primerbulb120
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The engine in question is a Honda GC160, serial GCAHA-2189925. It's on a customer's Troy-Bilt pressure washer.
It starts right up and runs pretty well with a slight bit of governor hunting (not as smooth as some, but nothing out of the ordinary.) When you start pressure washing, it loads up well without any hiccups. The problem occurs when you let off the trigger. It surges violently 6-7 times (accompanied by pops and a few backfires) before smoothing out. As the unit warms up, there are no changes in the engine's behavior. If you partially turn on the choke, the issue is still there but it only surges 3-4 times and there are less pops and backfires.
What I've done to it so far (in no particular order):
- Took apart carburetor, cleaned it and re-assembled it with a new OEM Honda float. During re-installation, I replaced all the gaskets between the carb and the engine. I also drained and cleaned the fuel tank before re-installing it.
- Tried a spare fuel pump I had. It did not correct the surging, and it produced so much pressure that it overrode the needle valve and flooded the engine.
- Tried a different spark plug. Nothing changed.
- Replaced the anti-surge spring (original was somewhat bent.) Nothing changed.
- Sprayed water all around the intake manifold and related gaskets. There were no noticeable changes in the pitch or smoothness of the engine.
Something to consider: The engine is significantly louder than any other GC or GCV engine I've used. There is also a rattling sound coming from the muffler while the engine is running and when it is shut down. I'm assuming something inside the muffler broke loose from vibration and is rattling around inside. Could this cause the engine to loose backpressure and run poorly? I have a good muffler I could put on, but I'm hesitant to attempt removal of the muffler bolts for fear they'll snap off.
Thanks!
It starts right up and runs pretty well with a slight bit of governor hunting (not as smooth as some, but nothing out of the ordinary.) When you start pressure washing, it loads up well without any hiccups. The problem occurs when you let off the trigger. It surges violently 6-7 times (accompanied by pops and a few backfires) before smoothing out. As the unit warms up, there are no changes in the engine's behavior. If you partially turn on the choke, the issue is still there but it only surges 3-4 times and there are less pops and backfires.
What I've done to it so far (in no particular order):
- Took apart carburetor, cleaned it and re-assembled it with a new OEM Honda float. During re-installation, I replaced all the gaskets between the carb and the engine. I also drained and cleaned the fuel tank before re-installing it.
- Tried a spare fuel pump I had. It did not correct the surging, and it produced so much pressure that it overrode the needle valve and flooded the engine.
- Tried a different spark plug. Nothing changed.
- Replaced the anti-surge spring (original was somewhat bent.) Nothing changed.
- Sprayed water all around the intake manifold and related gaskets. There were no noticeable changes in the pitch or smoothness of the engine.
Something to consider: The engine is significantly louder than any other GC or GCV engine I've used. There is also a rattling sound coming from the muffler while the engine is running and when it is shut down. I'm assuming something inside the muffler broke loose from vibration and is rattling around inside. Could this cause the engine to loose backpressure and run poorly? I have a good muffler I could put on, but I'm hesitant to attempt removal of the muffler bolts for fear they'll snap off.
Thanks!