Your last generator Maintenance Run

[daugen]

Hard to go wrong with Rotella T6 in 5W40

If you wanted to declutter the oil shelf, I agree. I usually buy what's on sale but always
the best of somebody's line. I wait for the "good stuff" to go on sale.
Though I'm learning in another thread even the "cheap stuff" does just fine in most applications
if you get the oil rating correct. Specifically Walmart's best synthetic oil is very good oil. I usually buy from Tractor Supply since I'm in
there so often.

I like the 5 part and I like the 40 part.
I think we worry more about the 40 part since the oil appears so thin.
And now there is synthetic made out of natural gas I think. It worked just fine...
Being a chemist would help here, most of the technical stuff goes over my head.

 

[PILOON]

My generator came with a gellcell type battery and that did not last long.
I replaced it with my wet acid battery from my Honda ATV and permanently wired in an intelligent battery tender. That was about 6 years ago and to date it never let me down.
I always shut the gas line off and run it dry when power returns.

Start up is simple: pull choke, turn the key to start, a couple of burps and remove choke after a few minutes and go put the coffee pot on.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I can't imagine having a diesel tractor or generator in below zero weather without an engine block heater on it all the time.

My diesel tractor has no problem at all starting in below zero temps, if the batt. will turn it over, it starts right up, EVERY time.

SR

 

[cqaigy2]

Doesn't the "C" stand for Celsius??

BTW, it was -8 F here this morning... (-22C)

SR

oops the to should have been or as in, either or. :ashamed:

 

[LittleBill21]

My generator came with a gellcell type battery and that did not last long.
I replaced it with my wet acid battery from my Honda ATV and permanently wired in an intelligent battery tender. That was about 6 years ago and to date it never let me down.
I always shut the gas line off and run it dry when power returns.

Start up is simple: pull choke, turn the key to start, a couple of burps and remove choke after a few minutes and go put the coffee pot on.

honda atv's never came with wet cell batterys, they came with agm yuasa batteries.

 

[jgayman]

honda atv's never came with wet cell batterys, they came with agm yuasa batteries.

Same with Honda inverter generators. I assume it is because AGM batteries are sealed and don't put off any fumes. With the way Honda packs the battery into such a tight space on their inverter generators any fumes at all would wreak havoc with the surrounding components.

 

[shaeff]

Generator- Porter Cable H1000-IS-w | 10,000w continuous, 19,500 surge

Powered by 20hp Honda, pressure lubed

Me and my wife went on a 40 day, 12,000 mile roadtrip this past summer (2018). My genny sat under double tarps through one of the wettest summers we’ve had in the northeast. (Hudson River Valley, NY)

Apparently both my tarps got sunbaked and leaked. Water made it up over the fill spout and into the tank. Got home from trip, tried to fire it for a workout run, wouldn’t start. (I didn’t know about the water yet)

Life got busy, like trying to find a new job, as my boss kinda screwed me and I ended up having to resign to go on the roadtrip. There goes 13yrs. That’s a whole other story. Winter rolls around, I finally have time to scope out the genny.

Checked the tank, ice in the bottom. Pulled tank, drain all gas, fresh gas, fired it up. Ran ok, bit of surging. Got dark, covered it for the night. Big snow storm on the horizon. Snopocolypse! Said the news. (Just a few days ago)

Now I see I’ve got a limited window. Fuel tank is clean, added dry gas and topped it off. Pulled fuel line, frozen solid, can’t blow through it. Pull vacuum operated fuel pump. Frozen solid. Pulled carb, ice in the bowl.

Disassembled carb, cleaned thoroughly. Left in basement all night to dry out. Replaced some o-rings, cleaned jets. Reassemble.

Blow out fuel line, run some thinner through it to remove water. Let dry.

Carefully blow through fuel pump. Run a bit of thinner through it, then fresh gas. Let dry.

The fuel solenoid was very sticky. It slowly sucked in when applied 12v. Cleaned that out and retested, apply 12v, SNAP! Good to go!

Reassembled the whole deal, left covers off. Pull choke, press start button, BANG! Fired right off. Slowly push the choke back in, no more surging, no hiccups, runs like a top again.

Finally ready to properly hook to house. Grabbed an interlock kit, some wire, and a 14-50 plug. Wired it all up, now the main and genny CANNOT be on at the same time.

Getting there slowly but surely.

 

[RoyJackson]

there are YouTube videos mostly of Russians setting up whole bonfires under their tractors to get them warm.

Before I went in the Navy, I worked at a construction site which ultimately became Columbia City southwest of Baltimore MD. This was in 1968-1969
It wasn't uncommon to see a small fire under some of the diesel powered dozers and such during the winter

 

[Industrial Toys]

I use John Deere oil in just about everything. It's not that the stuff won't start, but I don't like the idea of starting the stuff cold and maybe they don't get oil quick enough, and cause wear. So maybe for the generators, I should consider synthetic. I built a prelube on my Kubota Onan, but it never worked properly. I don't remember what was what.

 

[daugen]

I use John Deere oil in just about everything.
It has been my experience that neither John Deere or Kubota specs or sells synthetic motor oil.
The dealer may but isn't green or orange.
What are the manufacturers telling us? Kubota offers a better synthetic hydraulic oil, but not motor oil.
I don't get it.
Missing an opportunity to market a product seems to me.
Yet JD will dye their grease green for me and charge more for it.

Now I don't know what JD specs now for big ag tractors, if they have synthetic for that but never been able to buy synthetic motor oil for my X750 Yanmar garden tractor. I use Rotella T5 as a hedge in the JD, as I did with my past Kubota, but now with the new Massey will go back to full synthetic, usually T6.
But while the JD was in warranty, I used the Plus 50 something oil. Just seemed like a lot of money for dino oil unless they put one heck of an additive pack in it.

Fully synthetic in a generator takes higher heat during extended running, particularly air cooled, and
the engine starts more easily in the cold. What's not to like in something this important?