Your last generator Maintenance Run

[3930dave]

Broke in our new gennie this week. Changed the oil and filled it with Seafoam stabilized fuel before putting it away. Also, made sure the wife could pull start it just in case the battery is dead, I'm on the road, and she needs it.

Sounds like you are ready

I've been impressed with how effortless some of the modern pull-starts are (good mechanical advantage), compared to some old even 3hp engines. Batteries do die.....

I have traditional Seafoam on the shelf here (always), but have plenty of other options in-stock too. Last look (a while ago) @ the MSDS for Seafoam, IIRC it listed isopropyl (sp?) alcohol. IF I want added alcohol, that's the one I'd use - and have, rescuing neighbours water-logged small engines. Seafoam was invented before I was, so today there are brand-extension products in that lineup, that I haven't had the time to MSDS scan....

Startron, Stabil and others (have a can of Gumout - PEA is a good modern option for cleaning - also on my shelf) are good to have around too.

Sounds like your gen is starting out life on the right path.....

Rgds, D.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I've been using Seafoam for years in motorcycles and power equipment and never had a gummed carb. I used to have issues with Satbil though

 

[5030]

I don't get to the Trade shows I used to.... I'd like to talk with someone technical @ Golden Eagle. The 360 Protection (vapour deposition) line they were working on caught my eye, but they seem to have gone radio-silent on that aspect of the formulation. <<< Valuable to me, with small-engine metal gas tanks...

(360 may have the same formula/function today, and they just decided to back away from publishing claims, IDK yet).

Rgds, D.

In the last 5 years, zero fuel issues using blue Marine Stabil (not the red stinky stuff). The blue stuff has no smell. It also has a use by time limitation on the bottle. The smell of the red stuff is enough to gag a maggot.

 

[wwidmer]

New and attracted to this post with recent experience. I am now in the habit of starting my generators first week of each month after letting one sit for years and then having to clean the carb to get it to run. We don't lose power a lot but when we do it's nice to have back-up. Lost power a week ago and while generally wait a 1/2 hour or so before starting the genny, went right out as a start was due. Genny (Winco HPS9000 with a 16HP Vangard twin) turned over but would not start...dang! Had been flawless starting all last winter and spring. Fiddled a bit then main power came back on. Continued to check things over and found not getting a good spark so took off the flywheel cover to look at the coils. Things looked fine but disconnected and reconnected the coil wiring. Tried again and then she started right up. Happy camper!
Also have a 5K Coleman we got back in 2004 when in Florida and got hit by those hurricanes. Used very sporadically after that and learned importance of maintenance after it sat for a few years and the carb got gunked up. Took some cleaning and got the Coleman back to operating. Runs fine and our appliances (stove, furnace, water heater) are propane so it will power all essentials with care but felt it was stressed on power when we lost electric for a week in Feb 2022. Also thinking the total harmonic distortion likely pretty high since it was a low cost product. So was happy to find and get the Winco which seems to have a much more stable output. It too needed a carb cleaning as PO inherited it from parents but had no use for it. Gave the carb a good clean and it's a fine machine for our needs. Also put a bigger fuel tank on it. Good for everything in the house except the central air. Along with monthly start-up I use a fuel stabilizer and always run the carb dry with every shut down. Makes a big difference. Kept outside but under a porch so it keeps dry and is easy to plug into a house pick-up.

 

[3930dave]

Nice pairing of generators ww ! Welcome to the thread and TBN Clan......

You've corrected some common problems on both........ people have hit some interesting issues in this thread, and have done some extensive rebuilds.

Doesn't take much oxidation of electrical to be a headache, esp. if intermittent. One product that I came across at work in recent years that has impressed me is Termin8r spray.

I think Spectra is a Canadian company, so from their website it looks like there may be no USA distribution yet (a typical Canadian problem re. buying products, just reversed....). Not sure if they Ship direct to USA...... ?

I buy mine @ Traction here (Heavy Truck Canuck division of NAPA), so maybe it could be special ordered through NAPA USA (?).

I've been impressed with it on electrical contacts.... colour me lazy/too many old things to maintain, I like the fact that I can cover a whole panel fast, w/o disassembling all the contacts (which, I know, is the Right Thing to Do ).

Termin-8R Old — Spectra Products - Home of Brake Safe®

Owner at the shop where I came across Termin8r, has a large collection of Vintage Heavy Trucks. One Fall, he was using up fairly-new can of Termin8r that had a damaged nozzle. Sprayed it on a "new" old truck that came in, with pretty good sheet metal on it, but very time-worn paint... down to metal in spots. Next Spring, you could see that the coating was still very well adhered to the metal and old paint, and protecting the metal. Impressed me, as that old truck sat outside all Winter.

I've seen thicker oil-spray products wash out faster, so when a dielectric spray (which flows as readily as you'd expect) stays bonded that well, there may some veracity to their formulation claims.

Rainy day here..... so I have time to type......

Rgds, D.

 

[daugen]

I wonder what routine maintenance is on this?
your gen not complicated enough?
try this...

I think the noise would make every dog within a mile howl

 

[RjCorazza]

I wonder what routine maintenance is on this?
your gen not complicated enough?
try this...

I think the noise would make every dog within a mile howl

Wow. I would definitely prefer a loud and clanky open frame monster to that sound!

 

[5030]

20 feet away, you cannot even hear my Generac diesel powered genset. That thing sounds like a jet taking off.

 

[grsthegreat]

An extremely loud, $9,000 toy.and seriously, only 2600 watts output

if i ran something like that, the neighbors 5 miles away would shoot me.

 

[grsthegreat]

I wonder if you put an afterburner on it, if i could power my skilsaw and compressor.