BMP saved

CroMagnum said:

I find it odd that Honda would decry the use of their engines for motorized bicycles when Soichiro Honda founded the company in 1946 by - you guessed it - marketing small engines for bicycles. Honda History

Oh, the irony.

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Thanks for posting this link Cooper - interesting, and very ironic indeed!

I think the reason nowadays that a company like Honda has a disclaimer as such is due to our 'Sue Happy' culture...
-Lowracer-

Honda

lowracer said:

I think the reason nowadays that a company like Honda has a disclaimer as such is due to our 'Sue Happy' culture...
-Lowracer-

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And ya gotta kinda see their point. They don't want some no nothin idiot strapping an engine to a bicycle with bailing wire and bubble gum and zipping down the highway at 45mph. China don't care if we silly Americans die at 45mph as long as they get their money. Thats whats in their disclaimer anyway. They are not responsible for property,injury or death. An American (or American based) company could never get away with that.
Big Red.

I bought a Honda GX35 about 2 years ago. Attached it to a BMP kit. No problems for the first year. Earlier this year I started the engine with no problem after sitting over the winter. However, when I give it full throttle, it just dies as if I hit the kill switch. I have let it sit idling for 30 minutes to an hour at a time. It runs great at idle speed. Probably gum or whatever in the carburetor. I have not taken the time to work on it. Most likely my fault for not adding fuel stabilizer in the fuel for the storing process.
Anyway, my local Kubota dealer whom I’ve bought a few things from told me he recommended the Robin/Subaru 35cc over the Hondas. Robin has a 3 year warranty where Honda has only 2 years. And as we all know, Honda has the “Our poop don’t stink” attitude about everything that has they’re name on it. He told me Honda will give you a fit if you have any kind of warranty claim. He said they do their darndest to get out of honoring your warranty claim where as they have had no issues with R.S.
So….my reason for buying the Honda, I paid like $220.00 delivered where as the cheapest price I found locally was $350.00. I don’t remember the price on the Robin/Subaru from back then, but it was significantly more. If I had it to do over again and money is not an issue, I think I would go for a Robin, Tanaka or Mitsubishi over Honda.

Porkchop said:

I bought a Honda GX35 about 2 years ago. ...when I give it full throttle, it just dies as if I hit the kill switch. ...

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Porkchop,

This is almost certainly a carburetor issue - not an "engine" issue. Both the Subaru EH035 and Honda GX35 use versions of the Walbro YWL carb, so don't be quick to blame Honda for this. Quite likely the diaphragms have hardened and/or the one way valves (made of gasket material) in the fuel pump section of the carb have curled up and distorted rendering them only somewhat functional - functional enough to supply adequate fuel to hold an idle but not at full throttle.

I would suggest having a carb gasket/diaphragm kit on hand before bothering to disassemble and clean the carb. Being a very common carburetor, you may find a kit at your local small engine shop. It is Walbro part # D11-WYL. I usually purchase Walbro carb parts and fuel lines etc. online from mower4u.com. Their current price for a D11-WYL kit is $5.34 plus $2.95 shipping.

(Alternatively, you could purchase the full Walbro WYL carb kit - Walbro part # K20-WYL - which Mower4u sells for $7.95, but you rarely need anything other than the gaskets and diaphragms.)

I concur with Silvaire: this is a very common issue with just about any small
engine with a diaphram carb.

Silvaire said:

Porkchop,

This is almost certainly a carburetor issue - not an "engine" issue. Both the Subaru EH035 and Honda GX35 use versions of the Walbro YWL carb, so don't be quick to blame Honda for this. Quite likely the diaphragms have hardened and/or the one way valves (made of gasket material) in the fuel pump section of the carb have curled up and distorted rendering them only somewhat functional - functional enough to supply adequate fuel to hold an idle but not at full throttle.

I would suggest having a carb gasket/diaphragm kit on hand before bothering to disassemble and clean the carb. Being a very common carburetor, you may find a kit at your local small engine shop. It is Walbro part # D11-WYL. I usually purchase Walbro carb parts and fuel lines etc. online from mower4u.com. Their current price for a D11-WYL kit is $5.34 plus $2.95 shipping.

(Alternatively, you could purchase the full Walbro WYL carb kit - Walbro part # K20-WYL - which Mower4u sells for $7.95, but you rarely need anything other than the gaskets and diaphragms.)

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Thanks for the info ! I think it's a carb issue as well. As I stated, I just haven't taken the time to deal with it.

As a licensed and lifelong motorcyclist who has ridden close to 400,000 miles in the past 4 decades, and started riding at age 8 on an old Bultaco dirt bike, and as the current owner of 3 motorcycles, an '85 Honda Goldwing, an '04 Honda Rebel 250, and an '01 Yamaha XT225, I can't see any resemblance between a motorcycle and an MB. All 3 of my motorcycles can be safely ridden on any city streets, the Rebel and XT can be ridden fairly safely on most freeways, but not all. I see an MB as basically the same as a regular pedal bike, that can be ridden anywhere any other pedal bike can be ridden, and is especially useful for someone like me who is no longer physically capable of riding any distance on a pedal bike. It is a pedal bike, complete with pedals, that does not have to be pedaled.

Here is a link to what I consider to be an MB. It is not legal as an MB in my state, because it is one cc too big. Notice it's $2000 pricetag. I used to own an older version of one of these, and rode it several thousand miles over about 4 years, but it was not designed for someone of my weight, and I broke 2 rear wheels before finally selling it. Despite it's engine size, it has a top speed of 20 mph, due to a very mildly tuned engine that will last forever. It's also a 60 year old design.

http://www.stevesmoped.com/mopeds/velosolex/

As for the starting problem, as a mechanic I can tell you than any engine with any type of carburetor will have problems if allowed to sit with gas in it. That is even more true now than ever, what with the moonshine gas we are stuck with. That stuff evaporates like crazy, and leaves a sticky gooey mess when it does. It is probably a good idea to just take the fuel system apart and clean it out, but it also might be worth a try to fill up the tank with a strong mix of Seafoam and gas, then try to start it. Even if it won't start immediately, after several tries, the Seafoam should have gotten into the jets, let it sit overnight, and try again the next day. Once you get it running, the Seafoam passing through the jets will quickly clean them out. Carbs with float bowls are harder to deal with, because stuff collects in the bottom of the float bowl, and you have to take it apart to clean it out.

Thanks for the tip on Seafoam. I have an unopned can im garage for my cars. I have never used it but it has been recommended to me my auto mechanic. Any particular mixture ? Maybe it's printed on the can. I haven't looked yet.

Yes, it is on the can, but it recommends a very small amount. I recommend about 4 oz per gallon of gas in your case, to dissolve whatever is plugging things up. I have used it in motorcycles and all kinds of small engines with good results. I have never used it in a car, it's simply too expensive. The local Walmart sells it for $9 a 16 oz can. I have used an entire can in my Goldwing with a 5 gallon tank before with no problems.

Also, depending on what the diaphragm is made of, if you have been using that 10% alcohol gas, it could be seriously damaged. I have found quite a bit of damage to motorcycle fuel systems caused by the stuff. It causes rubber to first swell, then literally dissolve. I had the fuel line come off the petcock on one of my motorcycles, the end that fits over the petcock had swollen and turned to mush. That was the stock fuel line.