Racing of a Honda 160 CC lawn mower engine

This is a case of partially blocked jet in the carb, you need to remove and clean the carb, or remove and get it cleaned sonic cleaned by your local dealer.

remove the top cover from the engine and see if theres a nest stopping the governor from moving

this may be a governor issue. don;t continuously run it this way till repairs are done.

get down and look at the carb. a little screw on top will allow you to adjust the idle, but;, check the choke, it is stuck in place or mal functuning maybe, but turning the screw right or left will set idle

Has probably broken flywheel key ..... putting it out of time

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/products/manuals/Default.aspx

after finding your lawn mower then click trouble shooting manual on your left side and have a nice weekend

I don't have a solution but have the same problem. When choke opens the engine shuts down.

sounds like it may need the carb clening out, but it could be the auto choke not closing when cold. there was an issue with some of the early auto chokes on the gcv135/160 engines so check to see if the choke flap is in the closed position when starting from cold, run the engine for approx 10-15 minutes and see if the choke flap has opened fully.leave it to go cold and see if the choke flap has returned to the closed position

worn float needle or obstructed airflow (plugged foam filter)

Lets assume that your air filter is clean and the gasoline is fresh (i.e. not more than a couple months old). I have heard a lot of complaints about the carburetor on the Honda 160 cc engine. Some of the folks that have bought mowers with Honda engines have taken them back during the warranty period to Home Depot for exchanges to brands with Briggs engines. If it is outside of the warranty period, find a reputable shop to rebuild the carb.