I Have a honda gx390 13 hp engine on my hydroseeder. It is getting more and more difficult to turn over when I start it and it doesnt seem to have as much power as it used to. It did get a little low on oil but it never triggered the low oil shut off. It probably has about 400 hrs on it and it doesnt smoke. Iam concerned that one day while on a job it will quit working. Does it need to be rebuilt? Could running it low on oil cause it to become stiff? I suppose I should check the hydroseeder pump and make sure it turns over freely. I have put about 15 hrs on it since I noticed it getting stiff.
Thanks for any advice.
Replies
Why do you want it upside-down anyway?
(By "turn over", do you mean that the rope is harder and harder to pull, or that the engine simply doesn't start as readily as it used to?)
Loss of power IN THE MOTOR is usually associated with loss of compression which would make it easier to turn over not harder. If you ran it too low on oil, the first sign would generally be scored cylinder walls with oil blowing by the rings leaving you with smoke. That would be followed up by knocking then by banging then by total seizure.
I would guess that you are looking at something that is not engine related. You could go on a general disassembly of the business end of the unit, cleaning and checking bearings or you could disconnect the motor from the business end and then see if it is still hard to start. I suspect its something not motor related