Honda GCV160 Seizes at First Starts of the Season

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I own a Sears Water pressure washer powered with a Honda GCV160 engine model GJREA 686xxxx. The unit is about 3 yrs old.

The unit works well and always starts easily all summer long. I have only one issue and I think it is a very serious one. Late at Falls, I remove the fuel from the unit and store it in a warm place to avoid frost damages to the pump. For the last two years, every times I restart the unit for the first time at Spring, the engine seizes. As soon I notice what is happening, I stop the engine and continue to move the piston slowly with the hand crank to prevent the piston rings to stick to the cylinder. I let it cool for about 15 minutes and I restart the engine and everything is fine after that for the rest of the season. It will start at the first pull and I will not need to worry about that anymore.

The engine is a splasher type and I replace the oil every year with 10W30 API SJ. The oil level is perfect. It is now time to restart the engine for this season (yes I know I am late) and I am worried. Engine seizure is not healthy.

I think of myself as a decent mechanics as I have rebuilt few snow-blowers successfully but now I am at a lost about this lubrication issue.

I have 2 questions:

Why is the engine seizing up?
How do I prevent it from happening?

I am awaiting your help before pulling the crank.

Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: Eddie
Pull the spark plug and spray some oil into the cylinder. Do that every year before you put it away. Ed


+1. At the end of the year, remove the spark plug and Spray what is known as fogging oil into cylinder for storage. That should help
 
That's pretty unusual. Don't think I've ever run across anything like that. I have a really old mower that won't start in the spring until I tip it up so all the oil runs down into the piston. Pull it through once or twice and then it's good to go. You might try using a 15w-40 oil like Rotella III or similar.
 
Yes I have been wondering if the pump was causing the seizure. I do not recall if I was pressing on the trigger when the seizures happened. I always connect the hose and turn on the water until water shows at the tip of the wand before starting. Can someone confirms that the pump is building pressure even when the trigger is not depressed?

I did not add oil in the cylinder last Falls but I did today. As far as I know, the oil just prevents the cylinder from rusting in a humid environment. My unit is stored in a warm and dry place but I am willing to try anything to prevent seizure.

I suspect there is oil in the pump too. I will check this tomorrow morning. Hopefully, this would be the culprit.

Thanks for the replies. It's very much appreciated.
 
I just checked the operator's manual about the pump. It says:

Quote:
Pump Oil

DO NOT attempt any oil maintenance on the pump. The pump is pre-lubricated and sealed from the factory, requiring no additional maintenance for the life of the pump.


I guess that if it's the pump, there is nothing I can do about it.
 
JTK beat me to the pump. That was my first thought.

The pump goes into bypass when you let off the trigger, so there is very little load on the engine. If it was mine, I might drop the pump and see for sure if it is the pump or the engine. I got a suspicion the pump is the problem child. If something is wonky in the pump, like a bad/sticky bypass, you are essentially hydrolocked.
 
Yes the pump. That was my first thought as well. Verify that.
Originally Posted By: punisher
JTK beat me to the pump. That was my first thought.

The pump goes into bypass when you let off the trigger, so there is very little load on the engine. If it was mine, I might drop the pump and see for sure if it is the pump or the engine. I got a suspicion the pump is the problem child. If something is wonky in the pump, like a bad/sticky bypass, you are essentially hydrolocked.
 
I'll place all of the house money against the low quality, no name pump over a Honda product failing. Nothing like a top flight engine being bolted onto a crummy pump like most consumer pressure washers.
 
As I can see it, my only way to test the pump is to remove it from the engine and start the motor. If the engine does not lock-up, I reconnect the pump and see if I get a lock-up.

However, I am not so sure it is not the engine, I seem to remember I had a hard time cranking the engine 2 yrs ago when it locked-up. The rings were almost soldered to the cylinder. I was not expecting a lock-up but last year, I did and as soon as I detected a small reduction in RPM, I immediately stopped the engine. It was noticeably more difficult to crank but on the second pull, it was back to normal.

Tomorrow, I will start the engine and stop it after 5 seconds. I will let it rest for 15 minutes and try it again. I will report tomorrow how it went. Just as a precaution, I have oiled the cylinder today.
 
a deadheaded pump would cause hard cranking too, I'm pretty sure there isn't a clutch between the motor and the pump. You wouldn't know if the rings are sticking unless you pulled the head and took a peak, you usually don't get to try again too many times after a seize up. The aluminum from the pistons smears the cylinder and you have no ring seal.
 
Originally Posted By: PhilsSmallEngine
I'll place all of the house money against the low quality, no name pump over a Honda product failing. Nothing like a top flight engine being bolted onto a crummy pump like most consumer pressure washers.


The OP doesn't have a top flight engine. He has a GCV160, a lawn mower engine that has a belt driven plastic camshaft. I have seen a TON of these engines with broken plastic camshafts on pressure washers. They can't handle the load. They work fine on mowers but suck on pressure washers.

OP, your engine isn't seizing up. It is your pump that is giving you problems. Have someone press the trigger on the wand when you start it and it will start a lot easier. Might or might not be your problem.
 
Originally Posted By: ironman_gq
a deadheaded pump would cause hard cranking too, I'm pretty sure there isn't a clutch between the motor and the pump. You wouldn't know if the rings are sticking unless you pulled the head and took a peak, you usually don't get to try again too many times after a seize up. The aluminum from the pistons smears the cylinder and you have no ring seal.

Bingo!!

Even if it did run after seizing It'd be swilling oil... As the others have said, 99.99% a pump problem...
 
[/quote]

The OP doesn't have a top flight engine. He has a GCV160, a lawn mower engine that has a belt driven plastic camshaft. I have seen a TON of these engines with broken plastic camshafts on pressure washers. They can't handle the load. They work fine on mowers but suck on pressure washers.

[/quote]
I'm not familiar with the internals of that engine but don't see how the camshaft would be affected depending on the application of the engine. Is it a heat issue?
 
Good day everyone,

I finally started the Pressure Washer and for the first time in 3 years, I had no seizure during the first season start-up. I took in consideration all the advice I read here over the last 3 days.

This is the procedure I followed this year.

-Lubricated the piston with about 2 tbl of oil and cranked the engine with a cloth over the spark plug orifice.
-Let the unit rest into the sun for a full hour to warm-up the casing/oil/pump. It is very cool here overnight.
-Connected the water to the pump and pressed on the trigger until water came out off the tip of the wand.
-Started the engine and engaged immediately the trigger.
-Stopped the engine after 5 to 10 seconds, waited about 2 minutes and restarted the engine.
-Used the unit for about a full hour without any issues.

My conclusions:
Aluminum cylinders are not very heat resistant so it more likely a pump issue.
The engine always starts on the first pull even on my initial start-up. It is unlikely the engine suffered damages by a seizure.
Over the previous years, having a cold pump on initial start-up might have been responsible for the total lock-up.
I never saw an internal diagram of the pump but I suspect it must have some sorts of valves. I might have been affected by a valve malfunction caused by the extreme cold water and semi-cold ambient temperature.

I guess, I will never be sure of what caused the lock-up but I will definitely follow the same procedure next year.

Thank you for your advice and mostly for pointing your fingers at the pump. I was 95% sure it was an engine problem.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: PhilsSmallEngine
I'll place all of the house money against the low quality, no name pump over a Honda product failing. Nothing like a top flight engine being bolted onto a crummy pump like most consumer pressure washers.


The OP doesn't have a top flight engine. He has a GCV160, a lawn mower engine that has a belt driven plastic camshaft. I have seen a TON of these engines with broken plastic camshafts on pressure washers. They can't handle the load. They work fine on mowers but suck on pressure washers.

OP, your engine isn't seizing up. It is your pump that is giving you problems. Have someone press the trigger on the wand when you start it and it will start a lot easier. Might or might not be your problem.


The160gx version of this engine runs all my air compressors. I've got over 15000 hours of run time on the first 2 I bought a decade ago when I started this company and currently have 16 of them running inline and v-twin air pumps. One is even running a triple.
And I can say I've never seen nor heard of what you are referring to.

Op

Use mos2 in it. Problem solved.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy


Use mos2 in it. Problem solved.


Did not know about mos2. Looks like a very good product.

Thanks for the tip
 
Clevy, just curious, do 160gx versions have a plastic cam? Not trolling, My dad's log splitter has a very original OHV Honda on it. The rig was bought used 40 yrs ago. My brother splits his stove wood with it. If it doesnt start in a couple pulls, open the shut off, idjit.
grin2.gif
 
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