Dang $%^& Honda carb

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Just venting....

Honda push mower, 7 years old, maybe 300 hours on it.

This mower has been plagued since year 3 with clogged carb problems. I've opened it up a number of times to clean the bowl, clean the jet, clean the float valve. It's always some itty-bitty barely visible piece of debris. Sometimes I never even find the debris but it runs once reassembled.

Installed a fuel filter last fall before adding stabil and winterizing.

I don't mind that it backfires when I back off the rpms, but the run-run-run coast cu-chug then peacefully stall to 0 rpms is frustrating. This weekend acted like the float sticks closed and runs the bowl dry. Normally it's just anemic when the main jet gets obstructed. Now the jet seems OK, float sticky, but it's got great flow into the bowl (flows great through the drain).

I love the easy-start, great fuel consumption, burns zero-oil attributes to this nice machine, but I tell you a non-wrench-friendly homeowner would have ditched this thing by now due to this pesky carb.

M!!
 
Seven year push mower, not bad. I may need to look into a honda when it's time buy another one.
 
Maybe adding some fuel injector and carb cleaner to your gas mix will help?

I recently read a thread somewhere around here about someone adding a small amount Amsoil PI or something like it to a gallon of gas, then using that in his mower. Cleaned the carb right up.

Don't know what to tell you. Honda mowers, especially their Commercial grade, are really top of the line.
 
Originally Posted By: SuperDave456
Maybe adding some fuel injector and carb cleaner to your gas mix will help?

I recently read a thread somewhere around here about someone adding a small amount Amsoil PI or something like it to a gallon of gas, then using that in his mower. Cleaned the carb right up.

Don't know what to tell you. Honda mowers, especially their Commercial grade, are really top of the line.



I was just going to suggest the same thing....I've had great luck dosing my OPE gas with Chevron Techron. It seems to clear out these little carbs real nice.
 
The fact that everything is bolted down together seemed kinda cheap on my GCV when I pulled it apart but I was impressed with the carb itself. I was only expecting somthing like the more recent Techumseh carbs with the cheap plastic "emlusion tube" for a jet inside, but it looked as well made as any motorcycle carb IMO.

My problem appeared to be dirty air leakage into the choke area, the double stick tape like sealer on the gasket was coming apart.
 
A old French guy and a Texan taught me how to tear down and put back together Kehhin and Mikuni bike carbs. Keihins are found on a majority of bikes even though Keihin is controlled by Honda - and is their fuel system/HVAC/control components division much like Aisan and Denso is to Toyota.
 
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Yea, I've tried a couple of techron treatments, but I think the problem was from dusty environment while refueling I'm pretty sure. Never sits with stale fuel. I use stabil during winters, and don't think Amsoil PI would solve all of its problems, even if it did make my accord idle more smoothly.

I liked the older tecumseh carbs that had adjustable jet. This is one of those emissions-compliant engines with the magic (catalytic) muffler and presumably somewhat lean mixture.

Punisher--- If the carbs are really under $30, that may be an attractive route. Do you have a suggested vendor? I'm not there yet, but if I don't get it to behave to where my wife can tolerate it, I'm in trouble. She's not kind to the machine when it acts up.

Mike
 
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