Hi
Can anyone help please... :(
I have a 5.5 Honda GXV 160 UH2 SFL1 R280 Engine on a 2007 SARP ( Kaaz ) SARP SLM 5360 HXA - Pro Mower.
At my wits end.
Started using this engine in the summer 2008, every winter except the last two, I remembered to squirt some oil in the spark plug hole and drain the carb. But last winter I did pull it over a few times to distribute some oil.
The problem is, at full power it runs erratically, mainly smooth but with a few miss fires sounds like a slightly muffled pop type of noise now and then. It doesn't hunt or surge. It starts a dream first 7" of cord and away she goes, first time every time. At tickover its not too bad just the odd slight variation.
It has plenty of power, but the plugs look very black and sooty ( far too rich ). It had Mobil 1 0W-40 oil changed 3 to 4 times every summer, and it always looks like golden honey on changing it. So hopefully zero engine wear.
To cure the problem, I changed the spark plug, checked the valve clearance, checked the torque on the tappet lock nut, ( all smack on ) drained and changed the oil, drained and washed the gas tank, blew carb cleaner throught the fuel filter, which seemed clean. Washed the sponge on the airfilter, oiled and squeezed out.
NOTE I did not change the paper air cleaner, as it looked super clean and has never really got dirty. Even the foam surround, when washed seemed clean. Blew carb cleaner through the fuel line, and fuel stopcock.
Still the same problem. :( :(
Then I took off the carb, washed the plastic air cleaner housing, took out the main jet that was a little gummed up, and the long air jet above it ( a few holes were gummed up) . Note they both fell out easy, used a needle to clear all the holes, removed the black plastic pilot jet? The one under the slow speed adjuster black plastic screw, then blew carb cleaner through all the holes, it seemed to jet out all over the place so I assumed all the airways and or fuel ways were clean.
The carb itself and bowl were pretty clean.
Checked the choke is not being activated by the throttle etc.
Still the same problem!!!
I have not reset the governor , but its in the pulled back position, so think its OK.
Note I had not reset the pilot needle jet; as it had one of those dam caps glued on it. i.e. The carb was flushed with this pilot needle jet in situ.
Still the same problem. :( :(. So fed up , and I needed a good result for having the courage to strip a carb lol :(
Having been advised by a top Merc mechanic ( the best in the UK IMO ) that I still needed to change the paper air filtres at ï½£400 on the SL 500 at only 15,000 miles because it was 4 years old, even though service interval for those filters was 40,000 miles, (he explained they degrade, even if they look super clean)
So I decided to run the engine with the air filter off. As I took it off, with the engine running at full power, it speeded up quite a lot, and the popping noise diminuished quite a lot. lowering the filter back down slowed the engine and the popping noise restarted. Note it wasn't perfect with the airfilter off but 90 95% good.
That all seemed fairly logical to my uneducated brain, as the plug was very black and sooty, and again very sooty after only a 1 hour cut! ... I assumed it was running far too rich???
So lets suppose the air filter was contricting it, removing it should lean up the mix and hence it went faster...... But am I right??
So I thought I am on to a winner, this thing needs a new air filter!
OK I don't think the needle pilot jet should effect the engine at full power, but decided to get rid of the cap! To check it and maybe strip and clean the carb again tomorrow i.e. Clean out all the channells!
I had heard if you heat the cap with a soldering iron, and pull ... it comes off. And it did. It was set as recommended at 2 turns out.
I assume as its right near the inlet manifold its a "fuel pilot jet" not a "air pilot jet" and thus screwing it in leans the mix and screwing it out enriches it? But is this right??
I understand the process is set to 2 turns off (i.e. out) just seated, and then fiddle to see where it runs the fastest; and then reset the slow running to 1700 rpm. In doing so, I was shocked to find that the fastest engine speed was with the pilot needle turned fully in and seated!! WTF .... I assumed if it was fully seated, there would be no fuel coming through, and the engine would die! Nope thats its fastest position!! and the engine speeds up a lot! If it is seated. :-/
So I am now totally confused. Unless the seat of the needle pilot jet screw is plastic, and in heating up the cap I inadvertantly melted away the seat?? But then it was 2 turns out, when I was heating the cap - so it should not have been touching the seat. And I was fairly careful, heat, pull, heat, pull etc. until it just came off cleanly. So hopefully not too much overheating.
I then blasted the neeedle with carb cleaner and the pilot needle jet hole so it blasted back.
So I got to thinking, if this engine is running too rich it could be a restricted Airfilter, pretty sure that is the case, but the fact this pilot jet when screwed fully in results in faster rpms - it is as though the carb "as a whole" is too rich. What could cause this? Is the float or float needle faulty?? Could that be the problem ... Note when I Stripped the carb, I could see a slight colour change on the pointed end of the float needle, but it wasnt dented per se.
Looking at the parts prices I was shocked! The float is ï½£25, the float needle is ï½£19, the mainjet is ï½£9 and the long jet is ï½£19 and the pilot needle jet is ï½£14 , the plastic pilot jet is ï½£19 and the gaskets are ï½£19. ...... Strewth you find the jets and gaskets are the same price as a whole new carb!
Hence regarding this fact, that the engine runs fastest With the pilot needle fully in - has anyone any ideas what is faulty? To try and save me buying outrageously expensive parts unecessarily.
Is it the float? or float needle? or both or something else?
Obviously I Will get a new air cleaner filter ( both parts ) but my concern is that might solve most of the problem, but intrinsicly the engine could be running too rich, that could lead to an early decoke job!
Any help, ideas most welcome and most appreciated. Please?
General Info:-
I run it on 99 Octane Shell V Power Nitro +, so apparently no ethonal and a great cleaning additive. ( seriously pampered mower, same treatment as my SL500. ) in the past this ran beautifully.
The first 5 years ran beautifully smoothly. Checked tappets evey year, no adjustment needed. Only does a tiny 1/4 arce lawn. Always fully warmed up before mowing.
Can anyone help please... :(
I have a 5.5 Honda GXV 160 UH2 SFL1 R280 Engine on a 2007 SARP ( Kaaz ) SARP SLM 5360 HXA - Pro Mower.
At my wits end.
Started using this engine in the summer 2008, every winter except the last two, I remembered to squirt some oil in the spark plug hole and drain the carb. But last winter I did pull it over a few times to distribute some oil.
The problem is, at full power it runs erratically, mainly smooth but with a few miss fires sounds like a slightly muffled pop type of noise now and then. It doesn't hunt or surge. It starts a dream first 7" of cord and away she goes, first time every time. At tickover its not too bad just the odd slight variation.
It has plenty of power, but the plugs look very black and sooty ( far too rich ). It had Mobil 1 0W-40 oil changed 3 to 4 times every summer, and it always looks like golden honey on changing it. So hopefully zero engine wear.
To cure the problem, I changed the spark plug, checked the valve clearance, checked the torque on the tappet lock nut, ( all smack on ) drained and changed the oil, drained and washed the gas tank, blew carb cleaner throught the fuel filter, which seemed clean. Washed the sponge on the airfilter, oiled and squeezed out.
NOTE I did not change the paper air cleaner, as it looked super clean and has never really got dirty. Even the foam surround, when washed seemed clean. Blew carb cleaner through the fuel line, and fuel stopcock.
Still the same problem. :( :(
Then I took off the carb, washed the plastic air cleaner housing, took out the main jet that was a little gummed up, and the long air jet above it ( a few holes were gummed up) . Note they both fell out easy, used a needle to clear all the holes, removed the black plastic pilot jet? The one under the slow speed adjuster black plastic screw, then blew carb cleaner through all the holes, it seemed to jet out all over the place so I assumed all the airways and or fuel ways were clean.
The carb itself and bowl were pretty clean.
Checked the choke is not being activated by the throttle etc.
Still the same problem!!!
I have not reset the governor , but its in the pulled back position, so think its OK.
Note I had not reset the pilot needle jet; as it had one of those dam caps glued on it. i.e. The carb was flushed with this pilot needle jet in situ.
Still the same problem. :( :(. So fed up , and I needed a good result for having the courage to strip a carb lol :(
Having been advised by a top Merc mechanic ( the best in the UK IMO ) that I still needed to change the paper air filtres at ï½£400 on the SL 500 at only 15,000 miles because it was 4 years old, even though service interval for those filters was 40,000 miles, (he explained they degrade, even if they look super clean)
So I decided to run the engine with the air filter off. As I took it off, with the engine running at full power, it speeded up quite a lot, and the popping noise diminuished quite a lot. lowering the filter back down slowed the engine and the popping noise restarted. Note it wasn't perfect with the airfilter off but 90 95% good.
That all seemed fairly logical to my uneducated brain, as the plug was very black and sooty, and again very sooty after only a 1 hour cut! ... I assumed it was running far too rich???
So lets suppose the air filter was contricting it, removing it should lean up the mix and hence it went faster...... But am I right??
So I thought I am on to a winner, this thing needs a new air filter!
OK I don't think the needle pilot jet should effect the engine at full power, but decided to get rid of the cap! To check it and maybe strip and clean the carb again tomorrow i.e. Clean out all the channells!
I had heard if you heat the cap with a soldering iron, and pull ... it comes off. And it did. It was set as recommended at 2 turns out.
I assume as its right near the inlet manifold its a "fuel pilot jet" not a "air pilot jet" and thus screwing it in leans the mix and screwing it out enriches it? But is this right??
I understand the process is set to 2 turns off (i.e. out) just seated, and then fiddle to see where it runs the fastest; and then reset the slow running to 1700 rpm. In doing so, I was shocked to find that the fastest engine speed was with the pilot needle turned fully in and seated!! WTF .... I assumed if it was fully seated, there would be no fuel coming through, and the engine would die! Nope thats its fastest position!! and the engine speeds up a lot! If it is seated. :-/
So I am now totally confused. Unless the seat of the needle pilot jet screw is plastic, and in heating up the cap I inadvertantly melted away the seat?? But then it was 2 turns out, when I was heating the cap - so it should not have been touching the seat. And I was fairly careful, heat, pull, heat, pull etc. until it just came off cleanly. So hopefully not too much overheating.
I then blasted the neeedle with carb cleaner and the pilot needle jet hole so it blasted back.
So I got to thinking, if this engine is running too rich it could be a restricted Airfilter, pretty sure that is the case, but the fact this pilot jet when screwed fully in results in faster rpms - it is as though the carb "as a whole" is too rich. What could cause this? Is the float or float needle faulty?? Could that be the problem ... Note when I Stripped the carb, I could see a slight colour change on the pointed end of the float needle, but it wasnt dented per se.
Looking at the parts prices I was shocked! The float is ï½£25, the float needle is ï½£19, the mainjet is ï½£9 and the long jet is ï½£19 and the pilot needle jet is ï½£14 , the plastic pilot jet is ï½£19 and the gaskets are ï½£19. ...... Strewth you find the jets and gaskets are the same price as a whole new carb!
Hence regarding this fact, that the engine runs fastest With the pilot needle fully in - has anyone any ideas what is faulty? To try and save me buying outrageously expensive parts unecessarily.
Is it the float? or float needle? or both or something else?
Obviously I Will get a new air cleaner filter ( both parts ) but my concern is that might solve most of the problem, but intrinsicly the engine could be running too rich, that could lead to an early decoke job!
Any help, ideas most welcome and most appreciated. Please?
General Info:-
I run it on 99 Octane Shell V Power Nitro +, so apparently no ethonal and a great cleaning additive. ( seriously pampered mower, same treatment as my SL500. ) in the past this ran beautifully.
The first 5 years ran beautifully smoothly. Checked tappets evey year, no adjustment needed. Only does a tiny 1/4 arce lawn. Always fully warmed up before mowing.
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