bad rings or one of the valves is hanging.


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

rotti1968 said:


> I dont belive the gasket is blown either. I would check compression before you pull the head, and if you have access to a leak down tester do a leak down test on it. You could have bad rings or one of the valves is hanging.


Thanks for the advice...where can I borrow/rent a leak down tester?...Autozone here does not have one...


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

Borrowed a compressor tester from Autozone and hooked it up. After many many pulls on the rope, I got no movement on the gauge. I can feel air being pushed out of the spark plug hole with my finger but the gauge showed no pressure change. What does that indicate? I stopped by Harbor Freight and they had a leak down tester which I can purchase tomorrow if y'all think that will give me a better diagnostic understanding of the problem...


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

Put a little oil in the cylinder through the spark plug hole and try the compression gauge again. I would think you have a valve sticking or not seating properly. You should get some compression, even with worn rings. A head gasket is not a big investment. It may just be a good idea to yank the head and have a look at everything, it's really not a great big job.


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

rotti1968 said:


> I dont belive the gasket is blown either. I would check compression before you pull the head, and if you have access to a leak down tester do a leak down test on it. You could have bad rings or one of the valves is hanging.


Rotti1968....Got a leak down tester and hooked it up. Did TDC for piston and air leak seemed to be around head gasket (see photo). However, I am not familiar with how to diagnose probs using the leak down tester. What do I look for to determine if it is bad rings or sticking valves?


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## bc11 (Jul 14, 2009)

I don't know about a head gasket, but in the air conditioning and tire repair businesses they spray some soapy water on everything and a leak will make bubble(s) in the soapy water. However a small leak may only show up when running and may not be enough to keep it from starting but try it. Best thing is to just pull the head and check the valves and gasket. Clean up any sticky valves with carb cleaner till they work by hand turning the crank. Then stick it back together. If it runs and head gasket leaks, replace the gasket. I it runs and the gasket doesn't leak, you are good to go. The B&S head gasket I dealt with looked more like a fiber exhaust gasket. Back in my car repair days, the car engine head gaskets had some metal that would compress when torqued down to help the seal. Technically reusable but with all the work that goes into pulling a car head and with 15 to 1 compression and all the little oil and water passages in the block, common sense said to buy a new one. I could pull the heads on my old 57 chevy in a half hour. I wish cars were so simple now.

If you got bad or broken rings, you will definitely get some blue smoke and have had blue smoke for a while. Probably not your problem if you blew a rag out the spark plug hole. With your head pulled check the cylinder wall for scratches though.


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## bc11 (Jul 14, 2009)

Thought I would add that a moving piston will move air past your finger over the spark plug hole. Enough compression to start should build up quite a bit of pressure. I suppose for future purposes, I and you, should remove the plug on a good running engine to compare the compression.

Also with a vehicle engine, properly working valves and a pistons with compression will create quite a bit of suction at the air intake of a carb. Enough to suck your hand down tight. That's a simple test done on vehicles. Wouldn't be as much suction on a 1 cylinder mower but I would want to compare what a properly running engine has.

When a vehicle needs the choke on all the time to run, that usually means it is running lean. Either a carb cleaning issue or an intake manifold leak somewhere. One test for that is to spray starting fluid or carb cleaner around a manifold while it is running. If the rpms pick up with a spray in a certain spot, you found your gasket leak or manifold crack.


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

The saga continues....after replacing head gasket, cleaning up the carbon deposits on head and valves, cleaning/soaking carb, and doing a leak down test...looks like the intake valve is not closing all the way. Thought after cleaning the valve up that would help it close but no joy. Should I just replace the intake valve or try to lap it to seat better? I really don't know what options are available...Thanks for y'alls informative input!!!


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## dj722000 (Oct 29, 2008)

Did you check the clearance on the tappets to rocker arm when reassembling the valves? Sounds like you have it a little to tight on the the tappets which is causing your valve to remain open. There should be a little gap in there, one of the other mechanics can tell you what the clearance is for intake and exhaust, I dont have it at the moment. If you have the proper clearance on the tappets and the valve still isnt seating you may need to grind a little off the other end so it seats properly.


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

dj722000 said:


> Did you check the clearance on the tappets to rocker arm when reassembling the valves? Sounds like you have it a little to tight on the the tappets which is causing your valve to remain open. There should be a little gap in there, one of the other mechanics can tell you what the clearance is for intake and exhaust, I dont have it at the moment. If you have the proper clearance on the tappets and the valve still isnt seating you may need to grind a little off the other end so it seats properly.


Thanks for the reply and advice..however, I have set the valve clearance several times during this diagnostic ordeal. Even when doing the leak down test, I removed the valve cover to see how the valves were set. Guess I can plan to lap the valve and hope I can get it to seat well. Will lapping do the job OR do I need to get some sort of profession grinding done on this?


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

Finished lapping the intake and exhaust valve and seats. Exhaust valve seat appeared fine as it would hold a small pool of liquid without seeping. Intake valve still not set right in the seat after about 30 minutes of lapping. Do I take it to a machine shop to grind the seat or to a honda repair shop and they can grind the seat? Please advise...thanks again...


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

Took the head and valves to the honda shop. They do not grind valve seats but suggested machine shop down the road. Went to the machine shop and the owner said he no longer grinds the valves or seats as he does not have the grinding stones for that size. I will continue to check around the Houston area to locate a shop who can do this valve job. If you know of someone in the Houston area, please tell me...thanks!!


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## cogtx (Jul 15, 2009)

Praise the Lord!!! Got a small engine repair shop about 50 miles away to cut the valve seats today (after 2 attempts and 2 trips). Put it back together and started on first pull...Lordy, Lordy...Appreciate all you guys for the input and suggestions...was the valves after all and not the head gasket. Now I can relax and enjoy the Labor Day weekend...THANKS AGAIN!!


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## 30yearTech (Sep 14, 2006)

That's great! Glad to hear it's running once again... :thumbsup:


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## jack520 (Sep 7, 2010)

I have a gxv140 that smokes terrible upon start up. 

Where do I find the specification and steps to replace the rings? 

Any help would be appriciated


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## usmcgrunt (Sep 16, 2007)

This link should be of help with your project.

http://web.ebscohost.com/serrc/[email protected]


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