Honda GCV 190 rings

[riseandrun]

Greetings fellow enthusiasts,
I have a HRX 217 my neighbor gave me. He's cleaning out the shed. He tried starting it with me there by spraying starter fluid in the air cleaner side and it wouldn't stay running. I changed the gas in it and it ran for a little while but was blowing out blue smoke and pretty stinky. I did a compression check and only had 60 LBS. At this point I have taken apart the engine and pulled the piston. It being my first attempt at changing the rings on an engine I can't tell if they are bad or not. The cylinder is very clean, the piston is not scored at all. The top two rings appear to fit in the grooves very well. The oil ring does not stick out like the top compression rings and I wondered if it was "compressed". I have cleaned up the valves and top of piston, lashed the valves with compound (I believe that's what it's called) and now I wonder if the problem was somewhere else. Any direction from here appreciated. Will attempt to post a picture...
Thanks
R&R
Model HRX217KVKA
Engine GJAA16521569 MY9

 

[tadawson]

Take the rings off the piston, and insert them in the bore, and check the end gap - that will give you an indication of how much they are worn. (Factory/desired end gap is published in the service manual for your engine . . .).

You can then move them from the worn areas of the cylinder to the unworn area at the bottom, and with a little math, using the change in the end gap between the worn and unworn area, you can also get a feel for cylinder wear (assuming that you don't have a micrometer suitable to easure the cylinder ID diredtly.

 

[bertsmobile1]

The oil scrapers do not protrude as far as the compression rings unless it is a one piece ring and they have not been used for decades
To make a proper seal you need good rings and a good bore
The bore must have visible cross hatching .
If it has worn through then the bore will need a hone.
There is no signs of excessive ring wear on the piston you have photographed.
Excessive smoke is more likely to be from a blown head gasket or worn out valve stem oil seals.

 

[Russ2251]

Excessive smoke is more likely to be from a blown head gasket...

Just a note...NO head gasket on any GCV engines.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

The oil scrapers do not protrude as far as the compression rings unless it is a one piece ring and they have not been used for decades
To make a proper seal you need good rings and a good bore
The bore must have visible cross hatching .
If it has worn through then the bore will need a hone.
There is no signs of excessive ring wear on the piston you have photographed.
Excessive smoke is more likely to be from a blown head gasket or worn out valve stem oil seals.

I don't think this is a cast iron bore, I tore one down and couldn't get a magnet to stick to it. But, is it like a Briggs aluminum bore you don't hone?

 

[Russ2251]

is it like a Briggs aluminum bore you don't hone?

It can be honed and should be (as stated above by Mr. Bert) if cross hatching is worn away.
As an aside, the GCV series of engines is the bottom of the line Honda.
Life expectancy is low. Broken camshafts and belt issues are not unheard of.

 

[JBtoro]

Below is the 1st in a series of "how-to's" on repairing a GCV160. From this 1st video, you can access others, including ring replacement. I did a ring job on a 2010-made GCV160 last winter. The mower was not maintained (deck, a mess) and the engine smoked. I bought rings on ebay for $10-15 and used these videos as a guide to disassemble the engine, replace rings, and re-assemble. Did not hone the cylinder because the ring gap looked ok. Have used the mower on a better deck all summer with no smoke; runs great. Not disputing others who say to hone, but in my case it wasn't necessary. If it still smoked because the cylinder was was in fact in need of honing, so what; I was only out a few bucks & the job was fun to do. My regular shop tools were sufficient for this job with one exception; I borrowed a ring compressor from Autozone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B-H5tgxd7E

 

[riseandrun]

Wow! What great responses! Really appreciate the education I'm getting on my first engine tear apart. ( I've tore them apart before, but never put back together and wanted them to run again) Never really understood ring gap. I thought that was how much room was between the ring and the piston in the groove.
It's not a cast iron bore, and I'm surprised this engine is at the bottom of the line for Honda's. Opinion or fact? Can you tell me one that you like? (for education purposes. I respect your opinion)
Not sure what Cross hatching is, but I have an idea. Next picture will be of the cylinder itself.
And thanks much for the you tube video's. I have watched a few of them. I don't know how I would have gotten the piston out without one of the video's from a small engine class in Iowa...
Can someone please tell me a brand or type of sealant I need to put the two halves back together and the valve covers.
Again thank you all for responding!
R&R

 

[Scrubcadet10]

For sealant I would use Permatex Ultra black. It's maximum oil resistance along with the valve cover too.

Cross hatching
Click on the pic to make it bigger.

Putting a 45° cross hatch is generally referred to as Honing the cylinder. Unlike boring, this is when The cylinder and rings can be standard and not over sized. It helps the rings break in and seal, and helps with oil retention.

 

[Scrubcadet10]

And when using sealant I always get bolts snug, then wait the curing time out, then torque to spec.