I've got a Honda HRR2167VKA. The engine is toast and I want to replace it. My problem is that there are so many variations of the GCV160 that I have no idea what will work and what won't. I did stop by Northern Tool today and the parts guy called his supplier and gave me a price of $369 for the complete engine. Northern sells 2 GCV160 models and I would think that one of them has to work. Some have a Red cover and metric specs and some a Black cover and SAE specs.
The sticker on the engine I have reads GCV160A0 MU7 R280 . Is there a reason this particular engine would be so much more expensive than the other GCV160's I'm seeing for sale for around $225? I really don't want to trash the mower but finding a new complete engine that's compatible is making me pull my hair out.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
The engine for the VKA costs more because it has all the associated features for that particular mower, like the crankshaft that fits the blade, the flywheel brake parts, the autochoke, the fixed-style throttle, EPA and California emissions certified parts (fuel cap, tank, tubes, piston rings), the list goes on and on.
The more "base" GCV160 lacks many of the above specs and would simply not fit or would not properly/safely work on the mower as a replacement engine.
FYI, you may wish to shop around; the suggested list price for the replacement engine is $337. Understand after Honda wholesales an engine to a dealer, the dealer has 100% control over the retail selling price. The part number (what is called a Honda Code) for the engine is 654320. You can find more Honda Engine Dealers here:
Honda Engine Dealer Locator
You might want to consider a few other solutions....parts for the GCV160 are plentiful and not costly, and with a shop manual, rebuilding one is not difficult, but will take some of your time, and keep that in mind if you wish to do repairs. You might be able to find deal on a used Honda mower with a suitable engine for significantly less than the cost of a new engine alone...Home Depot sells a LOT of Honda mowers, and many have refurbished models for sale, most with some warranty.
Finally, if you do go the used route, share the serial number off the back of the mower deck with me ("MXXX-1234567") and I can tell you if there's any factory warranty left on it or not. The warranty stays with the mower and can be transferred when sold.
Hope this helps...