LazerZLandscaping
Well-Known Member
Is the Honda GCV160 reliable? Any pros/cons about this motor? Does it have a real carburetor on it, or is it a Governor-Spring carb like on lots of the Briggs and Stratton engines? Any info would be appreciated.
Is the Honda GCV160 a reliable engine?
- Thread starter LazerZLandscaping
- Start date
gfp55
Well-Known Member
All I can say about the GCV160&190 is that the powerwashers they are on, the pumps gives out and the engines run great. I have two old washers with bad pumps and two good engines. Just keep the oil level up and you should be good to go for many years. I've never had any problems with the carbs on mine.
Av8r
Active Member
I have a GCV160 on my log splitter. Just at about 200 hours on it, starts first pull after 4 years and has never given me any issues. I do change the oil in it every 25 hours and use 10w-30 synthetic (I know it's overkill, but I run mobil 1 in all of my stuff)
LazerZLandscaping
Well-Known Member
Well that is good. I also run Mobil 1 10W30/10W40 in all my equipment. I am buying a Husqvarna mower and wanted to know if these Honda's were reliable. I have had Kawasaki, Tecumseh, Briggs and Stratton, Kubota, Kohler, etc and I've never had a Honda engine. After reading reviews and threads, The Honda motors are reliable. The Briggs and Strattons now a days aren't so reliable as they use to. With all these new EPA rules and state regulations, they set the motors to run so lean they run like crap. Some are non-adjustable. And the ones that are adjustable, the manual or it is stamped to the engine "Do Not Adjust", but I'll adjust them to how I want my equipment to run.
Av8r
Active Member
I run a lot of different engines and Honda is one of my favorites, along with kawasaki, kohler and tecumseh. The 160 is a smaller engine, it runs strong
robert@honda
Lawn Addict
The Honda GCV160 (and larger GCV190) engine have been made by Honda for 20+ years.
All-aluminum, overhead-valve, overhead-camshaft design
Four-stroke, regular unleaded gasoline and are splash-lubricated with SAE 10W-30 oil
Internal timing belt that last for the life of the engine
Cast, machined, and manufactured at the Honda plant in Swepsonville, North Carolina
Honda make hundreds of thousands of these engines for hundreds of other companies (OEM) who use them for mowers, pressure washers, go-karts, log-splitters, construction equipment, etc. And of course, Honda lawn mowers too, but most of them are used on non-Honda equipment.
The carburetor is a venturi-style with integrated choke plate, interchangeable main jet, pre-set mixture screw, and fully EPA and California ARB emissions approved. A new GCV carburetor has a list price of $15
A mechanical decompressor reduces recoil starting effort
Flywheel weight type mechanical governor
Some models offer fully automatic choke, others with manual chokes
Some models with fixed throttles, others manual throttles
Some models designed with blade brake clutches, others stop engine and blades together
There is also a commercial version, the GSV190, which features a ball-bearing supported crankshaft, two-stage air cleaner