GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.

VestalJames

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  • / GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.
Naturally, the thermowax autochoke is inoperative, but the mower starts O.K. with manual enrichment (i.e. a puff of gas into the carb).
Once started, the engine revs to what seems its normal range, but then revs drop to almost stall, then revs up again, drops again,
in a rythmic pattern, until it finally stalls entirely. An attempt to mow while it's in this pattern stalls it immediately. I use only non-ethanol
fuel. The mower functioned normally about 3 weeks previously; after that period of disuse it developed this malady. Suggestions welcome.

James
 

mechanic mark

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  • / GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.
When was the last time you gave her a tune-up? Use ethanol gas & Star Tron fuel treatment per instructions on bottle. I use high octane gas in everything.
Tune up: with engine cold adjust valves to specs. in Operators Manual. Gap new spark plug, install & torque to specs. Replace air & fuel filters. Remove blower housing, cover over engine, & clean engine cooling fins etc. by hand, no water, I use a Shop Vac with small intricate tools to loosen up dirt, debris, etc. Clean underside of deck & inspect blade after cleaning, does it need to be sharpened or replaced. Make sure blade is balanced & torqued to specs. Warm up engine & change oil per specs. in Manual. Lubricate all moving parts with lubricating oil. Let us know how it goes, thanks, Mark

Honda Shop Repair Manuals listed above for mowers etc. at decent price.
 
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VestalJames

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  • / GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.
Thanks, Mark, for your quick reply. The non-ethanol fuel I use is 90 octane, but I admit, with embarrassment, that I haven't performed a tune-up on the mower. Besides a spark plug, what's a tune-up entail? Just a thought-- would a vacuum leak through a damaged gasket in the intake tract cause the symptoms I described? Would Sea Foam work
as well as the treatment you've suggested?
 

olgeezershonda

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  • / GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.
From your description it appears the engine is not getting enough fuel (surging) due to a plugged jet and/or dirt and gunk in the fuel bowl. There are lots of videos available on YT on how to repair the problem and how to do tune-ups. Key search words would be Honda, surging, tune-ups. No harm in trying Sea Foam to see if works. If the carb hasn't been removed I doubt it would be damaged but if in doubt find out by removing it. Once you get it fixed keep it that way by only using fresh fuel (ethanol free if available) with fuel stabilizer added to the gas can. In other words follow the recommended maintenance schedule in the owners manual.

Oh yeah, replace the auto choke thermowax to make your life easier plus you can check the gaskets while you're in there.

Edit: My bad. Forgot about the "How To Clean A Honda Carburetor" instructions at the top of this page.
 
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VestalJames

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  • / GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.
Thanks, Geezer--I did, in fact, remove the carb, checked the float bowl and valve, gaskets, cleaned everything, reassembled
everything as it had been, fueled with fresh non-ethanol (which I always use, anyhow), and BOOM we were off to the races.
I didn't bother with the thermowax; a little priming ritual once in awhile is less bother than messing with the wax and I didn't
want to wait for parts-- the lawn was a jungle. Thanks for your help.
 

VestalJames

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  • / GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.
When was the last time you gave her a tune-up? Use ethanol gas & Star Tron fuel treatment per instructions on bottle. I use high octane gas in everything.
Tune up: with engine cold adjust valves to specs. in Operators Manual. Gap new spark plug, install & torque to specs. Replace air & fuel filters. Remove blower housing, cover over engine, & clean engine cooling fins etc. by hand, no water, I use a Shop Vac with small intricate tools to loosen up dirt, debris, etc. Clean underside of deck & inspect blade after cleaning, does it need to be sharpened or replaced. Make sure blade is balanced & torqued to specs. Warm up engine & change oil per specs. in Manual. Lubricate all moving parts with lubricating oil. Let us know how it goes, thanks, Mark
As I mentioned to Geezer, I did the carb clean-up with fresh fuel, which got me back in business. I'll wait on your tune up regimen until the season's
over when I have the time to do it properly; thanks for the information-- I was never supplied with an Owner's Manual.

James
 

olgeezershonda

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  • / GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.
Thanks, Geezer--I did, in fact, remove the carb, checked the float bowl and valve, gaskets, cleaned everything, reassembled
everything as it had been, fueled with fresh non-ethanol (which I always use, anyhow), and BOOM we were off to the races.
I didn't bother with the thermowax; a little priming ritual once in awhile is less bother than messing with the wax and I didn't
want to wait for parts-- the lawn was a jungle. Thanks for your help.
Glad to hear you got the problem sorted out. If you haven't found a manual yet and need one it can be found here. It appears you'll need your serial number to get the correct manual.
 

VestalJames

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  • / GCV 160 (HRR2168VKA) lawnmower--irregular idle; dies under load.
Thanks, again; it appears that I got my lawn mowed and baled just in time for another deep watering by Ida.
 
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