honda gcv160 lawn mower engine starting from cold

[akredfearn]

Has auto return choke. It will only start from cold if I jam open the governor lever. Otherwise runs ok and starts from warm.

Any ideas what may be wrong? What is it that pulls the governor cable? It doesn’t pull with the choke.

 

[eljefino]

Is it the speed governor or a bimetallic strip that signals it's a cold engine? Sounds like that strip is somehow broken.

 

[fsdork]

My push mower also has a GCV160 with auto return choke, and I had similar issues from new. I found my way to the following sequence:

1. Actuate the choke lever - it won't start returning until I depress the dead-man lever on the handle.
2. Depress the dead-man lever, and pull the start cord without delay so the first start attempt happens at/near full choke actuation.
3. Once the engine begins to fire, keep the dead-man lever depressed with my right hand, and use my left to return the choke lever to full actuation as it starts its auto-return movement, giving the engine a few more combustion cycles before the choke times out.

It's a lot to write, but really isn't that big of a deal in practice. I suspect a lighter spring would help me avoid the workaround, but I haven't gone down that road.

This assumes yours sputters and dies - if you're not getting any signs of life at all, I can't imagine the above would help.

 

[eljefino]

^ Interesting, it sounds like a clockwork timer then. I wonder if there's a friction surface, like the hysteresis thing in a thermostat, that you can tighten down so it moves more slowly.

 

[Nukeman7]

I am pretty certain that your thermo-wax choke controller has failed and the butterfly flap will not close. Here is a good video to show how you can easily replace the ~$10 part.

 

[walterjay]

Anyways......Welcome to the Forum!

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I have one that won't start unless I jam the lever. I have replaced the thermowax twice with the correct one

Otherwise it runs great. I'm seriously considering getting a carb off of a pressure washer and just using a choke.

 

[akredfearn]

Many thanks for your helpful replies. The engine does not fire at all from cold.

Please see photo. Should there be a thermowax in the top left hole? It used to start ok. Could it have fallen out?

 

[Nukeman7]

Many thanks for your helpful replies. The engine does not fire at all from cold.

Please see photo. Should there be a thermowax in the top left hole? It used to start ok. Could it have fallen out?

View attachment 206418

YES...the thermowax choke actuator is missing. It cannot fall out by itself...either someone removed it or it was not installed at the factory by mistake. The part is cheap on Amazon but not much more from a lawn mower repair shop that sells Honda parts.

 

[Fordiesel69]

The thermowax pellet dies of age as well as hours of use. It is a consumable. I also found our there is 3 or 4 versions of it so you must take the entire model and serial to the dealer as if you get the wrong one (like I did ) it may not work correctly and you will chase your tail.

 

[akredfearn]

Many thanks for your responses.

My engine does not have a thermowax. The photo above shows a hole where a thermowax could be fitted, although it is quite shallow. There is no component on the carburettor assembly that a thermowax could make contact with. The engine is GVC160 A0 with an automatic return choke.

It has never been dismantled from new so there cannot be anything missing. It always started from cold until now.

What I don’t understand is what is it that activates the cable that goes to the governor? The cable at the bottom of this photo, attached to the swivelling part -

Any ideas would be welcome.
Adrian

 

[bobdoo]

Be careful. There are at least two versions of the wax pill.

I replaced mine, it did not help at all. I need to push the mower against a boulder, then lift the rear of the mower, to flood the carb. Nothing else works.

I've had the carb completely apart 3-4 times. The plastic fuel float cant be adjusted, and I think that's the problem.

 

[benjy]

get your parts while you can!!! honda NO longer makes MOWERS!!!

 

[Nukeman7]

Many thanks for your responses.

My engine does not have a thermowax. The photo above shows a hole where a thermowax could be fitted, although it is quite shallow. There is no component on the carburettor assembly that a thermowax could make contact with. The engine is GVC160 A0 with an automatic return choke.

It has never been dismantled from new so there cannot be anything missing. It always started from cold until now.

What I don’t understand is what is it that activates the cable that goes to the governor? The cable at the bottom of this photo, attached to the swivelling part -

Any ideas would be welcome.
Adrian

The Honda GCV 160 only comes as manual choke or auto choke. If you are saying it is definitely an auto choke model, it has to have a thermowax actuator. Take a look at the video below which shows a GCV 160 with the autowax choke mounted in the engine block which pushes on the choke plunger/plastic insulator spacer assembly. You will need to post some clear photos of your mower and the engine's choke assembly if it does not have a similar configuration.