Engine Troy_Bilt mower rough idle with auto choke

[duppadogg]

I am new to this forum. I am a DIY guy who is fairy handy with tools with a "take it apart and put it back together" approach. I know a little about a lot of things but fall short in many areas and seek advise from those more experienced.

I have a Troy-Bilt 21inch self propelled push mower with a Honda 160cc engine. It has an auto choke feature which I in hindsight now wished were manual adjustment. The engine constantly revs up and down. I have done the basics like clean the air filter and install new plug and properly gapped. Clean gas. Not sure what else to look for as the customer manual recommends taking it in for servicing. I do not like to spend money on something that I can fix especially right now as I am making every dollar stretch. If someone out there had some experience with this problem I would be much grateful to hear from you.

 

[pugaltitude]

Service movies - Honda Engines

Time for a carb clean.
Maybe require new gaskets.
Watch Hondas own video and maybe you tube to see how to take off.

 

[robert@honda]

I have a Troy-Bilt 21inch self propelled push mower with a Honda 160cc engine. It has an auto choke feature which I in hindsight now wished were manual adjustment. The engine constantly revs up and down.

On the side of the engine block is the serial number, in the form of GXXXX-1234567. If you'll share that with me, I can get you some troubleshooting and other tips for the exact engine. Surging is often an issue with fuel delivery, and in many cases, it is faster/easier/cheaper just to replace the carburetor as a unit, usually for under $30 and be done. I'll get you the part numbers.

Also, include your ZIP code and I'll get you a list of Honda dealers in your area. They can be a great source of parts and service tips and really do want your business.

 

[zeekstern]

Sounds like we have the same mower. Mine has the Honda engine. As I understand it, Troybilt uses several engines.

I agree with pugaltitude. I just spent yesterday taking mine off, cleaning it, and putting it back on, 3 times to be exact) While I still don't have mine running, and can offer you a few tips if you also have the honda engine.

1. You'll notice the air cleaner has a very short hose and looks like you will never get it back on, once you take it off. Don't worry about it and take it off.

2. There were only 2 long bolts holding everything together on that honda. Once I removed them, everything fell off except the automatic choke thing, so you better take a good look at how everything is on there now, before you take it off. I bought mine at a yard sale and bet this guy had taken it off a couple of times, so I didn't get a good look and am now sorry I didn't. I don't think I put mine back together correctly.

3. The carb has 2 screws on it. One is a big one that is easy to see and is on top. Take that off and spray that real good. The other is in that long tube on the bottom and needs a small long screw driver. I was not able to get that one out completely, but I still sprayed the heck out of it. That was the second time I took the carb off, and once I sprayed inside there, my mower would start for a second or two and then shut off. That told me that my problem is definatly with the carb.

4. What kind of plug did you put in? The reason I ask is that mine had a NGK-BPR6ES in it. It was really burnt black. I found some doc online that said to use a NGK-BPR6ES only for power washers, and to use a NGK-BPR5ES for everything else.

Well, as you can probably tell, I'm no mechanic and am just starting out working with small engines) And the above probably won't help you if you don't have the Honda engines. I've seen several videos with other model engines that remove the carb, and it is nothing like what I went through. It looked real easy.

Oh, one last thing. There is something called a govenor rod or something like that. When I was trying to get mine to start, I would manually push it back and forth. When I did, it would rev up a little, then go back down. I don't know how that thing works because when you pull the handle back to start the mower, it doesn't move. Actually, on my mower, nothing moves when pulling that handle. I'm going to open another post about that since this is your thread.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

Zeek

 

[duppadogg]

On the side of the engine block is the serial number, in the form of GXXXX-1234567. If you'll share that with me, I can get you some troubleshooting and other tips for the exact engine. Surging is often an issue with fuel delivery, and in many cases, it is faster/easier/cheaper just to replace the carburetor as a unit, usually for under $30 and be done. I'll get you the part numbers.

Also, include your ZIP code and I'll get you a list of Honda dealers in your area. They can be a great source of parts and service tips and really do want your business.

Hi - I looked for Honda engine serial number but could not find one. The only sticker on the mower is the Troy-Bilt model and serial numbers. I can only tell you its a Honda GCV160 and looking at the Honda owners manual it appears I have a type 8. Is this any help?

My Zip code is 07080.

 

[duppadogg]

Sounds like we have the same mower. Mine has the Honda engine. As I understand it, Troybilt uses several engines.

I agree with pugaltitude. I just spent yesterday taking mine off, cleaning it, and putting it back on, 3 times to be exact) While I still don't have mine running, and can offer you a few tips if you also have the honda engine.

1. You'll notice the air cleaner has a very short hose and looks like you will never get it back on, once you take it off. Don't worry about it and take it off.

2. There were only 2 long bolts holding everything together on that honda. Once I removed them, everything fell off except the automatic choke thing, so you better take a good look at how everything is on there now, before you take it off. I bought mine at a yard sale and bet this guy had taken it off a couple of times, so I didn't get a good look and am now sorry I didn't. I don't think I put mine back together correctly.

3. The carb has 2 screws on it. One is a big one that is easy to see and is on top. Take that off and spray that real good. The other is in that long tube on the bottom and needs a small long screw driver. I was not able to get that one out completely, but I still sprayed the heck out of it. That was the second time I took the carb off, and once I sprayed inside there, my mower would start for a second or two and then shut off. That told me that my problem is definatly with the carb.

4. What kind of plug did you put in? The reason I ask is that mine had a NGK-BPR6ES in it. It was really burnt black. I found some doc online that said to use a NGK-BPR6ES only for power washers, and to use a NGK-BPR5ES for everything else.

Well, as you can probably tell, I'm no mechanic and am just starting out working with small engines) And the above probably won't help you if you don't have the Honda engines. I've seen several videos with other model engines that remove the carb, and it is nothing like what I went through. It looked real easy.

Oh, one last thing. There is something called a govenor rod or something like that. When I was trying to get mine to start, I would manually push it back and forth. When I did, it would rev up a little, then go back down. I don't know how that thing works because when you pull the handle back to start the mower, it doesn't move. Actually, on my mower, nothing moves when pulling that handle. I'm going to open another post about that since this is your thread.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

Zeek

Thanks Zeek

 

[duppadogg]

Service movies - Honda Engines

Time for a carb clean.
Maybe require new gaskets.
Watch Hondas own video and maybe you tube to see how to take off.

Thanks for the links - Very Helpful. I viewed cleaning carb. Seems easy enough. I may price a new one before I attempt.

duppadogg

 

[robert@honda]

Hi - I looked for Honda engine serial number but could not find one. The only sticker on the mower is the Troy-Bilt model and serial numbers. I can only tell you its a Honda GCV160 and looking at the Honda owners manual it appears I have a type 8. Is this any help?

My Zip code is 07080.

Look very close (with a flashlight) and you'll see the number; it's often etched with tiny dots (laser?) so can be hard to see. Here are a few dealers for that ZIP code, and a few pages for the carb used on the GCV160 with autochoke. Note; there are two styles, with control plate and without. Look close, and you'll see which is yours. Finally, I assume you have a the fully automatic choke, not the type where you pull back on a spring-loaded lever to "load" the choke spring. Sometimes these are marked ACRS or such. If that is your engine, let me know and I'll dig up some pages for it too.

Sport Honda
911 Middlesex Ave
Metuchen, NJ 08840-2226
(732) 906-9292

Fords Lawnmower
769 King George Rd
Fords, NJ 08863-1961
(732) 738-1955

The Eardly T. Petersen Co.
224 Elmer St
Westfield, NJ 07090-2128
(908) 232-5723

Cammps Hardware & Lawn Products, Inc
2168 U. S. Highway 206
Belle Mead, NJ 08502-4008
(908) 281-7575

Hanover Powersports
210 Route 10 West
East Hanover, NJ 07936
(973) 428-1735

Metuchen Mower, Inc.
212 Main St
Metuchen, NJ 08840-2728
(732) 548-0503

 

[duppadogg]

Look very close (with a flashlight) and you'll see the number; it's often etched with tiny dots (laser?) so can be hard to see. Here are a few dealers for that ZIP code, and a few pages for the carb used on the GCV160 with autochoke. Note; there are two styles, with control plate and without. Look close, and you'll see which is yours. Finally, I assume you have a the fully automatic choke, not the type where you pull back on a spring-loaded lever to "load" the choke spring. Sometimes these are marked ACRS or such. If that is your engine, let me know and I'll dig up some pages for it too.

Sport Honda
911 Middlesex Ave
Metuchen, NJ 08840-2226
(732) 906-9292

Fords Lawnmower
769 King George Rd
Fords, NJ 08863-1961
(732) 738-1955

The Eardly T. Petersen Co.
224 Elmer St
Westfield, NJ 07090-2128
(908) 232-5723

Cammps Hardware & Lawn Products, Inc
2168 U. S. Highway 206
Belle Mead, NJ 08502-4008
(908) 281-7575

Hanover Powersports
210 Route 10 West
East Hanover, NJ 07936
(973) 428-1735

Metuchen Mower, Inc.
212 Main St
Metuchen, NJ 08840-2728
(732) 548-0503

OK I found the etching (difficult to read) I believe it reads G JAFA 485820 S3HX - Does that make sense?

Did not see anything ACRS but I saw a small black plastic piece that said N CL on it.

 

[robert@honda]

OK I found the etching (difficult to read) I believe it reads G JAFA 485820 S3HX - Does that make sense?

Did not see anything ACRS but I saw a small black plastic piece that said N CL on it.

That's close enough...the docs I posted earlier should include your engine. You can confirm by looking on top of the engine for the ARCS (Automatic Return Choke System) lever; your engine should NOT have one, and instead use the fully automatic choke system (no knobs, levers, or cables---fully automatic):

Here's what an engine with ARCS looks like: