Crisis averted! I gave in and convinced a small engine repair shop to let me stop by and have him just take a quick look at the carb and make sure I put it in correctly. He quickly realized that the throttle linkage wasnt moving and that I had installed the black plastic “gasket” that goes on the carb towards the front, upside down. This had a lobe on it that stopped the linkage from moving. We corrected it and the engine was then able to run at higher rpms.
1 Like
Engine repair is so satisfying 
I love making mechanical things do what they are suppose to do.
I have a love hate with small aircooled engines though. They are simpler, but they require more TLC on the usual.
Having a similar problem with my 690. Almost no pressure and dies when i hit the trigger.
Could the carb be dirty after only 4 hours run time?
Unloader issue? Check oil level? Vapor lock in the gas tank?
I ran it with no hoses connected and same deal. Very low pressure and the engine didn’t seem to want to get up to full speed.
Oils good and also tried without the gas cap. Theres still a good amt of fuel in the filter, wondering if I flooded the carb? I’m learning engines along the way so bear with me
Have you verified that your machine is idling up all the way?
Probably not.
When starting (cold or hot) I pull the choke out and lower the throttle down then turn the key After a few seconds I push the choke in then slowly throttle up to full.
Didn’t want to let it idle at low throttle thinking I’d create buildup.
The carb wouldn’t be dirty after 4 hours unless you didn’t have a filter. I would check both cylinders for spark. If you lost a coil you’ll basically be getting half pressure because you’re only running on one cylinder. Then, when you pull the trigger, the engine can’t handle the load and will die.
If spark is good I would swap unloaders next.
I just bought a GX690 thinking the Honda was reliable. Maybe I should have went with the Kohler… Never before heard of Hondas crapping out at 4 hours and 50 hours…
@WiscoWashPros I don’t think you ever really said what caused your issue in the first place, was it the carb, the linkage, the unloader, or something else?
I cleaned the carb and it has run fine since then. I think the carb was clogged. I replaced the older gas tank and fuel line as well just to be safe.
2 Likes
I did a lot of research before deciding on the Kohler. You can’t go wrong with Honda either. Although, many will say a Honda is bulletproof up to the gx390 but their v-twins aren’t nearly as reliable. Still better than most though. @florida_condo_cleani said he was getting about 3k hours out of a Honda 690 and about 5k hours or more out of a Kohler. At least Kohler has a steel cam gear instead of plastic. I wouldn’t have a problem buying either engine though.
2 Likes
Disregard my 690 problems as they’re more than likely self induced
Confirmed both plugs have spark but realized the ground wasn’t as secure as I thought (d’oh!). Redid that but ran out of steam last night so will try and fire it back up today after work.
Before Sunday i only ran it for 5-10 minutes to do some testing. Sunday I cleaned a driveway for a couple hours in the morning with no problem. Ran great. Then did another driveway around the corner and with 20’ left to clean, it started dying under any load. Have a feeling its something im doing but no idea what
Could it be the throttle link? There’s a ton of play in the first half, where it doesn’t start to move the arm until I’m halfway to full
Yeah check those cable pincher things, mine slipped and wouldn’t go full throttle.
1 Like
Move the throttle to full throttle and then reach down and try to manually move the throttle linkage to see if it moves anymore. If it doesn’t move anymore or, very little, it’s probably fine.
Have you tried swapping unloaders? If you don’t have one I would go ahead and order one. You’ll want a backup anyways. At least rule it out so we know it’s definitely an engine issue.
1 Like
It still had a ways to go before hitting that screw that keeps it in check. Adjusted the clamp and and runs a lot better now. Just had minor surgery so no pulling hose for a couple weeks but anxious to see how she runs all hooked up once I can.
ill need to get the spare unloader on order. Thanks guys!
1 Like
