Your last generator Maintenance Run

[daugen]

Many of the small Honda gas engines lift a valve for a compression release when you crank them, other brands do the same thing...

SR

well I have a number of Hondas (gx340 and gx390) and the low rent plastic Honda, the GC160 on my orchard sprayer.
None have levers but if the release is automatic, well great engineering.

Dave, you're right. I can't text at the same time as starting my engine without electric start... groan.
Not exactly the priorities of some rice farmer in Borneo.

 

[3930dave]

well I have a number of Hondas (gx340 and gx390) and the low rent plastic Honda, the GC160 on my orchard sprayer.
None have levers but if the release is automatic, well great engineering.

Dave, you're right. I can't text at the same time as starting my engine without electric start... groan.
Not exactly the priorities of some rice farmer in Borneo.

It's relatively easy to find enthusiast-posted info about MC engines on the web.... but the same benefit that Ducati got (lower weight) plays well in the portable gen market...... one of the things most people appreciate about modern Honda, Yamaha, and Champion "suitcase" designs is fairly low weight.

Rgds, D.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Well last night about midnight after the temps dropped from 59 to 39F degrees in two hours and it had been raining off and on for the last two days I decided to do a maintenance run for the first time in a couple years since we had a major winter storm brewing and saw people in a panic at the gas station yesterday.

I found a battery near-by and popped it on the 6 amp charger while I when to checking out the oil and gas and general overall external health of the 25 year old Coleman with an 18 HP B&S engine. It had a couple gallons of very old gas but that should have been treated with Archoil AR6200 fuel additive so I installed the battery and opened up the fuel line shutoff and it fired up. I came up with a 1500 watt heater to use as a test load for about 15 minutes as the rain came down outside.

There was a dirt dabber next on one cylinder head I noticed so I had to remove some cooling skin to get it out in one piece. After I got that back on I load tested for another 5 minutes and left the charger set on 6 amps overnight. By the time I got back into the house the temps were down to 34F. I saw another 2009 ice storm in the making and cranked up the house temperature so we would be OK until daylight without starting the generator.

Thankfully it was just a glazing of ice before it was sleet that lasted until 11 am this morning then changed to a heavy snow until 5 pm this afternoon. By 11 am I had the 2-3 inches of sleet cleared from the cars. Now they have 4+ inches of snow to clear in the morning.

Until the daughter was told to not come into work today I had the 2010 Subaru Forester that I picked up last summer de-iced and really to go about 8 am. Since it was its first snow I had to get it out and up and down some steep hills and down to the church and back.

The Forester is AWESOME by the way.

Well it was the last minute but I finally got in a long over-due generator maintenance run. Thankfully it tested out fine and VERY thankful we never lost grid power.

We have the single cylinder 18 HP generator that I picked up last Feb for my birthday that I have put 4 hours with a very light load that I need to check out and charge the battery on I guess.

It seems like this winter storm system moisture has now passed and I will get the wife and daughter to work this weekend in the Subaru and leave the tractor parked since I never put the blade on it since I finally got it (MF) back from the shop.

 

[3930dave]

Well last night about midnight after the temps dropped from 59 to 39F degrees in two hours and it had been raining off and on for the last two days I decided to do a maintenance run for the first time in a couple years since we had a major winter storm brewing and saw people in a panic at the gas station yesterday.

I found a battery near-by and popped it on the 6 amp charger while I when to checking out the oil and gas and general overall external health of the 25 year old Coleman with an 18 HP B&S engine. It had a couple gallons of very old gas but that should have been treated with Archoil AR6200 fuel additive so I installed the battery and opened up the fuel line shutoff and it fired up. I came up with a 1500 watt heater to use as a test load for about 15 minutes as the rain came down outside.

There was a dirt dabber next on one cylinder head I noticed so I had to remove some cooling skin to get it out in one piece. After I got that back on I load tested for another 5 minutes and left the charger set on 6 amps overnight. By the time I got back into the house the temps were down to 34F. I saw another 2009 ice storm in the making and cranked up the house temperature so we would be OK until daylight without starting the generator.

Thankfully it was just a glazing of ice before it was sleet that lasted until 11 am this morning then changed to a heavy snow until 5 pm this afternoon. By 11 am I had the 2-3 inches of sleet cleared from the cars. Now they have 4+ inches of snow to clear in the morning.

Until the daughter was told to not come into work today I had the 2010 Subaru Forester that I picked up last summer de-iced and really to go about 8 am. Since it was its first snow I had to get it out and up and down some steep hills and down to the church and back.

The Forester is AWESOME by the way.

Well it was the last minute but I finally got in a long over-due generator maintenance run. Thankfully it tested out fine and VERY thankful we never lost grid power.

We have the single cylinder 18 HP generator that I picked up last Feb for my birthday that I have put 4 hours with a very light load that I need to check out and charge the battery on I guess.

It seems like this winter storm system moisture has now passed and I will get the wife and daughter to work this weekend in the Subaru and leave the tractor parked since I never put the blade on it since I finally got it (MF) back from the shop.

Nicely done with the olde Briggs Gale. Haven't used Archoil myself (it obviously did the trick stability wise), but if it doesn't act in a similar fashion, consider adding Stabil 360 Protection. I've yammered about it before, but in case you missed it..... vapour deposition protection for metal components above the fuel line.

I went to using 360 after noticing what I think was a small fleck of rust sitting on the bottom of a relatively young metal gas tank. Guessing your vintage of Briggs would have a metal tank.

Murphy is always gaming us ! Now that you've done a test run, you'll have 24x7 line power uptime for the next 3+ years ! :laughing:

If you hadn't done it, then your power would be down next week, it would have taken 4+ hours to get it to start, AND you'd have a cold-snap that broke 80 y/o weather records......

At least that's my experience with Murphy

Rgds, D.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Yes I remember many years ago we lost power and I had not touched this generator for a few warm winters and the anti-dieseling valve was stuck closed. It was very cold but I had no choice to tear into and remove the valve and get it unstuck.

I now shut off the valve from the gas tank and kill it that way and that has been helpful with the carb empty for the most part. Even though I do not start it that often I will from time to time turn the key off and on 8-10 times to hear the anti-dieseling valve clicking.

Actually it does have a 5 gallon plastic tank mounted on top. I am not sure how long it will last but did change the plugs one and I think we are on the second oil change. I need to get a new oil filter and do that again before the son moves out some day. It is a pain because the drain plug is about an inch off of the floor so we need to block it up which is not hard with two people but is hard for one old crippled up man. I got some chainsaws that have not been started in years as well. I saw a Stihl battery chain saw ad the other day for $300 that caught my attention. I am not the big jerk I use to be when it comes to starting chain saws.

My backup generators both have electric start options these days.

 

[hr3]

Similar to the start 90 just posted, the best starting description (tracked down a guy, Mark in Alberta, with the same/very similar clone) I've heard involves feathering the throttle @ start. My buddy hasn't found the compression release yet, (may end up pull the enclosure off next....), and Mark doesn't recall one, but it's been quite a while since he's run his.

Mark's Run/Start throttle description:

The large lever on top is the throttle, and the
little red one I think it releases the throttle from the wide open
position. I only put it in the wide open position once it is started
and warmed up a bit. But it is meant to run wide open when in
operation.

I'm 3k miles away from this gen,..... irritating I can't get my hands on it..... there is what looks like a 3rd brass lever at the bottom of Run/Start/throttle assy, I'm wondering what it does ?

Pics of my BC buddy's actual gen attached: Rgds, D.

View attachment 534869View attachment 534870View attachment 534871

Middle picture is that an aftermarket fuel filter mine is above that and needs replacing every time.??

 

[BrokenTrack]

Another possible alternative is PTO generators as a person can get a lot of KW's and Amps for what little money is spent on them. That is what I have, and since I have tractors always sitting in the yard waiting to do something, pressing them into service is no big deal. It lacks the automatic start-up part of it, but depending on lifestyle, that may be a big issue or not. I am always home so it is not.

 

[3930dave]

Middle picture is that an aftermarket fuel filter mine is above that and needs replacing every time.??

That filter is stock, came with the generator. AFAIK, this gen has never actually run, so the filter should still be clean. It will need to be changed eventually, but should be good to go at this time....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Yes I remember many years ago we lost power and I had not touched this generator for a few warm winters and the anti-dieseling valve was stuck closed. It was very cold but I had no choice to tear into and remove the valve and get it unstuck.

I now shut off the valve from the gas tank and kill it that way and that has been helpful with the carb empty for the most part. Even though I do not start it that often I will from time to time turn the key off and on 8-10 times to hear the anti-dieseling valve clicking.

Actually it does have a 5 gallon plastic tank mounted on top. I am not sure how long it will last but did change the plugs one and I think we are on the second oil change. I need to get a new oil filter and do that again before the son moves out some day. It is a pain because the drain plug is about an inch off of the floor so we need to block it up which is not hard with two people but is hard for one old crippled up man. I got some chainsaws that have not been started in years as well. I saw a Stihl battery chain saw ad the other day for $300 that caught my attention. I am not the big jerk I use to be when it comes to starting chain saws.

My backup generators both have electric start options these days.

Always something for Murphy to play with !

If you have good access via the Oil fill plug, a vacuum extractor may do the trick, esp. if son or another strong back isn't around.....

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

Another possible alternative is PTO generators as a person can get a lot of KW's and Amps for what little money is spent on them. That is what I have, and since I have tractors always sitting in the yard waiting to do something, pressing them into service is no big deal. It lacks the automatic start-up part of it, but depending on lifestyle, that may be a big issue or not. I am always home so it is not.

That sounds like a good fit for your homestead.

I was seriously considering a PTO gen when I wanted to step up from my old 2.5kw Briggs. Good value vs. kw output, even new, and especially at higher power levels.

Decided I wanted something more mobile than my tractor is, and easier for somebody other than me to set up and run, so went with a "portable" 7kw Briggs.

Rgds, D.