Problem with motor

C

cali209

Jr. Member
Nov 13, 2007
63
1
Northern California
We finally got out with our highbanker but problems with our motor kept us from doing any work.

We have a new Honda 4HP that shuts off every 2-3 minutes like clockwork.

Runs great pumping water then just almost instantly shuts off.

Just took it into the shop and the sucker wouldnt shut off at the shop of course but gonna leave it there for them to mess with a little more.

Im starting to wonder if pumping the water from the creek was creating too much of a work load for the motor and killing it.

Anyone experience anything like this or have any ideas?
 

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cali209 said:
We finally got out with our highbanker but problems with our motor kept us from doing any work.

We have a new Honda 4HP that shuts off every 2-3 minutes like clockwork.

Runs great pumping water then just almost instantly shuts off.

Just took it into the shop and the sucker wouldnt shut off at the shop of course but gonna leave it there for them to mess with a little more.

Im starting to wonder if pumping the water from the creek was creating too much of a work load for the motor and killing it.

Anyone experience anything like this or have any ideas?
Click to expand...

My brother in-law has a small honda motor they use to pump water for farm work. I think I remember him saying something about a kill switch that kicks in if the motor is sitting at too much of an angle. I'm not sure about this, but does the motor sit at an angle? If not that, it would almost have to be a fuel or carburator issue. Hope you get it fixed.

John
 

Japenese technology! :wink: Ha, just kidding. It does sound like a fuel issue. Sorry to hear that your day out was more hectic than productive. I hope you get this issue fixed so that you can get with your digging! Best of luck!
 

Some if not all the Honda motors have a low oil sensor that will shut it off. The engine can have enough oil in it but if the angle increases to much it will shut down…Art
 

Sounds to me like dirty fuel. On most of the small engines the carburetor has a center screw on the bottom of the fuel bowl and when gas is left sitting or you use old gas a shalac builds up an clogs the fuel inlets on the screw also they can make the float stick and that would also prevent the fuel from refilling the bowl once its started. Also don't use the weed eater fuel mix in motors that are not designed for it and never let the fuel mix fuel sit in anything to long. If you don't run stuff with fuel mix in it at least once a month the fuel mix can turn into a type of dark petroleum jelly that will clog up the carburetors as well. It could be any number of things but that is my best guess.
 

like was posted. check the oil level where its setting.it could be the oil cutoff switch or check the gas cap vent. if its plugged up itll stop on you also like it did to me!
 

I just got a call from the shop and like I thought...it ran like a champ while they tested it!

Always works that way huh?

Anyways, the day we took it out we tried just about everything mentioned above plus more.

I thought it had to have been the oil sensor that cuts the motor off when oil is too low...thought that may be a defect, but nope.

The only option now is that it must be too much work load for the motor.

We are sucking water up from about 4 feet deep and running 50' of 1.5" lay flat hose...

As far as I know people have been doing this with no problems with these motors...so Im not sure whats going on.
 

HI I still favor the oil sensor, but check inside of your fuel tank with a flashlight for a bit of clear floating plastic etc., which can interfere with fuel delivery. This can cause a clock work like stoppage if you start with a full tank each time. I.E. refill or top the tank off each time, then the stoppage will occur at about the same fuel level. This also may be dependent upon how level your motor is. If you work at a different angle than the shop table it may not show up at the shop.-

Last resort, go to HONDA site, customer problems, and ask them. hehheh.


So clarify, do you add any fuel / oil each time or just restart it?

Don Jose de La Mancha
 

I don't know if you have tried this but I have used Honda motors on my
diving compressors for along time.

Something to try - Place the engine on a flat horizontal surface. Make sure that
the engine is completely flat. Remove the easiest oil fill plug (there are two) and
check the oil level. The oil level should be up to the TOP of the threads just short of
running out. This is the oil level I run my engines and never had one shut down
due to lack of oil. Disregard the dip stick attached to the oil fill plug.

Honda engines are very sensitive to running on any angle and shoud be kept completely flat.

Another thing to check is for water in the gasoline carburator bowl. Clean out
the carb bowl and the filter bowl next to it. Don't damage the gaskets when doing
this. Water collects in these two areas especially when you store your gas cans
for any length of time when half full. Should I say condensation.

These engines are the best and most reliable of any other engine on the market.
However, they will not run with water in the carb.

As a final note - Replace the spark plug (use the same as was in the engine) every
ten years of operation. Be sure you get the correct plug. Do not substitute with any
other plug. Hondas start on the second pull.

Dinkydick
 

i still say look very close at the fuel cap air vent. if in doubt replace it. if plugged by dust it will do the same thing. once it stops and you remove the fuel cap the engine will run again and stop like clock work.
 

We tried the gas cap on half way and off several times. The gas cap is fine.

We also tried just about everything else you could imagine.

I could have probably tried to make it sit more flat although I did have it darn near perfectly flat. Next time Im bringing a level with me!

Thats about the only problem it could possibly be - the oil sensor is so sensitive it has to be sitting exactly perfectly flat.

What about the pump...could the pump be the problem? I wouldnt think so but could it?
 

cali209 said:
We tried the gas cap on half way and off several times. The gas cap is fine.

We also tried just about everything else you could imagine.

I could have probably tried to make it sit more flat although I did have it darn near perfectly flat. Next time Im bringing a level with me!

Thats about the only problem it could possibly be - the oil sensor is so sensitive it has to be sitting exactly perfectly flat.

What about the pump...could the pump be the problem? I wouldnt think so but could it?
Click to expand...

The oil sensor isn't that exact. It has to be at a pretty decent angle to kill the motor.

John
 

I have run several Honda engines (on highbankers, dredges and generators) - I just cannot believe that using it under load, would make the engine shut down like that. It's got to be another issue, either fuel related, oil related, spark related, electrical related, timing related - something OTHER than too much or too hard use.

I'm assuming a 4-stroke, so mixture isn't an issue, but they are very sensitive to oil level, and will not start if its 4 drops low, any crud in the bottom of the carburetor bowl (drain out old gas if its been sitting, or got really wet, or if it was in humid or rainy conditions - and use "stabil" when putting it up for the year), and carburetor float and needle valve.

Check the fuel lines and filter. Fuel lines can disintegrate from the inside and can affect flow, and will mess with the filter, too.

When you are running it (before it shuts off), are you getting a full throttle-up? Is the water you are running through it muddy or clear - that can bog it down, because it can bog down the pump itself. Is your pump running free?

B
 

mrs.oroblanco said:
When you are running it (before it shuts off), are you getting a full throttle-up? Is the water you are running through it muddy or clear - that can bog it down, because it can bog down the pump itself. Is your pump running free?
Click to expand...

No to the full throttle up right before it shuts off. Just shuts off.

The water is clear. The water is running fine when it shuts off.

Just to update the thread again...when it was taken to the shop it ran for 4 hours perfect (2 hours twice).

So it was when I had the pump a pumpin that it ran in 2-3 minute intervals then shut off.

Next time I will unplug the oil sensor if it acts up again...

Im starting to think the place is haunted and someone there doesnt want us mining!

We'll be back out to test it in a few days.
 

I have had similar problems on briggs engines. One was a small vent hole on the carb was plugged and would not let the air out of the carb bowl so the gas could flow in. The other was the reed valve on the breather was not working properly. This caused the crank case to pressurize and kill the engine.
 

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