OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Honda Engines GCV160 Governor Shaft Oil Leaks

Both my GCV160s leak oil from the engine housing at the governor shaft. I pulled one engine apart thinking there was a seal inside and found nothing and no obvious setup for a seal that might have been there. I also had a check of the IPC at my local mower dealer (clueless people they are!) and no luck in finding any obvious seal that should be fitted. What I did find was that the governor shaft runs through the housing with no bushes, no seals, and no provisions for oil control. The shaft itself showed no signs of wear which suggests maybe it is the alloy engine housing wearing out?

It's at the point with one engine that it changes its own oil the leak is so bad. The other is still at the point where it is a genuine issue in terms of cleaning and mess.

Anyone have a history with this or better still know of a fix?

Thats strange that the housing has no provision for an oil seal where the shaft goes through it.
I have heard that Honda's engine tollerances are the best in the business (for mas produced engines) but are they really that good that they don't require an oil seal??

Have you got a photo you could share?

Cheers

gcv

The GXV120 (a pushrod engine, where yours is OHC) has an oil seal for the governor shaft, on the outside of the engine.


I don't know what yours has - I don't have a full manual for that one, and the short-form manual doesn't tell you. However this Honda dealer says the same 6x11x4 mm oil seal used on the GXV120, is used on the GCV160 for the same job:
http://www.2lcstore.com/catalog/item/1356855/820156.htm

Honda part number is 91231-891-003.

Post-edit: See later post in this thread. The seal is a conventional lip seal, and on GXV engines, the crankcase is bored so it can be pressed in.

One of the big GCV/GSV oil issues is around the governor shaft. I got mine fixed under warranty

Greg, do you know what they did? And did it have that oil seal?

Well, I got the seal listed (the picture is familiar). I looked at both engines and there was no where to fit it on the outside. So, I pulled one of the engines apart thinking it was fitted internally... waste of time.

I'd be interested to know the fix, but given my change to a B&S engine mower just recently, I don't see all the fuss and rep that goes for Hondas. A bit like the Toyota thing with cars - all reputation, little substance. And teh competition have at least caught up anyhow.

Hondas can be complicated, not having put one together personally I dont know what seals etc are used. If I were to buy a new mower I think I would go a kawasaki engine on a push mower these days, maybe kubota, some hondas are now made in china as well unfortunately.

One of my corollas is pushing 39 years of age and I wouldnt hesitate taking it anywhere in the world if it were one long highway, I wouldnt see any hyandai lasting that long, letalone any modern car, its currently being freshened up bodywise but the engine still remains unopened apart from a regular tappet adjustment. Doesnt even have a drop of oil on the outside of the engine

I would say the same thing of my nissan Pulsar.

And the rodeo before it would still be going had the rego not run out, all the smoke blowin and piston slapping included.



I too think hondas are over rated.
But then i do not doubt they are reliable. Almost amazingly reliable. But then they are also over complicated. Especailly so when the reliablity runs away. Had to strip a GV150 carb last night, what a PITA. Lookin on the upside, now i know where the talon carb design came from.

I fully overhauled the GX160 on my SB 45 last year and is was as simple as it gets.

I replaced all seals and gaskets, output shaft bearing and seal, whole new head including rockers, springs and valves, honed the bore and put in new rings. Was as dead simple and straight forward as it gets.

It is such a smooth, quiet and refind engine. Starts first pull every time, no smoke, great economy and torque. A B&S, of which I have two, sounds unrefined in comparison.

My brushcutter is built on a Honda GX25 - the most ballsy little straight shaft I have ever used - again, quiet, smooth and refined with a bootload of torque and you don't need to rev the ring out of it.

Ben.

This is a bit late, but for the archives, here is what the Honda Governor Arm Shaft seal looks like when it's installed in a GXV120:




Obviously the crankcase has to be bored to accept the seal, which looks like an ordinary rubber lip-seal. The Honda GCV engines (that is the OHC ones, which are made for residential service, not commercial service) do not have seals on their governor shafts.