Alcoa 5.5 GPM HOT/COLD Skid with 20Honda Motor Will Not Start

gawashman

New member
My Alcoa 5.5 GPM HOT/COLD Skid with 20Honda Motor Will Not Start. It turns over nicely but will not start while chocking. There is plenty of fuel in the tank. It has been sitting for about three months. I had been using my 4.0 GPM cold machine as most jobs had been small ones and did not require my 5.5 GPM. Any ideas? Any help is appreciated.
 
It is unusable and no longer worth possessing. I will pay the shipping to ship it to me........

Does it make spark?? Is the wore connected to the plug?? Start with the basics and keep moving. You will find the problem shortly....
Is the gas bad? Carb gummed up?? (drain it out and start again)
etc...
Mike
 
Even if you drain the gas out of the tank and carb, there could be crystals in the carb bowl that need to be cleaned out otherwise it will not stay running all the time or it will still have issues once in a while.

Clean out the carb and tank and it should run fine.
 
I would guess a fuel issue see if it will start if you put a little gas or starting fluid in the carb. If it starts or runs you know it is a fuel issue. When you turn the key on you should hear a little click around the throttle area. That is the fuel cutout switch it may have gone out as well. if you hear the click I would look at cleaning out the carb then or make sure the fuel pump is pumping fuel to the carb.
 
I will try putting a little fuel in the carb. Never had this problem before. Not sure if I heard any click but will listen for it. As far as spark, I was not able to remove the plug to check. I thought it was something simple, but it seems it could be a fuel issue. Grrr!
 
Remove airfilter and it's case (two bolts under the air filter), the carb should be exposed. I believe honda has two ot four long bolts on top of the carb (remove carefully, there is a gasket that you may be able to preserve). Carefully remove throttle and choke controls (little metal bars attached to the carb). There will likely be one hose on top (remove it carfully, it will have some fuel in it. While disconnected, spin the motor with the starter to check if fuel moves through the pump and out of this hose. Prepare to catch fuel as it is pumped. If fuel doesn't pump, then start with the pump) one larger hose on the right side (remove it) and then a wire attached to the botton (wire should have some slack, follow it and loosen it to give more slack or unscrew the sensor where it enters the bottom of the carb). There may be a little tube on the bottom (disconnect if needed).
Carb should be able to move freely. There are 4 bolts on the face (remove carefully, there is a gasket that you may be able to preserve). This will help you access the fuel nozzles. Remove 4 screws on the bottom of carb (careful not to damage the rubber seal inside). The float tank is in the bottom.
Once disassembled, take carb cleaner to it like it's your job! Spray everything! Spray in the nozzles, spray the butterfly valves, spray the float tank, and spray into the bottom of the carb while moving the float tank up and down! Soak it in a carb cleaner solution if you've got one (be careful with any non-metal parts!). If you find something in there I didn't mention, spray that too!
Reassemble! Hope that helps. It may be worth taking to get serviced if this scares you a little! If that's not an option, make a trip my way and I'll try to walk you through it. I was in Valdosta and Thomasville this week, but I don't plan to head back to Georgia anytime soon.
 
Sounds like something which requires some prior experience...I will take a closer look as I was at a job site when i attempted to start it...I will bring it to my shop where I have access to tools, cleaners etc...Hope it is nothing too major...thanks for the step-by-step.

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Remove airfilter and it's case (two bolts under the air filter), the carb should be exposed. I believe honda has two ot four long bolts on top of the carb (remove carefully, there is a gasket that you may be able to preserve). Carefully remove throttle and choke controls (little metal bars attached to the carb). There will likely be one hose on top (remove it carfully, it will have some fuel in it. While disconnected, spin the motor with the starter to check if fuel moves through the pump and out of this hose. Prepare to catch fuel as it is pumped. If fuel doesn't pump, then start with the pump) one larger hose on the right side (remove it) and then a wire attached to the botton (wire should have some slack, follow it and loosen it to give more slack or unscrew the sensor where it enters the bottom of the carb). There may be a little tube on the bottom (disconnect if needed).
Carb should be able to move freely. There are 4 bolts on the face (remove carefully, there is a gasket that you may be able to preserve). This will help you access the fuel nozzles. Remove 4 screws on the bottom of carb (careful not to damage the rubber seal inside). The float tank is in the bottom.
Once disassembled, take carb cleaner to it like it's your job! Spray everything! Spray in the nozzles, spray the butterfly valves, spray the float tank, and spray into the bottom of the carb while moving the float tank up and down! Soak it in a carb cleaner solution if you've got one (be careful with any non-metal parts!). If you find something in there I didn't mention, spray that too!
Reassemble! Hope that helps. It may be worth taking to get serviced if this scares you a little! If that's not an option, make a trip my way and I'll try to walk you through it. I was in Valdosta and Thomasville this week, but I don't plan to head back to Georgia anytime soon.
 
If it was running just fine before you stored it, then i agree that you may just need to drain and replace the gas, and do a very simple carb cleaning.

I'm a huge fan of Berryman's B-12 Chemtool. Maybe just remove the the drain plug under the float bowl, and spray about a 1/2 can in and around the carb, and just let gravity do all the work.

B12Chemtool.jpg


If that doesn't work for you, just send it my way... i could really use an extra 7 horses on my machine!
 
Bad fuel may be the answer. I WOULD CHECK THE BATTERY also.
 
Just an update. Drained the fuel tank. Added two gallons of fresh fuel with "just start your engine". Removed the fuel filter and bypassed to see if PW would start and it did. Purchased a new fuel filter with paper vs. just a screen. Installed new filter, new plugs and it seems to start fine. Unfortunately, it tends to bog down when I open ball valve, and then pressure cycles back up without PW shutting down . I looked at the new filter and it seems that the PW is having problems sucking fuel. I suspect that there should be a continuous stream of fuel while it is operating. Not sure what to make of this problem. Like I said it had been sitting for awhile.
 
I think it is normal to have air in the filter. Try some more carb cleaner. I usually turn off the gas on mine before hitting the kill switch to keep the fuel off the float valve. They get sticky sometimes especially if you let it sit.
 
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