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Two attempts ago I managed to cut the lawn, but the engine took forever to get started, and ran weakly upon mowing. I read up on the problem (google is filled with problems on the GCV 160), and i, indicated that the spark plug was the problem. I changed this and started the mower in my basement and it ran just fine for 30 seconds or so before I shut it off thinking it was fixed. I go to do the final cut of the season, and low and behold, it its the same problem; starts up after a battle and dies seconds later. This machine was bought this past spring, pretty disappointed.

I have the thing apart and am working on it, but don't really know what direction to go in? Carb, fly wheel? Anyone have any ideas? I'm not a complete newbie to lawn mower repair.

Sound very much like water in the carb.
Look closely at the carb and you should see an 8mm ( head size ) bolt poking out of the carb bowl at about 45deg.
Turn the fuel off and remove this bolt.
Try to catch what comes out.
Anything other than clen fuel will indicate the need to remove & clean the carb.
Hondas rarely give any ignition problems except from the low oil cut out where fitted.

The rough as guts test is to remove the air filter and use some starter fluid to start the mower.
If you can keep it running at near full speed with continual SHORT squirts of starter fluid then you have a fuel starvation problem.

Thanks very much for the reply, I'll try this out soon, just going to try and enjoy the rest of the Sunday evening.

About the second part of your post, where do I specifically put fuel into past the air filter? Just bypass all the lines and inset fuel at the carb?

Nebular said:

Thanks very much for the reply, I'll try this out soon, just going to try and enjoy the rest of the Sunday evening.

About the second part of your post, where do I specifically put fuel into past the air filter? Just bypass all the lines and inset fuel at the carb?

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Yes, just squirt carb cleaner in the large opening of the carburetor. If it starts and runs for a second or two and begins to die, you can squirt again to keep it running for a few more seconds, on and on.

Update:

Cleaned carb today. I didn't have exact tools, but I used a bristle of a brush to clean the pin and carb cleaner for the rest. I forgot to mention that my GCV 160 is autochoke. The component is between the carburetor and the body of the machine. This may also be the problem as I imagine it not functioning would cause the choke to kill the engine. I'll explore more soon and report.

Honda are having a lot of trouble with that auto choke.
Good thing is you can easily convert it to manual.

How does one go about doing that?

Update: After cleaning the carb, I put it all back together and started it up. Ran it alright for a bit and cut some grass before putting it away. I don't have complete confidence in it, I don't really feel like the carb was dirty, perhaps I just unstuck something that got stuck with the carb or more likely the auto-choke. I'll do my entire yard this week and update again.

Can anyone offer some advice on how to convert the auto-choke to manual? I'll try and research it.

Nebular said:

Update: After cleaning the carb, I put it all back together and started it up. Ran it alright for a bit and cut some grass before putting it away. I don't have complete confidence in it, I don't really feel like the carb was dirty, perhaps I just unstuck something that got stuck with the carb or more likely the auto-choke. I'll do my entire yard this week and update again.

Can anyone offer some advice on how to convert the auto-choke to manual? I'll try and research it.

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A few things to consider:

Honda did issue a Service Bulletin last year for some engines with Autochoke. The issue is the linkage can bind up, holding the choke OPEN, making it hard to start a cold engine. The bulletin covered both Honda mowers, plus non-Honda mowers that have a Honda engine. If you'll share the serial number off the side of the engine block with me, I can see if your engine was in the affected range.

If it is, your engine is still under warranty, and a Honda dealer confirms the problem, Honda will update the Autochoke to an improved design at no charge. Again, you must be in the range, still have warranty, and the dealer must confirm the problem is with the Autochoke.

Really would not recommend converting to manual choke. This would require a new carburetor, at least one or more new cables, probably a new handlebar, and if you wanted to have an adjustable throttle, adding a throttle control. Would be a really ugly patch job, especially if your mower was not originally fitted with an adjustable throttle. Finally, converting to a manual choke violates Federal laws related to tampering with engine emission systems.

You can find the engine serial number here; it is in the form of "GXXXX-1234567"

Thanks Robert, here it is: GJARA-5354936 s3b

Nebular said:

Thanks Robert, here it is: GJARA-5354936 s3b

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Okay, we have that engine with an in-service date of 2/11/2015, and it has a 2 year warranty. If you have proof-of-purchase that is a newer date, we can change the start of the warranty to match the date on the proof-of-purchase.

Next, that serial number is outside the range of units with possible defective autochoke. Your engine was manufactured well after the autochoke issue was discovered, but That does not absolutely mean your problem isn't with the autochoke, but since the engine is still in warranty, I'd suggest you have it inspected and evaluated by a Honda dealer; they can troubleshoot the issues, and if the problem is due to defective parts, repairs are usually covered under warranty.

1. First, find your nearest Honda engine dealer; use this link:

Find a Honda Engine Dealer

2. Next, call and talk with their service department. Find out their rules for providing warranty service. Some, but not all, shops require a diagnostic fee (usually under $40) that is cancelled/refunded if the problem is resolved under warranty. For a problem that is NOT considered warranty, they will often waive the fee if you choose to have them do the complete repair.


3. Be sure to discuss with the dealer what any costs might be BEFORE authorizing them to do any work.

4. If you still prefer to DIY, I'd suggest getting the Honda factory shop manual; it's an invaluable resource when working on the engine. Honda sells them direct via eBay and Amazon:

Honda Power Equipment Shop Manuals on eBay
Honda Power Equipment Shop Manuals on Amazon