Official generator thread

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks Larry. Yep, replaced many of those over the years!

 

[beaglebriar]

View attachment 172563 View attachment 172564 View attachment 172565 The electric does not feed the fuel tanks. All the fuel tanks are 12 volt.

Now I know where to stop for gas in Virginia.

 

[Larry B]

View attachment 172563 View attachment 172564 View attachment 172565 The electric does not feed the fuel tanks. All the fuel tanks are 12 volt.

That's a lot of gas just for chainsaws. I am paying g over $3 a gallon for E free gas. Nice to meet a wealthy person.

 

[amberg]

Now I know where to stop for gas in Virginia.

You are welcome anytime!!

 

[amberg]

That's a lot of gas just for chainsaws. I am paying g over $3 a gallon for E free gas. Nice to meet a wealthy person.

I wish I were wealthy, All of this gas goes to the John Deere Gator, and the little ford 2n tractor, plus 2 zero turn mowers, and a 118 john Deere mower and two farm trucks.( First fill up was $2.50 per gallon. (Last fill up was @ 3.30 per gallon.) Bought regular gas today for $ 2,39 a gallon for the Blazer, ( Thieves)

 

[Grimmy]

I hope you have a meter to verify that the switch is open when you flip it. I don't like those type of switches. I'd rather have the knife kind, where you can see the knifes are out. Switches to fail. I just had a disconnect fail, where pulling the handle felt normal, but when I checked it, I found none of the knives disengaged. Very easily could have been a bad day.

 

[Larry B]

Codes vary but that would not meet code where I live. The disconnect would have to be replaced with a 200A transfer switch.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-200-...ency-Power-Transfer-Switch-TC10324R/100150463

 

[merc_man]

Well i finally got over the half hour mark. Had it running today. It sat for about 2 months.

 

[Cjone]

I picked up a EU6500 that had 131 hours on it. Hard to start and would not pull a full load once running. Figured it was the normal gummed up carb from sitting. The engine also had more noise from the valve train than normal and a knock that is typical from a 13hp Honda. Sooo. first cleaned the carb and go it so it would run but it still was not right and didn't like the noise. Pulled the engine out and replaced the cam and lifters. Checked everything and it all measured within Honda's service limits and looked good except for a little wear on the crank 0.0005 nothing out of the ordinary on a small engine rod was out 0.001 but with in spec. So I honed it and put new rings in it. Went to install the head and here is where the fun starts. Exhaust valve, seat and guide are junk. Then I find out the unit had been ran on propane and that is very hard on a engine that does not have the valve train set up for it. It also explains why the exhaust valve guide is junk. I have a very good source for parts so I replaced the head and installed new valves and keepers. Good to go, right? Started the unit up, fired up immediately and ran perfect. So I put it under a partial load and then full load after 20 min or so. Ran great except for on little problem still had a slight knock when fully warmed up. So me being the perfectionist I am would not be able to live with that. So apart it came again. I replaced everything rod,crank,piston,rings and all bearings. I put a .25mm oversize piston it in, I have most engine building tools so taking .010 out of a cylinder is no big issue but to my surprise Honda spec for piston clearance is 0.0006 to 0.0015 [that is not a misprint] I have built a bunch of engines but never had one with a piston that tight. I could not do the 0.0006 so I set it at 0.001, right at the middle of spec. Check ring end gap, rod and crank spec ect and reassembled. Unit now runs as it should, quiet and will put out 6500w + until it kicks out on overload. I now know why honda small engines last so long and do not need a oil filter. With tolerances like that there is not much wear material after break in to worry about. These generators are built very well. Everything on them is top quality and overbuilt. I can understand why they cost what they do. I have 2 EU2200's and sold one of the original ones that was 15 years old and still ran great with the original spark plug! There is not much out there that can compare. The Yamaha's are very close but that is it. CJ

 

[beaglebriar]

I picked up a EU6500 that had 131 hours on it. Hard to start and would not pull a full load once running. Figured it was the normal gummed up carb from sitting. The engine also had more noise from the valve train than normal and a knock that is typical from a 13hp Honda. Sooo. first cleaned the carb and go it so it would run but it still was not right and didn't like the noise. Pulled the engine out and replaced the cam and lifters. Checked everything and it all measured within Honda's service limits and looked good except for a little wear on the crank 0.0005 nothing out of the ordinary on a small engine rod was out 0.001 but with in spec. So I honed it and put new rings in it. Went to install the head and here is where the fun starts. Exhaust valve, seat and guide are junk. Then I find out the unit had been ran on propane and that is very hard on a engine that does not have the valve train set up for it. It also explains why the exhaust valve guide is junk. I have a very good source for parts so I replaced the head and installed new valves and keepers. Good to go, right? Started the unit up, fired up immediately and ran perfect. So I put it under a partial load and then full load after 20 min or so. Ran great except for on little problem still had a slight knock when fully warmed up. So me being the perfectionist I am would not be able to live with that. So apart it came again. I replaced everything rod,crank,piston,rings and all bearings. I put a .25mm oversize piston it in, I have most engine building tools so taking .010 out of a cylinder is no big issue but to my surprise Honda spec for piston clearance is 0.0006 to 0.0015 [that is not a misprint] I have built a bunch of engines but never had one with a piston that tight. I could not do the 0.0006 so I set it at 0.001, right at the middle of spec. Check ring end gap, rod and crank spec ect and reassembled. Unit now runs as it should, quiet and will put out 6500w + until it kicks out on overload. I now know why honda small engines last so long and do not need a oil filter. With tolerances like that there is not much wear material after break in to worry about. These generators are built very well. Everything on them is top quality and overbuilt. I can understand why they cost what they do. I have 2 EU2200's and sold one of the original ones that was 15 years old and still ran great with the original spark plug! There is not much out there that can compare. The Yamaha's are very close but that is it. CJ

I had a eu3000 motor bored and it smokes like a freight train. The machine shop fudged up the bore, can't remember the clearance but it was oversize. Ended up buying a standard gx200 as a replacement for that one.

 

[RD35]

I live way out in the sticks. Nearest 3-phase power is over 2 miles away. Mostly wooded country with power poles running through the woods. So, we have lots of outages. I have 3 generators. #1 is a little HF Storm Cat 800W 120V. I use this unit to power the block heater on my diesel pick-up truck when it's really cold outside at work. #2 is an old (1996 model) Homelite LR5500. This is what I power my house and workshop with during an outage any time except when it's really hot outside or really really cold. I just shut off all the 240V powered stuff on my house and that little 5000W generator pulls the rest just fine. If I need more power, say to run electric resistance heat in the shop or to run our central A/C units then I hook up my 16KW PTO driven unit from HF. It carries pretty much everything I can throw at it. Well, almost that is! Was working out in my shop on a Saturday. Windy day. Utility power dropped off. Wife yells from the house asking if I can hook up power so she can finish cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I say, "Sure Honey...I'll hook up the PTO unit to the Kubota". She was used to outages and the little 5KW unit so she was aware that you must be careful to not overload the generator. She asked, "What can I run when you get the generator going?" I say, "Honey, I'm hooking up the new PTO unit to the 25hp Kubota Diesel Tractor....you can run whatever you want!!" Ten minutes later I have everything hooked up, tractor throttle set so its making about 62hz and 240V, I walk over to the service transfer switch and pull the lever down. Tractor blows a little puff of black smoke and keeps on going. I puff out my chest like Tim the Tool Man Taylor and go,"Arrr..Arrr..Arr!" About 5 seconds later, the tractor bellers out a big puff of black smoke as its RPM' s start falling off! I run as fast as I can and jerk the transfer switch lever back to the "off" position.
So, my wife comes back to the door and yells, "What happened?" After a short discussion I found out that she took me serious! She fired up the clothes washer (which caused the electric water heater to kick on), the electric clothes dryer, and turned the electric oven on to self-clean. She put that poor Kubota on its knees in a hurry. Next time I'll think a little bit before I go to spouting off my mouth!!!!

 

[Cjone]

I had a eu3000 motor bored and it smokes like a freight train. The machine shop fudged up the bore, can't remember the clearance but it was oversize. Ended up buying a standard gx200 as a replacement for that one.

Hard to find a good shop anymore, main reason I do what I can myself. Honda uses a crome top ring and they need a very fine finish along with the oil control rings. If I would not have had the parts into it already I would have just picked up a gx390 long block and put a generator crank in it. Cj

 

[beaglebriar]

Hard to find a good shop anymore, main reason I do what I can myself. Honda uses a crome top ring and they need a very fine finish along with the oil control rings. If I would not have had the parts into it already I would have just picked up a gx390 long block and put a generator crank in it. Cj

The inverter generators use the flywheel side of the crank so no need for the swap, which is nice. Strip the motor down to bare bones, remove the governor, cut the output shaft off and slap it in. It was actually cheaper than rebuilding the original motor.

 

[peter92]

Ive got the EU2.0I here downunder as my back up
We run 240 volt here , its only about 4 yrs old , love the ECO THROTTLE
there $1900AU so a bit dear but then down here you get what you pay for
Now if the engine stuffs up , is it cheap to buy another engine
Peter

 

[Cjone]

Ive got the EU2.0I here downunder as my back up
We run 240 volt here , its only about 4 yrs old , love the ECO THROTTLE
there $1900AU so a bit dear but then down here you get what you pay for
Now if the engine stuffs up , is it cheap to buy another engine
PeterView attachment 178054 View attachment 178055

Howdy, i can't say as I have never seen a.bad one. My 15+ year old one still ran like new when I sold it. Still does (buddie has it) with the original spark plug. I believe the engine is a gx100 or 120. Popular in compactors. Cj

 

[peter92]

Howdy, i can't say as I have never seen a.bad one. My 15+ year old one still ran like new when I sold it. Still does (buddie has it) with the original spark plug. I believe the engine is a gx100 or 120. Popular in compactors. Cj

Yep has the GX100 engine , great when only takes 1 pull to start it , mine be lucky if its do 40hrs
Peter

 

[Cjone]

Yep has the GX100 engine , great when only takes 1 pull to start it , mine be lucky if its do 40hrs
Peter

The new 2200 have the 120, I remember now. The front led will flash 1-5 depending on the hours on the unit. 1 is 100 2 is 200 and so on. They last a long time if the oil is kept changed. Cj

 

[merc_man]

Well heres my next project. My grandpas generator needs the carb cleaned after i told him I should start it once a month for him to keep it working. Last time i started it was over a year ago.

Went over last night to play cards and he was in some panic lol that we needed to get it running. So went over this am and drained the yellow fuel out of it. Put fresh in and surprisingly it fired up on second pull but will only run on half choke and just surges with choke off. Might run some seafoam through it first for ten mins or so to hopfully clean it but im pretty sure i will have to pull the carb apart.

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[Larry B]

If you pull the carb to take it apart you need to take the high speed mixture screw out then use a flat blade screwdriver to remove the fuel tube then take the 4 screws out to split the carb. Also check the throttle shaft for wear. That carb is notorious for the holes hogging out.

 

[merc_man]

If you pull the carb to take it apart you need to take the high speed mixture screw out then use a flat blade screwdriver to remove the fuel tube then take the 4 screws out to split the carb. Also check the throttle shaft for wear. That carb is notorious for the holes hogging out.

Thanks for the heads up.

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