Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I just bought a pressure washer powered by a Honda GCV190 motor.  I bought it at sea level, but recently brought it to 6,200 feet altitude.  It seems to run well at 6,200 feet, but I wonder if I'm either damaging the engine or running the risk of fouling it?

Honda makes a couple of inexpensive (<$10) substitute carburetor jets for higher altitude.  The manual says to bring the unit to a Honda dealer to substitute the alternate carburetor jet. 

I'm wondering if (1) I should bother with switching the jet and, if "yes," (2) whether it's an easy switch that I could perform without hauling the unit back and forth to the dealer?

I'm mechanically inclined and have good tools, but have never done anything beyond minor services (e.g., changing/gap-ing the plug, changing oil, and changing/cleaning air filters) on small engines.  Does anyone have experience making this switch?

Thanks.  

I forgot to check back for replies. Thanks folks! I just ordered a Mark 82 and will try that out. I haven't seen fouling of the plug but we also haven't had much snow. I've barely got 20 hours on the machine in the last few years. It's a real shame that our dealer here has no clue about this part. It probably means all of the thousands of Honda snowblowers running in our area (6200' and up, Lake Tahoe) are burning rich. Given the service life of a Honda I expect all of their emissions controls are long gone!

I was the one who posted this question back in '11 and offer thanks for the advice and updates. I opted to leave the original jet in the carburetor for my pressure washer. While I don't use it often, It seems to work fine at 6,200'. What little fouling of the plug I experience likely comes from the tablespoon of oil that I put into the cylinder when I store it a few times each year. I also have an older Honda HS928 snowblower. I don't know what jet it has (I'm the second owner), but it too seems to run pretty clean. The carburetor on the HS928, however, is now leaking fuel--so I've emptied it but need to get ready for El Nino. I believe it's leaking from either the top of the float chamber or the sediment cup. It's hard to tell where. It runs well for an old and heavily-worked machine, with only intermittent hunting if I use fuel that's a bit stale. I presume it needs fresh gaskets. I noticed that the Honda OEM gasket set costs around $13--about the same price as a whole aftermarket carburetor. Does anyone have experience with these aftermarket carbs? Are they and/or the aftermarket rebuild kits any good? Or should I simply spring for the $13 gasket set and clean out the old carb? I'm not a small engine expert by any stretch, but do generally change my own oil/plug changes and rebuilt the front end of this blower when I bought it back in '11.

Since the EPA forces all engines used in the states to run very lean because of their regulations you are probably fine with the larger jet.  As mentioned above run the engine under a load for a while pull the spark plug and see what it looks like.   There are many pictures on the web of what the plug on a properly jetted engine  should look like.