My GX160 powering a generator won't rev up to produce power. Is the governor adjustable or has it failed?

check your governor spring or governor adjustment

Yes, you will be able to control the throttle. Look for a lever that pulls on the governor spring. On some generators, the governor spring attaches to an arm with adjustment screw and locknut or metal tab that bends into position. All that you need do is to pull on the governor spring to increase rpm. The governor spring pulls on the governor arm that is attached to the fly weight governor inside the engine. The fly weight is turned by the cam gear in most cases and the force that it produces is constantly trying to close the throttle. The governor spring provides the counter force to open the throttle. Without the governor, the engine can over rev. Good luck with your project.

Not sure what you mean "high voltage rpm power generator out", however many people have asked how to adjust the engine for proper voltage output. On generators with~out a voltage regulator, I adjust the engine RPM by using a digital voltage meter that has a Hz setting. Adjust the governor untill the meter displays 60 Hz. With the geneator producing 60 cycles, I know that the engine is turning 3600 rpm (the engine produces max hp when it is turning 3600 rpm). At this point, read the voltage output to verify that the range is between 115 ~ 120. On generators with a voltage regulator, verify/adjust that generator is producing 60 cycles then adjust voltage by turning screw at the regulator (some regulators are sealed with potting compound and can not be adjusted). If your power demands are not that great and you appliance can operate at 50 cycles, adjust governor as needed. Lowering to 50 cycles will also reduce output voltage. Good luck

Voltage is adjusted by raising or lowering the engine speed (governor adjustment), however one must also pay attention to the rpm because your generator was designed to produce 120 volts at 60 cycles while turning 3600 rpm. Your electrician should have tested for htz while testing for voltage. I would recommend re-testing under load and adjust governor to turn 60 cycles to see resulting voltage.

Most generators (except the latest inverter generators)
produce power directly dependent on RPM's.
The governor adjustment is critical.
This usually is in the form of an adjuster that through a spring, applies a preload to the governor arm.
The governor arm is attached to a shaft that disappears into the motor. Inside there is usually a set of weights that when spun faster will attempt to slow the motor and when spinning too slowly will attempt to increase revs. The adjustment you need to make is to the preload spring.
They are very sensitive to the motor being in good tune so do the air cleaner, spark plug etc before trying to get it right. Under voltage can do more damage than over voltage so take your time and get it to a good steady correct voltage with your usual expected load on it. A safety trip out box gives you a way to test voltage with a load on & some protection.
Work safe

You did not mention how many amps your system is producing/drawing, however I don't think that you need to adjust the governor. Your engine can produce 18 hp at 3600 rpm. At 3600 rpm your generator is producing 60hz or cycles. As the load increases /decreases it has an effect on the governor thus the change in cycles. If the load increases past the capacity of the engine, the cycles will drop. To stabilize, reduce the load. 59hz is produced when the engine is turning about 3550 rpm. If you increase the speed of the engine to compensate cycles may increase past 60hz. 3650rpm will probably produce 61hz. Engine speed could be fluctuating due to other reasons (vacuum leak, dirty air filter, plug, etc ) if there is only a small load on the engine/generator. If you would still like to adjust the governor please email the load on the generator and I will help with instructions. Good Luck with your generator it is a very nice unit and built to last.

Hi

You have to find the governor linkage.There is a spring adjusting by a screw to increese speed to get more power.Try to locate it.

best regards savumihai71

While attending college I worked at a tool rental center and learned a great deal about matching generators to customer requirements and troubleshooting customer owned units. There are simple tests that you can perform, however, first some info on what to expect from a generator. Most generators are overrated and under powered. You should only expect to get about 60 - 75% of rating. Example, a commercial honda 5000w generator has an 11hp motor that can only produce about 9.5 hp at 3600 rpm. If a customer needed 5000w of power, we would rent them an 8000w generator because as the generator is loaded to max the voltage will drop. You generator will probably only provide steady voltage ex. 115v at 60 cycles to about 3500w then voltage will begin to drop. New generators have automatic voltage regulator that varies the power to the armature increasing/decreasing the power of the magnet. These voltage regulators suffer a high failure rate and are expensive. If your generator is not giving you 3500 watt at 115v 60 cycles your engine may have a few problems and your power generator end may need tweaking. (I would not expect to achieve 5500w at 115v with briggs 10hp) .
The governor is about 2 inches in diameter and turns off the cam gear inside the engine. It is flyball type with two or three small arms that react to rpm. The faster the engine turns, more force is applied to the governor arm to reduce engine speed. Easy to test, with engine running use finger pressure against the arm to increase speed and you should feel a greater resistance as the engine speed increases. Another simple test, remove air filter to expose butterfly inside the carb. Move the governor arm and check that the butterfly opens fully. If it does not open fully linkage and governor is not set correctly. Next, start engine and load generator up to max and check that butterfly opens to full as the load increases. When the butterfly opens all the way under load the engine is at max. Add up the wattage of all the tools/appliances you used to load the engine to get an idea of max load . Lets assume that the shop adjusted the governor properly, if the governor was not working the engine would over rev. and damage would occur. As you were told the governor spring controls speed and can be adjusted somewhat by bending tab or adjustment screw. But a review of your generator manual or that series of briggs engine will show that there are several governor springs available and different placement holes on the governor arm to attach the spring that will change the power curve. Pulling on the spring can only do so much, however changing the spring to different gauge /turns/material or differnet location on the governor arm will cause the engine to perform differently. These springs are sold thru briggs dealers by part number for your engine. This would be considered tweaking to get a different power curve.
Now for the generator. Some generators have a capacitor incorporated in the windings. This capacitor must measure within 95% of rating. Remove from circuit for testing. Finally look very carefully at the commutator rings for any evidence of brush bounce. If the brushes do not perfectly seat you will lose power. If your generator is brushless you can only hope that the diodes are within spec. because it is too difficult to test them. They also must be removed to test. Finally if your generator has an automatic voltage regulator the only test would be to replace with a known good part. At the rental center we stocked spare parts so that we could quickly find fault. There is soo much to learn and the life too short. I hope this helps good luck, please email your questions.

Honda generators are very reliable and are easy to adjust. The best way to check for proper output is to use a meter that can check cycles and voltage. Set meter to htz or freq and adjust the engine governor to 60 cycles. When the engine is turning 3600 rpm it is at max power and the generator may be producing ac voltage ranging from 115 to 125 at 60 cycles. When you draw power from the generator the engine governor will try to overcome the stress and maintain 3600 rpm. The engine must be well maintained to produce full power. Service oil, filter, plug and valve adjustment. Some engines have a spark arrester installed in the muffler that may become blocked with carbon. If engine is producing full power and voltage/amps is low then check brushes, capacitors, and/ or voltage regulator. Most problems occur when too much power is requested from rated generator. Example, trying to connect an 1800 watt air compressor to generator. The compressor may draw double the stated wattage upon starting and cycling. For longest generator life, It is best to use only 75% of rated output. On an 1800 watt generator use max wattage 1350. If you actually need to use 1800 watts then the best generator would be a 2500 watt. enjoy

Most generators use a flyball type governor within the engine to control rpm; also there is a voltage regulator that tries to maintain voltage at about 115v. The voltage regulator varies the voltage to the armature increasing /adjusting magnetic force. Use a meter with htz or freq setting to adjust engine governor to 60 cycles. When the generator is producing 60 cycles, the engine should be turning 3600 rpm, max power range. At 3600 rpm the voltage should be 115 to 120 volts. Loading the generator will cause governor to try to maintain 3600 rpm. Check engine manual for proper adjustment of gonvernor and linkage. The governor mech should last the life of the engine, however governor system does wear out. Expensive repair. enjoy