Another free engine...

[Nosandwich]

Good evening, and welcome to the News at 5. Michigan police are investigating a string of small engine thefts in the area...details at 11.

 

[anickode]

Good evening, and welcome to the News at 5. Michigan police are investigating a string of small engine thefts in the area...details at 11.

caught me!

This was given to me by a friend who tried using the rototiller as a ripper on a really gnarly gravel driveway so he could regrade it with his ATV snow blade. The tines were demolished and the shaft was bent.

I should keep in touch. He might be giving away a mangled ATV plow soon. I told him he should just rent a dingo (mini skid steer) for an afternoon. He didn't seem interested.

 

[mckutzy]

Ya, often people tend to do things the hard way.......

 

[anickode]

Well another one fell in my lap... This time a Honda GX340, probably 10 years old. Cleaning out a barn, found it stuffed in a corner on a power washer frame, with probably 1/4" of dust on it. I saved it from the scrap pile. Got it home, put some fresh oil in, gave it a little squirt of 2 stroke down the throat and started pulling. Got a putt-putt on the second pull, and it fired up on the third.

On a side note, it's been very cold... Barn cleaning sucks in these temps.

 

[shadowfocus603]

Some people have all the luck lol

 

[anickode]

Some people have all the luck lol

And here I thought it was the guys who find kart frames out at the curb on trash days, or for $25 at yard sales.

Motors don't do me a bit of good without a rolling chassis to bolt em to.

 

[anickode]

Well I FINALLY had a few minutes to start wiping down the Honda. Had to go at it with an air hose first, there was so much dust on it.

In better shape than I expected. Also older than I initially thought, by the looks of it.

 

[anickode]

Perhaps someone a bit more knowledgeable on the Honda front can explain to me the difference between a Gx340 and a gx390?

Honda specs them both at 289cc, same bore×stroke, both 8.2:1 compression ratio.

Is the only difference the carburetor size? Or does the 390 run a longer duration cam?

Just curious.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

See below:

Sincerely,

Adel the Forester

 

[anickode]

See below:

Sincerely,

Adel the Forester

Again, the specs are identical, including peak torque @2500 rpm.

Bigger carb? Bigger jet? Or just a big bunch of BS?

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

No not identical. GX390 has +1 hp, and is suitable for use in the Forestry industry. Makes little sense that the engine that might have some kind of spark suppression has +1 hp, but there you have it.

 

[anickode]

No not identical. GX390 has +1 hp, and is suitable for use in the Forestry industry. Makes little sense that the engine that might have some kind of spark suppression has +1 hp, but there you have it.

Ok, what I'm getting at is what accounts for the 1hp difference?

It's gotta be in the carb. Replacement carbs for the 340 and 390 are different part numbers.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

That must be it then.

 

[anickode]

That must be it then.

It would seem that wasn't always the case... Cost-cutting efforts nowadays perhaps? Build one block and sell it as different models by changing the carb size.

 

[anickode]

Got a GC160 yesterday that is pretty much useless. Fixed throttle, exhaust points out the wrong side, and it's got a 1" long ¾" dia stub shaft.

A new crank is around 35 bucks... So maybe worth it, but I guess the GC engines don't take well to power mods and over revving due to the funky split crankcase and flimsy timing belt. (Yes, it's overhead cam)

 

[mckutzy]

That series are the wierdest verity of engines... Kinda like they went with one of there motorcycle engines and tried to cross it with a GX series, complete with cam and chain.

 

[anickode]

That series are the wierdest verity of engines... Kinda like they went with one of there motorcycle engines and tried to cross it with a GX series, complete with cam and chain.

Yeah I'm not really sure what the design logic was... They use a timing belt, not a chain, if I'm not mistaken. And a plastic cam. The cylinder sits vertically instead of slanted, the fuel tank is slung under the carb, so it has an onboard pulse pump, but it's not integrated with the carb (fortunately). The exhaust is on the opposite side from almost every other industrial engine out there, and the port is threaded like a Briggs. And the crankcase is split at a 45° angle. No crank cover. The flywheel end bearing is in the upper half of the case, and the PTO end bearing is in the lower half.

It is a nice compact and light weight engine, but it's definitely an oddball.

 

[mckutzy]

Maybe thinking as a flathead upgrade/replacement but valve/cam placement meant exhaust is oddball placement... Odd cause GX series were around for a while already at the time...
Worked so good and efficient the darn Chinese copied it...

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

From Honda:

 

[mckutzy]

Ya that's right... They made 2... One with a rubber belt another with a chain...

Still wierd...