Harbor Freight Greyhound Engine

[rpmwwe]

Anyone have or know someone who has a Greyhound small engine? I was told they are Honda clones but I want to get some real world opinions on them. I got a flier from Harbor Freight in the mail that had a coupon for a 6.5hp horizontal shaft model for $109.99

Here's a link to the engine at regular price:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=66015

 

[gsport]

heck, at that price i'd buy one even if it wasn't a copy.... don't they have extended warranties for things like that??

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

"Not Available in California" ?! WTF?

I am rebuilding an old front throw reel mower and could REALLY use one of these. Maybe I need to bribe someone who lives out of state to buy one and trans-ship it to me!

 

[IDASHO]

The CA-ban is emissions related.

 

[twostory]

Man, what a deal for a "go cart" that needs an engine!

 

[OldCarGuy]

I'm sure that it's made over seas. But that's an unbeatable price. A Briggs & Stratton Engine would be about $350.00. And knowing that they set up a plant in China, I'd imagine it was made there also...

 

[Scotto]

How would you go about getting any parts thought for an engine like that? Even simple stuff like a carb rebuild kit.

Used Tecumseh and Briggs engines are easy enough to find and cheap, so I'll stick with them.

 

[Gary S]

I have a Briggs and Stratten 6.5hp engine like that sitting on the shelf in my garage waiting for me to find a use for it.
It came off a scrapped rototiller. Maybe I could make a motorized wasp shredder.

 

[Art From De Leon]

"How would you go about getting any parts thought for an engine like that? Even simple stuff like a carb rebuild kit."

It wouldn't last long enough to need any parts. Odds are that it would grenade itself within the first couple of hours, at the outside.

 

[gsport]

you know you always hear **** about harbor freight things.. i bought their 2800 psi presure washer with a 6hp mitsubishi engine and went through i dont' know how many tanks of gas... and it still starts on the first or second pull and just keeps on ticking....

 

[14binders]

Every single part is available for that engine. It comes as a kit and costs $109.99.

 

[mcdtommy23]

Excellent engine! Yes, the honda gx-160/200 parts interchange. the carbs/rebuild kits are the same as honda. I have 4 of the Harbor Freight 6.5 hp some HIGHLY moddified, pushed to the limit well over 14 hp each, spinning well over 6500 rpm. Using a combination of Honda, ARC, and other aftermarket parts. I have 2 6.5's that are bone stock, and 1 13hp (GX-390 clone) have not had ANY issues with these engines.

Keeping the gov. connected and/or keeping it under 4500 rpm (3600 is normal), with regular oil changes and the thing will last forever. If something does happen, they are the easiest of all the small engines to work on!

For those that speak badliy about these engines perhaps they should check out 4 cycle karting forums and the "clone" class. Briggs and Tech's are available used. Techs are GARBAGE! The company is out of the small engine business. Techs carbs **** ***, no choke WTF! I actually retrofitted a Harbor freight 6.5 "clone" carb to a tec vs. paying out the rear for a tec carb with a choke.

 

[Brad54]

"Not Available in California" ?! WTF?

I am rebuilding an old front throw reel mower and could REALLY use one of these. Maybe I need to bribe someone who lives out of state to buy one and trans-ship it to me!

Sounds like you need a road trip to Vegas. There's a HF there.
Stripper and hookers, too. Not in the same building, though. Well, maybe they are, but they're not "on the clock" if you bump into them in the screwdriver isle.

-Brad

 

[kbs2244]

I understand the clones are actually made in the same factory as the Hondas.
Honda uses Chinese factories.
(They just use Japanese quality control people.)
So the only difference is the paint.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Sounds like you need a road trip to Vegas. There's a HF there.
Stripper and hookers, too. Not in the same building, though. Well, maybe they are, but they're not "on the clock" if you bump into them in the screwdriver isle.

-Brad

You don't SUPPOSE.....nah...couldn't be. Harbor Freight Chinese-made hookers and strippers in the LV Harbor Freight? Cheap *****? Oh, never mind. I forgotthat ALL ***** is cheap and anything HF sells would have to be cheap or they wouldn't sell it

 

[Deena]

I am also wondering where Greyhound engines come from. We buy from Harbor Freight, and were thinking about buying the OHV Gas Engine to replace the one on our ATV. Anyone know where Greyhound engines are made? Or have you had any luck with them.

Thanks.

 

[38Chevy454]

I am also wondering where Greyhound engines come from. We buy from Harbor Freight, and were thinking about buying the OHV Gas Engine to replace the one on our ATV. Anyone know where Greyhound engines are made? Or have you had any luck with them.

Thanks.

Read above, they are manufactured in China. Same as the Honda design.

 

[Kevin54]

I understand the clones are actually made in the same factory as the Hondas.
Honda uses Chinese factories.
(They just use Japanese quality control people.)
So the only difference is the paint.

Honda has a couple of places in China so they can import cars. As far as the small engines, they are made in Japan. There are import/clone engines that are very similiar but not made by Honda. Made by Chinese and not marked Honda.

 

[Kurn]

Oh.I thought you meant HF was selling 8V71 Detroits..............

 

[Markgyver]

"Not Available in California" ?! WTF?

I am rebuilding an old front throw reel mower and could REALLY use one of these. Maybe I need to bribe someone who lives out of state to buy one and trans-ship it to me!

What kind of bribe are we talking about?

I have been thinking of getting one for an old snow blower that I have. I saw on another forum that someone bought one and had really good things to say about it. I have looked at them in the store and they look pretty nice.

 

[makgreens]

i think im might be buying one of these engines soon
im planning on building a mini bike for my girlfriends little brother and want an inexspensive motor to throw in

 

[nadogail]

I own the 13 Horse with electric start, I used it to build a 6.5 KW generator set. The govenor is excellent, less than 1 Hz variation from a sudden shift from No-Load to 5 KW. The engines are made by Lifan, a motorcycle manufacturer. I have no regrets from my purchase, nor from the after sale support when I ordered a replacement ignition key or requested additional technical information after the sale.

My next engine will probably be another Lifan with the Harbor Freight Greyhound Logo.

 

[trainer]

I Have a chinese honda clone 300w generator. Its been used for over 5 seasons at a camp where it logs some very long hours with absolutely no issues.
I switched to 0w-40 synthetic oil after the first season and change the oil once a year.

BTW I reccommend synthetic in any small engine used in cold weather.

 

[Wardster]

I bought one after work yesterday. It was on sale for $129.99 + I found a 20% off coupon online (Father's Day deal). Total cost was $111.01 OTD.

I am going to replace my 5hp GC Honda on my pressure washer with this one. Reason being, the replacement pump I bought required an engine in the 5hp - 6.5hp, but the motor was having a time with the 15deg tip. Can't go wrong for the cost.

-Wardster

 

[canmmandad]

I have a question.

I have one of the Harbor Freight Engines that is labeled as a Central Machinery 6.5 H.P. on a go cart. I made some modifications to it to make it work with the throttle pedal and it works well. Hauls my fat A _ _ no problem.

The problem I am having is when you take a turn too sharp, the engine stalls. I suspect it is caused by the Automatic Compression release opening up and losing compression. Any suggestions on the most effective way to turn the auto compression release in to a manual or any other ideas as to the cause of the stalling?

 

[Jack Olsen]

"Not Available in California" ?! WTF?

I am rebuilding an old front throw reel mower and could REALLY use one of these. Maybe I need to bribe someone who lives out of state to buy one and trans-ship it to me!

Before you make the trek to Vegas, know that there's also a CARB-certified version of the same engine -- in the past, at least, the California Harbor Freights have sold it for the same price.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66014

 

[tdkkart]

I have a question.

I have one of the Harbor Freight Engines that is labeled as a Central Machinery 6.5 H.P. on a go cart. I
The problem I am having is when you take a turn too sharp, the engine stalls.

Most likely it's the low oil shut down killing it, one of the first problems the go-kart guys had with them. You'll have to disable it, not sure if you can just unplug it, or if you have to short it out??
Go to 4cycle.com and ask in the clone section.

http://karting.4cycle.com/forumdisplay.php?f=120

 

[tcianci]

Yeah it is probably the low oil shutdown or a carb starving issue. The compression release mechinism is centrifugal and it would be nearly impossible for it to activate once the engine was at speed.

 

[mcdtommy23]

I have a question.

I have one of the Harbor Freight Engines that is labeled as a Central Machinery 6.5 H.P. on a go cart. I made some modifications to it to make it work with the throttle pedal and it works well. Hauls my fat A _ _ no problem.

The problem I am having is when you take a turn too sharp, the engine stalls. I suspect it is caused by the Automatic Compression release opening up and losing compression. Any suggestions on the most effective way to turn the auto compression release in to a manual or any other ideas as to the cause of the stalling?

DO NOT MESS WITH THE COMPRESSION RELEASE!!! It is most likely the low-oil cut off. Just snip the wire coming out of the front of the engine. When you go around a corner the oil goes away from the sensor and kills the ignition. Been down this road before.

 

[vonrothe]

Question for Nadogail...

Where did you get the replacement ignition key for your 13hp Greyhound engine? I just bought a Harbor Freight 16HP generator that was on display and found the two keys were missing after I got it home. I contacted HF customer service who said they will track one down and mail it to me but that was 3 weeks ago and still no key.

I would even be happy if you can tell me where to find an image of the key. I am willing to try the old Dremel on a piece of flat steel as long as I have some idea what shape to make it.

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[JD6619A]

i suspect this is just a honda type key, any honda dealer should have those kicking around too should work with that clone engine.

 

[sberry]

Every single part is available for that engine. It comes as a kit and costs $109.99.

Thats good.

 

[gsport]

don't forget to check out the car magazines... most all of them now have HF ads. with a 20% off coupon in them....

 

[dowies]

I just bought the 2.5HP Greyhound engine last week. I used it for running my motorized mechaincs creeper. Anyhow, check out this post for more shots and info www.garagejournal.com/?p=439#more-439

The only junk thing on these motors are the the govenor / throttle linkage system. I was easily able to strip this all off and efficiently re-route the linkage. Tuning was easy. I had that motor up and running 5K+ RPMs in less than a half hour. You have to disconnect the low oil sensor or the motor shuts off on big bumps or turns. www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=11372

 

[dowies]

How would you go about getting any parts thought for an engine like that? Even simple stuff like a carb rebuild kit.

Used Tecumseh and Briggs engines are easy enough to find and cheap, so I'll stick with them.

These motors come with a detailed instruction manual with a full exploded view bill of material / parts list. They come with a 1-800 number for ordering new parts if you need them. You can download the .pdf manual for any of these motors from the Harbor Freight web site. They even have motor mount locations specified, and shaft specifications for clutch bore and related keyways.

Here is a link to the product manual download for the 2.5HP motor:
www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/manuals.taf?f=form&ItemID=97964

 

[snorky18]

Every single part is available for that engine. It comes as a kit and costs $109.99.

I can't remember where, but somewhere I've read really good things about those motors, possibly over at a landscaping forum. Seems like everything, or close to it, was interchangeable with the Hondas.

...I used it for running my motorized mechaincs creeper. Anyhow, check out this post for more shots and info www.garagejournal.com/?p=439#more-439

Dowies, you are the man by the way, I'd be scared to go that fast that close to the ground.

 

[Shopshirt Mofo]

The $139.00 motor is EPA certified the $159.00 motor has a CARB Certified Sticker and costs an extra $20.00.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=66014

How much do you want to bet it is the same motor and CARB charges $20 just so that they can label it CARB Certified.

 

[vonrothe]

Thanks JD6619A. It took a lot longer to find a Honda key than I thought it would but the key worked perfectly.

And for those who are wondering about the clone engines with the Greyhound nameplate... I decided to try starting my new 16hp with the pull-starter just to see how many pulls it would take. One pull and it ran like a champ for hours! If I need another engine it will be one of these clones.

 

[claudia]

How would you go about getting any parts thought for an engine like that? Even simple stuff like a carb rebuild kit.

Used Tecumseh and Briggs engines are easy enough to find and cheap, so I'll stick with them.

You can get most parts through Harbor Freight, I bought a new Crank for a 6.5 and cost about 29.00 with shipping. I tried to use the engine on a chipper which orginally had an engine with a 1" shaft the 6.5 had a 3/4" it worked for awhile but didn't hold up. I replaced the crank and its running fine with no problems.

 

[wineslob]

I've got that exact engine (but CA cert'd) on a log splitter I built in Sept. It's sat in the rain and cold for the last month or so, and still starts with 2 pulls.