citytransplant
Silver Member
Hey folks. Yesterday on Craigslist I picked up a 10-year-old (plus or minus) generator as described in title. The B&S engine is a 200000 (series) model. The generator itself is no longer in production as I understand it. The guy wanted $300 but agreed to let it go for $50 less. The unit was clean as a whistle. The seller quickly walked me through the start-up process and she fired up first pull. I didn't bother to mention I recently sold a similar unit that had seen better days and I was quite familiar with its operation. He claimed it hadn't been run in at least a year. He stated he was selling it because he no longer is concerned should his house lose power. I found that odd but didn't press the issue. In his part of town, outages are typically rectified quickly. After she ran for about a minute, he shut her down. I asked him when the oil was last changed. He mumbled something about it having been changed once or twice (his inability to be clear about routine maintenance should've been a red flag) and recommended that I change the oil sooner rather than later. In hindsight, I should've let her run for at least 5 minutes, probably more. I should've checked the condition of the oil and pulled/inspected the plug. But no, I just wanted to go home. It was hot outside and I was hungry. The unit looked good and was described as "like new" in the CL ad.
Today when I went to change the oil I noticed red thread locker on the drain plug. While I can't be certain that it's Locktite brand, if it is, I've always believed red was used for permanent applications. Initially the drain plug wouldn't give. I gave it a bath in Liquid Wrench penetrant and decided to siphon the oil out through the low oil fill hole. What came out of that hole disturbed me. The oil seemed both too thin and appeared contaminated. I filled her up with fresh synthetic oil and I eventually was able to break the drain plug free. I plan to drain the fresh oil and inspect after I run the unit for a while (how long?), unless folks direct me otherwise. If the fresh oil looks good after I run the unit and drain, I might poar it back in or maybe just bite the bullet, dispose of it, and add more fresh oil (at over $7 per quart).
So, is it common to have thread locker on an oil drain plug? Could the oil not be contaminated, but simply old?
Please feel free to ream me out for not being a more scrupulous buyer of used equipment. I operate by the premise that most folks are honest and those that are not will eventually get their comeuppance. The former is certainly true, in my experience of selling almost 1,500 pocket knives on the internet. The latter may not hold true in some, if not many, cases and may be something that I tell myself so as to minimize resentment.
Thanks and best of luck to all from Central New York.
Today when I went to change the oil I noticed red thread locker on the drain plug. While I can't be certain that it's Locktite brand, if it is, I've always believed red was used for permanent applications. Initially the drain plug wouldn't give. I gave it a bath in Liquid Wrench penetrant and decided to siphon the oil out through the low oil fill hole. What came out of that hole disturbed me. The oil seemed both too thin and appeared contaminated. I filled her up with fresh synthetic oil and I eventually was able to break the drain plug free. I plan to drain the fresh oil and inspect after I run the unit for a while (how long?), unless folks direct me otherwise. If the fresh oil looks good after I run the unit and drain, I might poar it back in or maybe just bite the bullet, dispose of it, and add more fresh oil (at over $7 per quart).
So, is it common to have thread locker on an oil drain plug? Could the oil not be contaminated, but simply old?
Please feel free to ream me out for not being a more scrupulous buyer of used equipment. I operate by the premise that most folks are honest and those that are not will eventually get their comeuppance. The former is certainly true, in my experience of selling almost 1,500 pocket knives on the internet. The latter may not hold true in some, if not many, cases and may be something that I tell myself so as to minimize resentment.
Thanks and best of luck to all from Central New York.
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